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Azevedo's strong play buoys Kitchener

Tuesday, 01.01.2008 / 1:16 PM / Junior Report

By Brad Holland - NHL.com Staff Writer

Justin Azevedo had quite a weekend for the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL.
If Justin Azevedo’s back hurt more than usual Monday morning, it was because he held an entire junior team on his shoulders through the weekend.

One night removed from scoring the game-winning goal with 5:41 remaining in the third period of a 4-3 victory against the Niagara IceDogs, Azevedo scored a hat trick and added three assists in a 9-5 pounding of the Peterborough Petes on Sunday night.

What’s most impressive is the fact the Kitchener Rangers are without the bulk of their team due to the World Junior Championship, plus one case of mononucleosis.

Azevedo’s linemates, Nick Spaling (mono) and Matt Halischuk (WJC) are both away. The Rangers’ leading rookie scorer, Mikkel Boeddker, who should be a first-round NHL draft choice this summer, also is away, competing for Denmark at the WJC.

As if that weren’t enough, the Rangers’ top defenseman and power-play quarterback, Yannick Weber is at tournament as well.

All told, the Rangers are without 70 goals -- a whopping 40 percent of their total offense this season -- and a grand total of 164 points.

Stepping up? Check. With authority.

The 1988-born forward was passed over in two consecutive NHL Entry Drafts, despite scoring more than a point per game in both of his draft-eligible seasons. Why? Azevedo is on the smallish side, listed at 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds.

But there is only so much the scouts can ignore, especially since Azevdo is playing on the Memorial Cup-host Rangers and appears more than able to lead a team on his own. Averaging more than two points per game through 35 games this season, he is doing everything he can to find an NHL team willing to select him in his final draft-eligible season.

Azevedo has helped the Rangers to a 29-4-0 record and an incredible .847 winning percentage. They also boast the Ontario Hockey League’s most potent offense with 173 goals for, and are tied with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for the league’s stingiest defense, having allowed only 92 goals through 36 games.

In addition, the Rangers have sat atop the Mosaik Mastercard top-10 standings for the entire CHL for the past number of weeks.

Around the OHL -- Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospect Luca Caputi, taken with the Pens’ fourth-round selection in 2007, responded to the loss of team leader Stefan Legein to the WJC and super-rookie Andrew Agozzino to the World U-17 Hockey Challenge by putting up eight points (4 g, 4 a) in three games this weekend. Unfortunately for Caputi, the IceDogs dropped two of the three games. … The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, despite the loss of coach Craig Hartsburg, newly acquired forward Wayne Simmonds and offensive defenseman Josh Godfrey, all to Team Canada at the WJC, were able to show their depth by winning each of their games this week, including one against the Windsor Spitfires. The Greyhounds lead the Spitfires by one point in the highly competitive West Division. … Josh Unice was a third-round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks last summer, but he’s playing like a blue-chipper in his first season in the OHL. Unice boasts the league’s best GAA with a stingy 2.21 mark through 26 games. He has the second-highest win total in the league with 19, and has played to a very impressive save percentage at .915.

Western Hockey League

The Vancouver Giants brought in reinforcements recently and watched as the cavalry immediately paid dividends.

Casey Pierro-Zabotel (PIT, 2007), a forward with the Merrit Centennials of the British Columbia Hockey League, recently gave up his college eligibility by joining the Giants. Pierro-Zabotel was Michigan Tech-bound, but is now a Giant.

In his first game, the Giants beat the Chilliwack Bruins by a 2-1 shootout margin.

Less than three weeks later, forward Garry Nunn (2008) followed in Pierro-Zabotel’s footsteps and left the Victoria Grizzlies to join the Giants on Dec. 1, giving up his NCAA eligibility and a commitment to the University of Minnesota-Mankato.

Like Zabotel, Nunn immediately made his presence felt, assisting on a goal in a 7-0 victory against the Everett Silvertips.

With both Pierro-Zabotel and Nunn in the lineup, the Giants have won every game they've played. They have now won eight consecutive games and have gone undefeated through nine games overall.

Pierro-Zabotel has scored six goals and 15 points through the first 15 games of his WHL career, while Nunn has been even more productive, scoring three goals and 12 points through his first nine games.

Around the WHL -- “The Brocket Rocket” Colton Yellow Horn ran his league-leading points streak to 19 games with a goal and two assists in two games during the past week, as the Tri-City Americans kept pace with the U.S. Division-leading Spokane Chiefs with one win and one loss. Yellow Horn now has 18 goals and 17 assists during his streak, and has “Brocketed” up the WHL scoring lists and now sits seventh in the league. … Despite the loss of their top goaltender and one of the top goaltending prospects for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in

Colton Yellow Horn ran his league-leading points streak to 19 games with a goal and two assists in two games during the past week.

Riku Helenius to Team Finland at the WJC, the Seattle Thunderbirds pitched a shutout Friday night. Playing in place of Helenius was another highly touted goaltender, Jacob DeSerres, who lowered his GAA to an impressive 1.96 in 14 games to go along with his .932 save percentage. … The Medicine Hat Tigers are showing signs that their mid-season slump is behind them, as they have won the first two games after the break, a home-and-home set against the Swift Current Broncos, and are now only five points off the pace set by the Calgary Hitmen in the Central Division, with one game in hand. … The Regina Pats aren’t leaving themselves much room for error. The Pats sit atop the East Division with 24 wins and 50 points through 41 games this season, but they have only scored one more goal than they’ve allowed, with 119 goals for and 118 goals against.

United States Hockey League

The Chicago Steel might just have acquired a game-breaker during the Christmas break, and it didn't cost them a single asset.

Dynamic Swiss forward Luca Cunti, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s third-round pick in the 2007 draft, joined the team for its games this weekend, his first two in the USHL, as his petition to play with St. Cloud State of the WCHA was denied.

He had been cleared academically by the NCAA Clearing House, but questions had arisen about his eligibility as an amateur after he competed in a men’s league in his native Switzerland.

Cunti immediately made his presence felt, scoring a goal and adding two assists in two consecutive wins against the Green Bay Gamblers, skating to a plus-2 rating and firing six shots on goal.

The Steel hope Cunti will be able to improve their league standing, as they currently sit one game below .500 and remain in fourth place in the East Division.

Around the USHL -- The Sioux City Musketeers, who have allowed the second-fewest goals against in the league, kept up their stingy defensive play after the break, allowing only two goals in wins against the Waterloo Blackhawks and Tri-City Storm on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Goaltender Josh Robinson defeated the Storm by a 2-1 shootout decision, making 29 saves in the game. Fellow netminder Steve Thompson finished the weekend sweep with a 36-save, 5-1 defeat of the Waterloo Blackhawks the following night. … Doug Jones, forward for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, scored a goal and added three assists in two wins against the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets this weekend. The RoughRiders, who do not have a scorer in the top-10 in the USHL, still have scored more goals than six other teams in the league and sit second in the East Division with 35 points through 24 games. … Tim Buttery, a smooth-skating defenseman for the Chicago Steel, had four assists, including three power-play assists, in two wins this weekend.

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Chris DiDomenico is on the fast track in his second season in the QMJHL, as he has taken over the overall league scoring lead and is on pace to shatter his scoring totals from his rookie season.

DiDomenico has scored 26 goals and 53 points through 35 games this season, on pace for a 52-goal, 106-point season, which would be a 31-point increase in his totals from a season ago.

The Toronto Maple Leafs saw enough potential in DiDomenico to select him in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, and he is rewarding them quicker than they may have hoped for from the sixth-round pick.

In addition, his Sea Dogs are within striking distance of top spot in the QMJHL. They currently sit three points behind the Gatineau Olympiques, but hold four games in hand.

The Sea Dogs and DiDomenico have picked up right where they left off at the break, winning their first three games of the second half, outscoring their opponents by a 19-8 margin. DiDomenico scored three goals and added six assists for nine points in the three victories.

Around the QMJHL --The Quebec Remparts, under coach Patrick Roy, went 2-1 in their first three games post-break, on the backs of a shutout from goaltender Kevin Desfosses, and an offensive output from three of their top players, who each had five or more points. Angelo Esposito (PIT, 2007) scored three goals and five points in the three games, while Kelsey Tessier (2008) also had five points (4g, 1 a). Felix Petit led the way with one goal and five assists for six points. The Remparts are now seventh overall in the league standings with 46 points in 41 games. … Sea Dogs forward Ryan Sparling kept his league-leading points streak active with one assist in Saint John’s win Sunday against the Moncton Wildcats, running his streak to 14 games. He has nearly averaged two points per game during that stretch, with 10 goals and 27 points. Despite only skating in 26 games this season, the three-year veteran has 42 points and is within striking distance of teammate DiDomenico for the league lead if he is able to keep up his torrid pace. … Marco Cousineau (2008) should be a hot property in Ottawa at the draft this summer as the 18-year-old goaltender is among the league leaders in almost all statistical categories. He is second in wins and GAA, tied for fourth in saves, save percentage, and minutes and fifth in games started. The young netminder, from Les Cedres, Quebec, has helped to lead his Baie-Comeau Drakkar to second overall in the league standings. They sit behind only the Gatineau Olympiques. The Drakkar are two points back but hold two games in hand, and have won their past three decisions. Cousineau won each of his two starts on the week.

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