Desrosiers shines at World U-18s

Saturday, 06.01.2013 / 2:11 PM

By Adam Kimelman - NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor / Combing the 2013 NHL Combine

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Combing the 2013 NHL Combine
Desrosiers shines at World U-18s

TORONTO -- Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic had a solid season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and earned the No. 7 spot in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American goalies for the 2013 NHL Draft.

CSS 2013 FINAL RANKINGS

However, if those rankings had been redone after the 2013 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, there's a chance Desrosiers might have been a bit higher.

The 6-foot-1.25, 182-pound goalie topped the tournament with a 0.80 goals-against average and .970 save percentage in five games to help Canada win the gold medal. He allowed three goals in his final three games, including a shutout against the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals.

"I think it was a good showcase for me to prove myself," Desrosiers told NHL.com. "I played great, and coming to Canada with the gold medal was awesome. I'm very proud of myself. Maybe I proved something. Maybe a lot of scouts saw me. I'm very happy."

Desrosiers went 22-8-5 in 43 games with Rimouski in his first season in the QMJHL, along with a 3.07 GAA and .900 save percentage.

He's No. 2 among QMJHL goalies, behind top-ranked Zachary Fucale of the Memorial Cup-champion Halifax Mooseheads. However, Desrosiers said he doesn't believe the gap between the two is that wide.

"Right now I'm ranked seventh, but I think I'm a lot better than this," he said. "I think, compared to Zach Fucale, I'm as good as him."

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