RWC REPORT: Cameron relishes bigger role

By Matthew Wuest - RedWingsCentral.com / March 3, 2008

The Moncton Wildcats have gone young, and Randy Cameron is benefiting in the second half of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season.

The rebuilding Wildcats made a flurry of mid-season trades to get younger, dealing high-scoring 20-year-olds Matt Marquardt and Phil Mangan, and Cameron, a Detroit Red Wings draftee, has been thrust into the No. 1 center's role.

He averages almost 25 minutes a night in all situations.

"You've got to be in good shape to do that and it's helped me get in better condition," Cameron said. "I like playing that many minutes — it's better to be on the ice than on the bench. The second half has been going good for me."

The 5-foot-11, 187-pounder has 12 goals and 25 assists for 37 points in 57 games. He's closer to a point-per-game recently, with four goals and 13 assists for 17 points in his last 20 contests. He's got a 51.6 faceoff percentage, impressive given that he's just 18 and taken 1,021 draws, second on the Wildcats.

The Wildcats are the second-worst team in the Q with a 21-30-4-9 record, and also have the second-worst offence with 177 goals (2.7 per game). As a result, Cameron's offensive numbers haven't exactly been eye-popping.

"We're one of the bottom teams in the league in goals scored, and that'll affect the offensive output a little bit," said Cameron, drafted 148th overall in 2007. "I'm just trying to round out my game and be an all-around player."

When the Red Wings picked him, they raved about his "great head for the game," and projected him as a hard-working two-way forward. He's showcased that game this season, even if his minus-9 rating might indicate otherwise.

Cameron said he's stronger this season and, despite his pass-first mentality, is hoping to work on his shot. As the Wildcats improve — and they should skyrocket up the standings next season — so too should Cameron's numbers.

"Hopefully, I can improve my numbers," he said. "I feel better about my game and hopefully I can take the next step and be a point-per-game player."

• Forward Dick Axelsson (Djurgarden, Swedish Elite League) scored twice in three games this week, a positive sign after a late-season drought. The playoffs in most European leagues, including Sweden, will begin shortly.
• Forward Justin Abdelkader (Michigan State, NCAA), scored three goals and two assists in a pair of games in his best weekend of the season.
• Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson has outlasted Grand Rapids counterpart Kyle Quincey with the Red Wings after Quincey received the first call-up. Quincey and goaltender Jimmy Howard were sent back to the American Hockey League this week after a handful of games in Detroit. Ericsson is averaging more than 17 minutes a game with the Red Wings and has a fan in head coach Mike Babcock.
• Defenseman Bryan Rufenach (Clarkson, NCAA) had a couple of goals on the weekend, and has five points in 30 games as a freshman.

The following is an up-to-date statistical report for skaters:

NAME	TEAM	LEAGUE	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
A H L
Jonathan Ericsson	Grand Rapids	AHL	54	7	18	25	63
Ryan Oulahen	Grand Rapids	AHL	61	11	10	21	32
Evan McGrath	Grand Rapids	AHL	59	8	13	21	22
Mattias Ritola	Grand Rapids	AHL	56	5	14	19	52
Darren Helm	Grand Rapids	AHL	55	7	10	17	20
Jakub Kindl	Grand Rapids	AHL	56	3	10	13	61
Kyle Quincey	Grand Rapids	AHL	47	3	9	12	86
Randall Gelech	Grand Rapids	AHL	51	5	6	11	29
Francis Lemieux	Grand Rapids	AHL	42	3	7	10	39
Johan Ryno	Grand Rapids	AHL	12	3	4	7	8
Igor Grigorenko	Grand Rapids	AHL	5	0	0	0	4
R U S S I A
Miroslav Blatak	Salavat Yulaev	RUS	54	2	12	14	34
Igor Grigorenko	Salavat Yulaev	RUS	27	4	6	10	24
Gennady Stolyarov	Moscow Dynamo	RUS	37	3	2	5	22
S W E D E N
Dick Axelsson	Djurgarden	SWE	44	11	11	22	44
Anton Axelsson	Timra	SWE	52	8	8	16	8
Johan Ryno	Djurgarden	SWE	27	2	6	8	16
Joakim Andersson	Frolunda	SWE	8	1	0	1	2
Joakim Andersson	Boras	SWE-2	33	6	17	23	26
Joakim Andersson	Frolunda	SWE-J20	4	6	1	7	0
C H L
Jan Mursak	Belleville	OHL	55	17	47	64	23
Zack Torquato	Erie	OHL	60	23	38	61	95
Cory Emmerton	Brampton	OHL	50	23	34	57	16
Logan Pyett	Regina	WHL	57	19	32	51	50
Randy Cameron	Moncton	QMJHL	57	23	25	37	26
N C A A
Justin Abdelkader	Michigan State	CCHA	37	17	18	35	91
Brendan Smith	Wisconsin	WCHA	21	2	10	12	26
Nick Oslund	St. Cloud State	WCHA	33	4	1	5	25
Bryan Rufenach	Clarkson	ECAC	30	3	2	5	10
Nils Backstrom	Alaska-Anchorage	WCHA	16	1	2	3	18

The following is an up-to-date statistical report for goaltenders:

NAME	TEAM	LEAGUE	GP	W-L-O	GAA	SPCT
Daniel Larsson	Djurgarden	SWE	45	--	2.28	.921
Jimmy Howard	Grand Rapids	AHL	42	18-20-2	2.72	.911

LEAGUE LEGEND: AHL -- American Hockey League; RUS -- Russian Elite League; SWE -- Swedish Elite League; SWE-2 -- Swedish second level; SWE-J20 -- Swedish under-20 league; OHL -- Ontario Hockey League; WHL -- Western Hockey League; QMJHL -- Quebec Major Junior Hockey League; CCHA -- Central Collegiate Hockey Association; WCHA -- Western Collegiate Hockey Association; ECAC -- East Coast Athletic Conference.