News from the Q

Editor's Note: blue with age decided to take advantage of a meeting of two of Toronto's better offensive prospects and made his way down to the Remparts/Drummondville game. Here is his report on Mikhail Stafanovich and Chris DiDomenico.

Last night I ventured out in the insanely cold night with 14000 other insane people to watch a Remparts/Drummond game. In our barn, the beer is priced ($4.25) just slightly higher than bottled water and the sushi is called poutine ($6). Though I have seen our boy Stefanovich before this was the first time I have seen DiDomenico live. 

Tall, yet invisible, Stefanovich seems to often be in the right place at the right time to pot a goal. Which he did at even strength last night from the edge of the crease. He is big enough, fast enough and has the hands to play in the big show. The only question is whether he can do it right away. Think Pony (both positive and negative aspects). Personally,  I can hardly wait for the tag team wrestlemania cage match featuring our belarusians versus theirs (you know who you are).  Speaking of the negative side, being invisible is not always an asset when it means do-nothing-invisible. Plus, King Patrick had to actually go to Belarus (undoubtably with persuasive pineapples and sharp knives) to convince his parents to let Steffy come here. He will always be a higher maintenance player. Though hats off to the parents for making the crazy, wifebeating father of two junior rapping wifebeaters-in-training jump though hoops to get his way instead of just pouting in the local newspaper that he would take a back seat to anyone that would like to take his place knowing full well that the fawning over him of the said local population is the source of his hard-ons (in addition to wifebeating of course). 

DiDomenico was recently traded to his new team. I hesitate using the nick name Dido, one typo away from being more news than I need to know. The PA announcer last night referred to him as Christophe (see previous sentence). Drummondville is now third overall in the Q (after last night) and DiDomenico is 1 of their 2 NHL drafted players - Quebec has 7. (Note to overcrowded TML executive suite - Please, please don't draft Tardif the goalie). DiDomenico has grown quite a bit in the recent past, so he is a thin guy. It is not surprising then that he is easily moved off the puck for now (including an awesome open ice hit last night that put him on his ass). On the positive side, he can play a role. This was not he same guy that set up Tavares over xmas. All his points last night (1g2a) were from the lip of the crease and he has a mean streak, probably from being pushed around when he was a smaller water bug. He was definitely the best player on his team last night, as well as the most penalized, and can evidently make an impact.

Overall, both players seem to be prospects that have yet to prove they can make the jump up. But good hands can't be taught, whether they develop with us or serve as trade bait.