Former Islanders captain commits to U.P.E.I.

Ryan MacKinnon makes a move around Halifax's Taylor Ford on Feb. 21, 2015. Photo by Darrell Theriault.

Former Charlottetown Islanders defenceman and captain Ryan MacKinnon will continue his hockey career on the Island and has committed to the U.P.E.I. Panthers.

MacKinnon, 20, wrapped up his final season of major junior this past season with the Islanders scoring a career-high 10 goals and 50 points in 64 games, with a minus-14 rating.

The Summerside, P.E.I., native spent the previous three seasons with the Rimouski Oceanic who drafted him in the fifth round, 86th overall in 2011. The six-foot, 185-pound defenceman was traded to Charlottetown on May 30, 2014. MacKinnon served as Rimouski's captain during the 2013-14 season.

Over the course of four seasons and 252 regular season games, MacKinnon scored 20 goals and 107 points with a plus-10 rating.

MacKinnon will join former Oceanic teammate and captain Casey Babineau with the Panthers.

Former Islanders forward Craig MacLauchlan also plays for U.P.E.I.

The curious case of the third-round pick

In an early-look at the the 2015 QMJHL Draft Order, the Charlottetown Islanders seem to be without a third-round pick.

The 40th overall pick is currently owned by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. The list shows the pick being originally owned by the Chicoutimi Sagueneens then to the Charlottetown Islanders, back to Chicoutimi then to Acadie-Bathurst.

Here is the full list of the third round for the 2015 QMJHL Draft.

This is where things get weird.

On Aug. 16, 2013, the Islanders traded overage forward Victor Provencher to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens for Blainville-Boisbriand’s second-round pick in 2014 and Chicoutimi’s third-round pick in 2015.

Fast forward 16 months to the 2014-15 season trading period and on Dec. 19, 2014, the Titan traded Anthony Gingras to Chicoutimi for a 10th-round pick in 2015 as well as a third-round pick in 2015.

How did Chicoutimi have two of their own third-round picks for 2015, considering the pick was never traded back to them from Charlottetown?

As I mentioned above, the pick changed hands from Chicoutimi to Charlottetown, back to Chicoutimi then to Acadie-Bathurst. Here is a look at both trades, screen captioned from the QMJHL trades section and quickly edited.

2014-15 Charlottetown Islanders Season Review

Photo by Nathan A'Hearn.

The Charlottetown Islanders may have just enjoyed one of the best seasons in recent memory for the franchise.

A slow start did not derail on their journey to only their second quarter-final playoff appearance in franchise history. The team was almost two different groups from the first half of the season to the second and it was this progression that lead them further than anybody expected with the help of backup Daryl MacCallum who filled in for Mason McDonald when McDonald fell victim to injury in the first round against the Sherbrooke Phoenix. The emergence of Czech Filip Chlapik and progression from Daniel Sprong, Alex Goulet, McDonald along with the solid play of captain Ryan MacKinnon, Ross Johnston, Spenser Cobbold and MacCallum made this a year with good memories and hope for the future.


The Islanders were a scoring threat for a large part of the season, especially with a power play that hovered around the league's best for a long period of time. However, opponents were still able to generate high amounts of offensive chances of their own. In comparison the the previous year, scoring is up significantly on better power play numbers and this team was able to shave shots against from he previous year. Impressive for a team whose defense only composed of MacKinnon and Guillame Rioux-Legault as defenders 19-years of age or older.

 Season Stats

(Split into halves)

Splitting this season directly down the middle we can see strides where the Charlottetown Islanders improved into the second round playoff team they came to be. Winning percentage improved from 44 per cent to 58 per cent. Goals for and goals against improved which was helped by superb goaltending and increased offense down the stretch. Note that the Islanders shot on average 1.5 more shots than their opponents during the second half compared to being out-shot 3.2 shots per game in the beginning of the season.

A Tale Of Two Sprongers?

Chlapik joining Czech Republic at Under-18 World Championship

Filip Chlapik. Photo by: Darrell Theriault.

Charlottetown Islanders forward Filip Chlapik will be joining the Czech Republic at the Under-18 World Championship in Zug and Lucerne, Switzerland.

The 17-year-old heads for Switzerland today to join the Czech Republic which is already 0-1 in the tournament after an opening 6-1 loss to Finland yesterday.

Czech Republic plays its next game today at 10:45 a.m. against Latvia and Chlapik will not be in the lineup.

Chlapik just wrapped up his first QMJHL season with the Islanders, setting new franchise records for most goals (33) and points (75) in one season by a rookie. Chlapik also picked up one goal and nine points in as many playoff games.

The Islanders drafted Chlapik with the 11th overall pick in the 2014 CHL Import Draft.

The six-foot-one, 190-pound centreman is ranked No. 18 amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting's final rankings for the upcoming 2015 NHL Entry Draft in Sunrise, Fla.

Islanders eliminated with 5-2 Game 4 loss

Guillaume Gauthier scored a hat-trick to lead the Quebec Remparts to a 5-2 win over the Charlottetown Islanders Thursday night at Eastlink Centre.

The Remparts sweep the second round series 4-0 and become the first team to advance to the semi-finals this year.

“Obviously it’s tough no matter who you are,” said Islanders captain Ryan MacKinnon. “It’s hard to go out, let along four straight. It’s nothing a team wants to go through. We battled hard and we gave it everything we got and unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”

Islanders goaltender Daryl MacCallum also said it was tough going out with a sweep.

“You never want that to happen. We have to keep our heads held high, we won that first (round) series, that was a good job but came up short this series.”

MacCallum took over for Mason McDonald in Game 3 and was not expecting to to be the go-to-guy between the pipes for the Islanders in the playoffs.

“It was a lot of fun,” said MacCallum. “I wasn’t expecting to start in the playoffs but I'm glad I did. I felt comfortable and it was an awesome experience.”

Game day: Round 2, Game 4 Remparts @ Islanders

It's do or die for the Charlottetown Islanders tonight.

The Quebec Remparts put a stranglehold on the Islanders Tuesday night by skating away with a 5-2 victory in Game 3 for a commanding 3-0 series lead and putting the Islanders in a must-win situation.

Charlottetown will for sure be looking to avoid the sweep at home, while the Remparts will look to end the series and move on to the semi-finals for the first time since 2011. The Islanders have their backs up against the wall for sure.

Islanders forward Daniel Sprong, who has six goals and 10 points in the playoffs, said the Islanders need to approach tonight's game the same way they have all series.

"We gotta come out hard and play our game and make sure we don't take stupid penalties."

The Islanders are no strangers to penalties, as they have been short-handed 12 times in the last two games, with some calls questionable. Charlottetown ran into the same problem against Sherbrooke in the opening round.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, they are starting to get annoying," said Islanders forward Ross Johnston in post-game interview on Tuesday. "Obviously I'm trying to play a game within certain boundaries and I guess when I try make a hit he falls down and sprawling around there is not much I can do. I'm trying to play within the boundaries but obviously I'm stepping out a little bit."

Johnston leads the Islanders in penalty minutes with 28 in nine games.

The Remparts will be without defenceman Ryan Graves as he will be serving a one-game suspension for cross-checking. Brian Lovell will draw into Quebec's lineup.

Game day: Round 2, Game 3 Remparts @ Islanders

Date: Tuesday April 14, 2015

Match: Quebec Remparts @ Charlottetown Islanders

Where: Eastlink Centre, Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Time: 7 p.m. AST

TV: Webcast

Live Tweets: IslesLive

The best-of-seven series has now shifted to Charlottetown for the next two - if necessary, three - games. 

Quebec is coming off a 4-3 overtime win in Game 2 on Sunday that gives them a comfortable 2-0 lead in the series. 

It is going to be an entirely different series at home for the Islanders. They are currently 2-1-0 at home in the playoffs and outscored Sherbrooke 10-4 in the three games in the opening round. A win tonight can change everything in the series. The Islanders can cut the Remparts series lead in half and look to take the lead with the next two games, or the Remparts can take a 3-0 series leading forcing the Islanders to have their backs against the wall in Game 4.

The Islanders have shown they can play with the Remparts after Sunday's overtime loss. The Remparts took the lead each time but the Islanders were able to respond, especially late in the third to send the game to overtime. Charlottetown has been taking penalties, but have only allowed the Remparts to score once on seven power play opportunities. 

Scoring first has been key so far in the series. Quebec has scored the first goal in both games and have won and that has been a difference maker so far. The Islanders/Phoenix series was much the same, but the trend was ended in Game 6.

Quinn O'Brien will return to Charlottetown's lineup after serving a one-game suspension for removing an opponent's helmet during a fight. That incident occurred in Game 1 on Friday night.

Erne scores in OT as Remparts edge Islanders 4-3

QUEBEC CITY, QUE. - Adam Erne was the overtime hero in a 4-3 Quebec Remparts victory in Game 2 Sunday afternoon at Colisée Pepsi.

Erne beat Charlottetown Islanders goaltender Daryl MacCallum on a wrap-around at the 16:19 mark of the extra frame to give the Remparts a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Erne scored a pair of goals in the win.

The series will now head to Charlottetown for Game 3 and 4 and, if necessary, Game 5.

Erne opened the scoring at the 5:50 mark of the first period with a power play marker banging home a loose puck on a rebound. Guillaume Gauthier and Nikolas Brouillard drew assists.

Charlottetown was quick to respond as Ross Johnston buried his second goal of the playoffs at 7:45 to tie the game. Kameron Kielly and Spenser Cobbold drew assists.

The Remparts re-gained the lead with 29 seconds left on the clock as a backhand shot by Marc-Olivier Roy fooled MacCallum. Gauthier and Anthony Duclair drew assists.

The scored would remain the same until the 14:31 mark of the second period when Bradley Kennedy drove to the net for his third goal of the playoffs. The original shot was stopped by Remparts goalie Zachary Fucale and the puck then went of Kennedy again and into the net. The play was reviewed but called a good goal. Filip Chlapik drew the lone assists.

Recap: Islanders vs. Phoenix Round 1 advanced statistics

Daryl MacCallum. Photo by: Darrell Theriault

 
General Overview 

The Islanders were victorious in their six-game stint against the Sherbrooke Phoenix. Special teams held true to regular season performance varying only slightly. Goals Per Game however jumped to 4.17 while Goals Against Per Game dropped to 2.67. Both Shot and Save Percentages both jumped to 12.25 per cent and 92.45 per cent respectively. Is this a result of a relatively healthy lineup putting everything together at the right time or are these numbers too high to carry over into Quebec.

 Shots:

The Islanders had no problem getting shots against the Phoenix.  The negative is that the Phoenix was able to do the same. The volume of shots varied very little whether in wins or losses. Looking closer we see that the Phoenix shoot at a significantly worse rate (7.55 per cent) than their season average of (10.74 per cent) despite seeing an increase in shots themselves. This can be attributed to the superb play of Daryl MacCallum and to the Islanders team which lead the series in "Dangerous Shots" and and had 52.5 per cent of shots considered dangerous in the series. It is important to note that the Islanders spent almost twice as much time in the penalty box as the Phoenix and that even strength numbers should favor the Isles.

Highest Shooting Percentages:
Spenser Cobbold (26.1 per cent) Guillaume Rioux Legault (28.6 per cent) Filip Rydstrom (28.1 per cent)
Lowest Shooting Percentages:
Alexandre Goulet (6.7 per cent) Filip Chlapik (0 per cent) Johnston (6.7 per cent)

Chlapik named to Rookie All-Star team at league awards ceremony

Photo by: Darrell Theriault.

Charlottetown Islanders forward Filip Chlapik was named to the QMJHL Rookie All-Star team last night at the Golden Puck Awards in Montreal, Que.

Chlapik, 17, enjoyed a fantastic rookie season with the Islanders scoring 33 goals and 75 points in 64 games. His 33 goals and 75 points set new franchise records for most goals and points by a rookie in a single season. He currently has two assists in five playoff games.

The Islanders drafted Chlapik with the 11th overall pick in the 2014 CHL Import Draft in July.

Goaltender Evan Fitzpatrick (Sherbrooke Phoenix), defencemen Samuel Girard (Shawinigan Cataractes) and Jakub Zboril (Saint John Sea Dogs) along with forwards Dmytro Timashov (Quebec Remparts) and Evgeny Svechnikov (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles) were also named to the team.

Chlapik has been ranked as the 18th overall North American skater in Central Scouting's final rankings which were released yesterday.

Islanders will face Quebec Remparts in second round

The Charlottetown Islanders will go head-to-head against Zach Fucale and the Quebec Remparts in the second round of the QMJHL Playoffs.

Quebec won its best-of-seven series against Cape Breton 4-3 after a 6-3 Game 7 victory. The QMJHL hockey world had to await the winner of the Halifax and Shawinigan series in order to determine the final three match-ups. Halifax won game 7 in overtime by a 3-2 score and take the series 4-3.

Charlottetown and Quebec met each other twice this season, and much like against the Phoenix this season, each team won in the other's home rink but each game was decided by a goal.

Oct. 25, 2014 was the first meeting between the two teams at the Eastlink Centre in Charlottetown, P.E.I. The Remparts skated away with a 4-3 win with former Islanders goalie Eric Brassard between the pipes.

Fast forward to the trading period when the Remparts traded Brassard to Halifax for goaltender Zachary Fucale and defenceman Matt Murphy. Forward Anthony Duclair returned to the Remparts after the 2015 World Junior Championships.

Game day: Game 5 Phoenix @ Islanders

Date: Friday April 3, 2015

Match: Sherbrooke Phoenix @ Charlottetown Islanders

Where: Eastlink Centre, Charlottetown, P.E.I.

Time: 7 p.m. AST

TV: Webcast

Live Tweets: IslesLive

It's now a best-of-three series.

The Phoenix was 2-1 winners Wednesday night to even the series a two games apiece with the final game in Charlottetown tonight.

Both teams will be hungry for the win to take that 3-2 lead into Game 6 in Sherbrooke on Monday.

The team that has scored first has won each game, so that all important first goal has been a factor during the series. It has been a fairly high scoring series up until Game 4 on Wednesday. Game 1's first period and Game 4's third period are so far the only periods with scoring so far. 

Charlottetown and Sherbrooke have combined for 30 goals through four games, with only 10 of those goals coming in the last pair of games. 

Islanders strength:

Playing 5-on-5 - The crash line of Cooper - Rydstrom - Johnston has been hammering on the smaller Phoenix players this series and it's showing on the forecheck.

"We just try to play North and play our style," said Islanders captain Ryan MacKinnon in a post-game interview on Wednesday. "Sherbrooke is obviously a great team and we're just trying to play our style and not limit our turnovers and keep it simple and it seems to be working 5-on-5."

Phoenix strength:

Power play - Power play has definitely been a factor for both teams. Both of Sherbrooke's goals came on the power play on Wednesday. They generate most of their offensive pressure on the man advantage.

Phoenix edges Islanders 2-1 to tie series

Tim Wieser’s second-period goal off a bad bounce stood as the winner as the Sherbrooke Phoenix took a 2-1 victory in Game 4 Wednesday night at Eastlink Centre.

A dump-in bounced of the back board, with Islanders goaltender Daryl MacCallum halfway out to play the puck, and bounced to the stick of Wieser who came in on a partial breakaway, made a move and shot the puck past a sprawling MacCallum who was able to make it back in time into the crease.

“They’ll get their bounces and we’ll get ours,” said Islanders defenceman Luc Deschenes who scored the Islanders’ lone goal. “So we just have to capitalize when we get ours.”

The best-of-seven series is now tied 2-2 with Game 5 remaining in Charlottetown on Friday.

It was a tough loss, said Deschenes.

“We obviously wanted to take that (3-1) lead staying at home but they’re a good team and if we give them their chances they’re gonna take them.”

Islanders captain Ryan MacKinnon said the Islanders worked ‘extremely hard’.

“Especially after they got a quick one early and I felt like we answered great.”

MacKinnon credits Sherbrooke goaltender Alex Bureau with having a great game after making 38 saves.

“It’s something you keep trying and smiling at. Sometimes you can shoot as much as you want and it doesn’t want to go in. You can beat the goalie but sometimes a red post is there.”

McDonald to see doctors on Wednesday; possibly sidelined for remainder of series

Mason McDonald. Photo by Darrell Theriault.

Charlottetown Islanders goaltender Mason McDonald will see doctors Wednesday morning after an injury sustained in Monday night’s Game 3 against the Sherbrooke Phoenix.

In a team statement, Islanders General Manager Grant Sonier said McDonald suffered a knee injury and will see doctors and user proper diagnosis. The team will then notify fans with an updated report.

“Until we get that diagnosis, we are not going to speculate. We understand that in the social media world word travels fast, but we want the official word to from the Charlottetown Islanders concerning Mason’s health,” said Sonier.

McDonald left Monday’s under five minutes into the first period and did not return.

Daryl MacCallum took over in goal making 30 saves to help the Islanders pick up a big 5-2 win to take a 2-1 series lead. He is expected to start in goal on Wednesday.

According to The Guardian, Sonier has made phone calls to goaltending prospects Luke House and Nicholas Dawe. Grant Grady is also a third option to back-up MacCallum, but is currently playing the Island Junior Hockey League (Jr. B) finals with the Kensington Vipers.

Game 4 goes Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Eastlink Centre.

MacCallum plays hero in Islanders 5-2 win

Daryl MacCallum stood up to occasion making 30 saves to backstop the Charlottetown Islanders to a 5-2 win over the Sherbrooke Phoenix in Game 3 Monday night at Eastlink Centre.

Islanders starter Mason McDonald suffered what appeared to be a leg injury and left the game 4:57 into the contest and did not return. The Islanders had a 2-0 lead at that point.

MacCallum said he was pretty nervous because it was his first playoff game in the QMJHL.

“Once I made the first couple of saves I felt pretty comfortable in net and the team did a great job in front of me.”

MacCallum calls the game the most special he has ever played.

“Playing my first playoff game meant a lot to me.”

The fans were behind him all game, said MacCallum.

“The fans were special. They kept chanting me on and giving me confidence.”

Islanders forward Daniel Sprong said MacCallum came up big.

“He hasn’t played a lot this season but when he plays he has stepped up for us. You never want to see Mase go down like that. He came in great and made great saves. We rallied around him and used it as momentum and we took the game.”

The Islanders now lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 with the next two games in Charlottetown.

Darcy leads Phoenix to 7-3 win to tie up series

SHERBROOKE, QUE. - Cameron Darcy scored five points, including three goals, to lead the Sherbrooke Phoenix to a 7-3 win over the Charlottetown Islanders in Game 2 Saturday evening at Palais des Sports Leopold-Drolet.

The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1 as the scene shifts to Charlottetown for Games 3, 4, and 5.

Daniel Audette enjoyed an offensive night scoring two goals and an assist.

Charlottetown ran into penalty trouble, some calls questionable, as the Phoenix capitalized three times on 10 power play opportunities.

Darcy opened the scoring for Sherbrooke at 5:46 with his first of playoffs. Julien Bahl and Evan Fitzpatrick drew assists.

The Phoenix took a 2-0 lead with Audette’s first of the playoffs at 13:08 with Darcy drawing the lone assist.

In the second period, Daniel Sprong got the Islanders on the board with a power play goal at 6:23 with his third goal of the playoffs. Bradley Kennedy and Ryan MacKinnon drew assists.

Sherbrooke re-gained the two-goal lead with Darcy scoring his second of the game at 14:21 with a power play marker. Jeremy Roy and Tim Wieser drew assists.

On another power play, Audette scored his second of the game at 18:15 for a 4-1 Phoenix lead. Carl Neill drew the lone assist.

Game day: Game 2 Islanders @ Phoenix

Date: Saturday March 28, 2015

Match: Charlottetown Islanders @ Sherbrooke Phoenix

Where: Palais des Sport Leopold-Drolet, Sherbrooke, Que.

Time: 6 p.m. AST

TV: Webcast

Live Tweets: IslesLive

Charlottetown is coming off an 8-2 win last night in Game 1 to give them a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven first round series. Don't expect tonight to be the same.

The Phoenix will be hungrier than ever and will look to even the series in their own barn. The Islanders aren't going to expect eight goals again, but you know they will be looking to take a 2-0 lead back home to the Eastlink Centre.

Filip Rydstrom (1-2), Oliver Cooper (1-2) and Ross Johnston (0-3) lead the Islanders in points so far through one game. Daniel Sprong and Spenser Cobbled lead the team in goals with two each.

Carl Neill and Tim Wieser have a goal and an assist each for Sherbrooke.

Islanders will go with McDonald between the pipes again today, who stopped 30-of-32 last night. Sherbrooke is expected to start 16-year-old Evan Fitzpatrick who made nine saves in relief of Alex Bureau.

The keys to success for the Islanders will be their special teams. They were an excellent 5-for-6 on the penalty kill, while going 1-for-3 on the power play.

During the regular season, Charlottetown had the No. 1 power play on the road scoring 42 goals on 141 opportunities at 29.8 per cent. Islanders also had the second best penalty kill on the road coming in at 81.5 per cent.

Game day: Game 1 Islanders @ Phoenix

Date: Friday March 27, 2015

Match: Charlottetown Islanders @ Sherbrooke Phoenix

Where: Palais des Sport Leopold-Drolet, Sherbrooke, Que.

Time: 8 p.m. AST

TV: Webcast

Live Tweets: IslesLive

The Charlottetown Islanders will begin its 13th franchise playoff appearance tonight in Game 1 on the road in Sherbrooke.

For Sherbrooke, it is their second playoff appearance in just their third season.

As mentioned earlier on this site, both teams split the season series with each team winning a game in each other's barn.

Daniel Sprong led the way offensively for the Islanders during the regular season with 39 goals and 88 points in 68 games. Filip Chlapik (33-42-75), Alexandre Goulet (35-26-61) and Ryan MacKinnon (10-40-50) were also found on the scoresheet on a regular basis.

Goalie Mason McDonald appeared in 56 games posting a 28-26 won-lost record with a 3.06 goals against average and a 0.906 save percentage. McDonald is expected to get the start.

Islanders Country playoff predictions

Islanders Country gives its predictions for the 2015 QMJHL Playoffs.

(1) Rimouksi Oceanic vs. (16) Victoriaville Tigres
Nolan: Oceanic in 5.
Nathan: Oceanic in 4.

(2) Moncton Wildcats vs. (15) Chicoutimi Sagueneens
Nolan: Wildcats in 4.
Nathan: Wildcats in 5.

(3) Blainville-Boisbriand Armada vs. (14) Gatineau Olympiques
Nolan: Armada in 6.
Nathan: Armada in 6.

(4) Quebec Remparts vs. (13) Cape Breton Screaming Eagles
Nolan: Remparts in 6.
Nathan: Remparts in 6.

(5) Shawinigan Cataractes vs. (12) Halifax Mooseheads
Nolan: Mooseheads in 6.
Nathan: Mooseheads in 6.

(6) Val-d'Or Foreurs vs. (11) Rouyn-Noranda Huskies
Nolan: Foreurs in 7.
Nathan: Foreurs in 6.

(7) Baie-Comeau Drakkar vs. (10) Saint John Sea Dogs
Nolan: Drakkar in 7.
Nathan: Sea Dogs in 7.

(8) Sherbrooke Phoenix vs. (9) Charlottetown Islanders
Nolan: Islanders in 7
Nathan: Islanders in 7

Chlapik, MacKinnon, McDonald among big winners at Islanders Fan Choice Awards

Filip Chlapik, Ryan MacKinnon and Mason McDonald won a couple of awards last night at the second annual Charlottetown Islanders Fan Choice Awards Monday night.

Chlapik took home Rookie of the Year and then Moose Light Three Stars Selection awards.

MacKinnon took home the Class Act/Gentlemen's Award and Defensive Player of the Year.

McDonald was the winner of the Player's Player Award and Most Valueable Player.

Daniel Sprong took home the Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after scoring 39 goals and 88 points.

Other awards:
U.P.E.I Scholastic Player of the Year: Dexter Weber

Most Dedicated Player: Ross Johnston

Volunteer of the Year: Wesley Hood

Fan Favourite Award: Kameron Kielly

Play of the Year: "Tic-Tac-Toe"