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Feet-first Fournier a fit for Wings
By Matthew Wuest - RedWingsCentral.com / July 1, 2009The Detroit Red Wings are wowed by Gleason Fournier's feet.
The Red Wings selected the 17-year-old Rimouski Oceanic defenseman in the third round (90th overall) in last Saturday's NHL draft and are convinced they landed one of the best skaters available — at any position.
"He's a high-end skater," said Jim Nill, the Red Wings' assistant general manager. "Like all kids, he's got to get stronger, but we like his skating ability. He can take the puck and go end-to-end anytime he wants."
Fournier's wheels have always gotten him noticed, dating back to his midget days when the Oceanic drafted him fifth overall in the 2007 QMJHL draft. And he jumps right out at you on a major junior ice surface.
"His skating is so good — forward, backward, left, right ... He can do anything with his feet," said Oceanic GM Yannick Dumais.
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| Gleason Fournier is considered the future of the Rimouski Oceanic's powerhouse franchise. |
The folks in Rimouski know a thing or two about evaluating talent, having built something of a hockey factory that has produced the likes Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Sidney Crosby through the years. And Fournier is a guy they are treating as the crown jewel of the franchise.
As the Memorial Cup host last season, the Oceanic loaded up for a run to win it all. They made eight major trades — bringing in a bevy of proven, veteran talent — and Fournier was a sought-after commodity.
"All the teams we made a trade with asked for him," said Dumais. "We didn't want to sacrifice him because he's the future of our team."
When all was said and done, Rimouski had dealt almost all of its draft picks — left with only a fourth-rounder in 2009 and a fifth-rounder in 2010 — but it still had Fournier.
The 6-foot, 170-pounder had three goals and 25 assists for 28 points in 66 games last season, which is nothing to write home about. But he was used mostly in a third-pairing role, playing behind a pair of all-stars — including Red Wings prospect Sebastien Piche — and several veterans.
Fournier has shown good vision and offensive instincts and fits the Red Wings' cookie cutter for puck-moving defensemen.
The wildcard with Fournier is, nobody's quite sure how good he's going to be because he doesn't have enough meat on his bones. He's extremely slender and often finds himself overmatched defensively, and while every prospect needs to get stronger, that applies doubly to Fournier.
Working in Fournier's favor is his late birthdate. He doesn't turn 18 until September, and he was born eight day shy of being eligible for the 2010 draft. So he's about as young as a 2009 pick can get and still as time to mature.
The Oceanic will lean heavily on Fournier this season, and their blueprint for success is to develop him into a premiere player in 2010-11.
"He'll be one of the best defensemen in the (QMJHL) at 19," said Dumais. "He's a good offensive defenseman. He just needs to get some muscle on him, but he has all the assets to be a good hockey player."
This is part of a series of features on the Red Wings' 2009 draft choices. Check back all week for more on the other prospects selected.
» June 30: Tatar tops Wings' charts
» June 29: Yappin', scrappin' Callahan breaks the mold
» June 27: Triple threat: Ferraro, Tatar and Nestrasil
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The next wave
RWC's top 10 prospects (2009-10 preliminary)
| 01 | F | Tomas Tatar » | Grand Rapids (AHL) |
| 02 | D | Jakub Kindl » | Grand Rapids (AHL) |
| 03 | D | Brendan Smith » | Wisconsin (NCAA) |
| 04 | G | Thomas McCollum » | Grand Rapids (AHL) |
| 05 | F | Gustav Nyquist » | Maine (NCAA) |
| 06 | F | Landon Ferraro » | Red Deer (WHL) |
| 07 | F | Jan Mursak » | Grand Rapids (AHL) |
| 08 | F | Cory Emmerton » | Grand Rapids (AHL) |
| 09 | F | Joakim Andersson » | Frolunda (SEL) |
| 10 | F | Mattias Ritola » | Grand Rapids (AHL) |