QMJHL | Beaulieu unloads captain, top scorer and loads up on draft picks

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By NATHAN WHITE
Canadaeast News Service

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Unwilling to mortgage the franchise's future, Saint John Sea Dogs general manager Jacques Beaulieu traded three players including the team's first-ever draft pick and its all-time leading scorer.

The Dogs dealt star forward Chris DiDomenico, captain Alex Grant, and fellow defenceman Pascal Amyot in three separate Quebec Major Junior Hockey League trades.

Grant heads to the Shawinigan Cataractes, who lead the Telus Central division with a 33-9 record. DiDomenico is bound for the rival Drummondville Voltigeurs (31-6-0-3), who trail Shawinigan by one point.

Amyot, meanwhile, moves to the Halifax Mooseheads, last in the six-team Atlantic Division at 11-26-2-2.

Also gone are forwards Matthew Stoddard, Kyle Dilosa and Stephen Walker, who remain on Saint John's protected list but were released from their major junior duties.

In return, the Dogs receive 16-year-old goalie Simon Giroux (from Drummondville) and two 17-year-old forwards in Mathieu Gingras (Drummondville) and Danick Gauthier (Shawinigan).

They also receive Drummondville's first-round pick in the 2009 entry draft and their 2010 second-rounder. Sources indicate the 2010 pick will go back to Drummondville at the 2009 draft in exchange for forward Mike Hoffman, who has 52 points in 34 games as a 19-year-old this season.

Shawinigan, meanwhile, sends Saint John its 2010 first-rounder and 2009 second-rounder, one of which could be returned to the Cataractes for forward Nicholas Petersen at the draft. Petersen, 19, is fourth in league scoring with 58 points in 42 games.

From Halifax, the Dogs get a 2010 fourth-rounder and a first-round pick in the 2009 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft.

With Saint John third in the Atlantic at 22-18-2-2, Beaulieu said his first choice in the QMJHL trade period was to add veterans.

But when the prices on snipers such as Paul Byron, J-P Chabot, Maxime Macenauer, Felix Petit and Danick Paquette were too high, Beaulieu decided to reload to put the Dogs in good position for the future.