Habs Buzz Episode 3 with Special Guest Bad News Brown
Welcome to Episode 3 of Habs Buzz.
This week, Eric Engels and Steven Hindle welcome Montreal Superstar Bad News Brown.
All music, including the theme at the top of the show was recorded by Bad News Brown.
The show was produced and recorded by Simon Petraki of Seratone Studio, in the heart of downtown Montreal, just blocks south of the Bell Centre.
If you want Bad News Brown's album, it's available on ITunes, and available at HMV music stores across Canada, titled: "Born 2 Sin".
Enjoy the Show.
Comments? Questions? Send 'em to [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter @HabsBuzzShow for updates.
Habs CHL Prospect Update
Through A Scouts Eyes: Philippe Lefebvre
As you may or may not be aware, I am attempting to broaden the coverage of your Montreal Canadiens this season by continually checking in on the Habs prospects and draft picks that are playing across the globe.
I have already explored the Habs Russian Prospects with Alex Seren Rosso, and have now turned my attention to the team's prospects playing in the Canadian Hockey League.
The CHL comprises all the Major Junior leagues across Canada(OHL, WHL & QMJHL) and with Montreal boasting 6 quality prospects in the CHL, I thought it best to get a scouts opinion on how these young Habs-to-be are progressing.
In order to help us better understand what is going, I contacted Rick Springhetti a scout for McKeen's Hockey, who was kind enough to provide an in-depth review of Louis Leblanc, Philippe Lefebvre, Michael Bournival, Brendan Gallagher, Jarred Tinordi and Morgan Ellis.
In our first interview, Rick gave us some insight into how Louis Leblanc is developing in the QMJHL. Today, Rick offers us up some interesting details on fellow Montreal Junior and Habs prospect, Philippe Lefebvre.
My thanks to Rick for providing some excellent insight and for doing the interviews, hope you enjoy!
Name: Philippe Lefebvre
Current Team: Montreal Juniors, QMJHL
Drafted: Undrafted, signed by Bob Gainey in September of 2009 to a 3 year entry-level deal.
SH: What's the story behind Lefebvre? Why was he never drafted?
RS: "Lefebvre played with a powerhouse team in Drummondville so his role was limited. With that in mind, Lefebvre worked hard on the defensive part of the game and did well in that role but some scouts are not going to jump all over that kind of player especially one who is not a physically aggressive player. The thing to remember is that Guy Boucher was his coach and he always spoke in glowing terms of the kid feeling that he was underrated by the scouts and to the credit of the Canadiens scouting staff, they did notice and quickly signed him to a free agent contract."
SH: Phil isn't the biggest of players, not that he is all that small at 5'11, 190lbs., yet what type of skill package does he possess? What is the scouting report on him?
RS: "Lefebvre was always a good skater, smart defensively especially when it comes to cutting passing lanes. The knock on him in the past was that he did not initiate contact very much and tended to freeze up when faced with a scoring opportunity but he has made some very interesting strides this year. He is a lot more aggressive and is taking advantage of scoring chances."
SH: Lefebvre has progressively gotten better during his career in the QMJHL. Now, playing alongside Louis Leblanc with the Montreal Juniors, after 3 seasons with the Drummondville Voltigeurs, Phil is playing his best hockey yet, is this a matter of who he is playing with or is this a matter of Lefebvre developing into a top talent in the QMJHL?
RS: "I think it’s all a matter of confidence. Speaking with him during the Canadiens development camp, I already noticed a change. He seemed sure of himself, looked me straight in the eye when speaking to me and knew what he wanted to communicate which was very different to my past talks with him. That is the kind of thing that I like to see when talking to a player, that kind of self-confidence. On the ice, I also noticed some changes. Where in the past he would make safe decisions with the puck, this year he started carrying the it a lot more, was more decisive on what he wanted to do on the ice and was trying to create chances and all this while playing a smart game defensively."
SH: Like Leblanc, Phil earned a spot on the Q team in the Subway Series against the Russians. Was his selection an indicator that he might be considered for Team Canada at the WJC's? In your opinion, is Lefebvre good enough to play for Canada at the International level?
RS: "It will be difficult considering the depth that is offered to team Canada but the one thing that he has going for him is that by playing with Leblanc, he has an opportunity to be noticed by Hockey-Canada scouts. The issue with Lefebvre is that he brings a lot of nice things to a team but nothing stands out enough to grab people’s full attention."
SH: Currently paired with Louis Leblanc, Phil has been among the top scorers in the QMJHL, what is being said of the duo's chemistry level? Leblanc has had previous success with Danny Kristo(another Habs prospect) in Omaha, do you think it's possible that Leblanc could find himself centering Lefebvre and Kristo in Hamilton or Montreal one day in the near future?
RS: "It’s too soon to tell at this point. Lefebvre has shown some improvement this year but still has to work on his strength as he could get pushed around against men. The good news is that he’s improved every year and has benefited from some very good coaching in the QJMHL from Guy Boucher, Mario Duhamel and now Pascal Vincent so he is hockey smart and that can help compensate for a lot of shortcomings."
SH: As an undrafted player, Phil faces larger challenges than normal prospects and is not likely to ascend directly to Montreal(as some other draft picks may possibly do), what will it take for Lefebvre to develop into an NHL calibre player? Do you foresee Lefebvre developing into a player the Canadiens will need in the future?
RS: "The good news for Lefebvre is that he is defensively responsible, a safe player who can hold on to the puck and he can play very well in a structured system, exactly the kind of player that the organisation seems to prefer right now, but again, he needs to get stronger physically as he will not have the same amount of space in the big leagues that he gets in the QJMHL."
Rick's Extra Note:
"One thing that is noticeable when looking at the CHL players that are part of the Canadiens organisation is that so many of them are character players, young men that are already wearing a letter with their perspective teams (Ellis and Bournival are captains, Tinordi was a captain and Leblanc wears an A). I don’t think that it’s an accident."
That's all for now, I will be back with my interview with Rick on Michael Bournival Sunday or Monday. Enjoy the game this evening!!!
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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