1949 ECHO Re-sign Phase

The Montreal Beavers have been busy offering a slew of new contracts to their players. Notably, goaltender Glen Lloyd signed a new 5-year deal worth 525k annually, while defenseman Jack Galloway was also given a 5-year contract worth 491k per year. Winger Jacob Cox secured a 4-year contract worth 344k annually, and defenseman Larry Crawford was re-signed for four years at 87k per year. Additionally, defenseman Brett Laleye and winger Raymond Phillips were given new 2-year contracts.

Meanwhile, their in-city rivals, the Montréal Métros, chose to re-sign only one player - winger Jean Sirois, agreeing to a 486k per year deal until 1954.

In Ottawa, goaltenders Tom Mullings and Pierre Tanguay were brought back, with Mullings signing a 4-year deal and Tanguay a 2-year contract.

Quebec gave winger Roy Davies a new 5-year contract worth a whopping 854k per year and re-signed goaltender Ray Young and winger Gavin Cook to new 3-year deals.

Charlottetown didn't waste any time securing star center Jacques Tremblay, offering him a 5-year contract worth 939k annually. The Monarchs also signed defenseman Tony Mitchell to a brand new 5-year deal worth 442k per year and center Charles Morin to a 4-year contract worth 139k per year.

Halifax re-signed winger Charlie Ellis for 174k per year until 1953 and winger Robert Mayne for 89k per year until 1953.

Moncton gave defenseman Rick Murray a new 5-year deal worth 304k annually and winger Jerry Larocque a 2-year contract.

Finally, Saint John gave center Harvey Wilson a new 4-year contract.

Top Free Agents
1. D Ronald Miller, CHA
2. D Dan James, MTB
3. D Brian Perron, MON
4. D Garry Paterson, HFX
5. W Steve Turgeon, OTT

Last edited by Kingsfan11 (8/11/2023 4:59 pm)

1949/50 ECHO Preseason Power Rankings

1- Ottawa Knights
Ottawa is the reigning champion, having won it all last year. They have a mix of experienced players and promising young prospects. Doug Fournier is a solid center with high potential, while veteran Joe Djogo and promising rookie Earl Barber provide scoring on the wings. Arthur MacDonald is a standout player with high potential on defence, while David Demers and Rémi Bellefeuille anchor the blue line. In net, Tom Mullings and David Moreau provide solid goaltending. With their championship experience, the Knights will be a formidable opponent for any team in the league this season.

Best Player: W Joe Djogo
Best Rookie: W Earl Barber

2- Charlottetown Monarchs
Charlottetown is coming off a successful season, having made it to the finals last year. They have a mix of experienced players and young prospects. Jacques Tremblay is a top-notch center and is joined by Charles Morin, who also has the potential to develop into a top center. Ken Chang and William Weber provide scoring ability on the wings, while rookie Rémi Lacroix has potential. Dennis Pellerin and Kenneth Wright lead the blue line, while young defenseman Dominic Wilson has high potential. In net, Peter Chiasson and newcomer Stanley Fraser provide solid goaltending. Overall, the Monarchs have the pieces to make another deep playoff run.

Best Player: C Jacques Tremblay
Best Rookie: W Rémi Lacroix

3- Halifax Highlanders
The Highlanders have a mix of experienced veterans and young players with potential. The goaltending is solid, with star goaltender Alex Davis as the starting goalie. Dan James and Alain Leblanc anchor the blue line, while rookies Clark Brodhead and Émile Leblanc have potential. Up front, Sean Fontana and Jermaine Thompson lead the group of centers, while Robert Mayne, Gavin Scott, and Charlie Ellis bring scoring potential as wingers. Halifax must rely on its veteran presence to return to winning the Sound Cup as it did two years ago.

Best Player: G Alex Davis
Best Rookie: D Clark Brodhead

4- Moncton Generals
Moncton missed the playoffs last year but would have made it in if they were in the St. Lawrence division. They have made some key acquisitions in the offseason to bolster their lineup. Allan Wilson is a top-notch center, while Richard Tardif and William Johnson provide depth. Daniel Hebert and Ted Gagne are promising young wingers, while Rick Murray and Glen Wallace are standout defensemen with high potential. Rookie Emmett O'Leary has impressively high potential in the net, and Matthew Phillips and Jamie Scott provide veteran experience. The Generals have a good mix of experienced players and promising young talent, and with their off-season acquisitions, they should have a solid chance of making the playoffs this year.

Best Player: D Rick Murray
Best Rookie: G Emmett O'Leary

5- Quebec Reds
Quebec made it to the playoffs last year but lost to the eventual champion Ottawa Knights in the St. Lawrence Division Final. Bradley Stewart is a solid center with veteran experience, while Gabriel Caron and Alex Fortin provide promising young talent. Roy Davies is a standout winger with impressive overall and potential ratings, while Pierre Lévesque is a promising rookie. Evan James and Kevin Taylor are top-notch defensemen, and Patrick Bell provides solid goaltending. The Reds have a good mix of experienced veterans and promising young prospects, and with their playoff experience from last year, they should be a tough team to beat this season.

Best Player: D Evan James
Best Rookie: W Pierre Lévesque

6- Montréal Métros
The Métros barely missed the playoffs last year but have a solid lineup with high-potential players. Yvan Roy is a standout center, while Tristan Loubier is a solid winger. Robert Leblanc is a top-notch defenseman, and Louis Giroux and Philip Myorca provide promising young talent in goal behind starter Nicolas Deschênes. This team also has promising prospects in Benoit Archambault and Gerard Moisan. With their young talent and promising potential, Montréal has a strong chance of making it to the playoffs this season.

Best Player: C Yvan Roy
Best Rookie: G Phillip Myorca

7- Saint John Admirals
Saint John was the worst in the league last year and still has a long way to go to improve. They have a few solid players, such as Robert Davis and Harvey Wilson at center and Bob Dezouvre on defence. However, their lack of overall talent and depth is an issue. They have a few promising young players, such as Brad Ladd and Alexander Ross, but they will need time to develop. With some smart draft picks and free-agent signings, this team could improve in the future, but it will take some time and careful management to turn things around.

Best Player: D Bob Dezouvre
Best Rookie: W Brad Ladd

8- Montreal Beavers
The Beavers also finished at the bottom of the league last year and have much to do to improve. Michael Anderson is a decent center, and Henry Potvin is young and has the potential to improve. The team also has young talent in Norman Campbell and Eric Russell. Chris King is an exceptional defenseman and will anchor the defence, and William Parker has the potential to be a great goaltender. However, there are too many weak spots and an overall need for more depth for this team to be competitive in the league. Montreal could improve in the future with some smart draft picks and free-agent signings, but improving their overall talent will take some time.

Best Player: D Chris King
Best Rookie: C Norman Campbell

1950 Sound Cup Playoffs

Halifax Highlanders vs Moncton Generals
The Highlanders' Jermaine Thompson found the back of the net with about 6 minutes left on the clock in the first period of Game 1, putting the first point on the board. Halifax continued to dominate in the second period, with Robert Mayne scoring another goal early on, followed by Sean Fontana making it 3-0 just a few minutes later. Despite their best efforts, it was only in the third period that Moncton would respond with a goal of their own. Ted Gagne managed to get the puck past Halifax goalie Alex Davis, bringing the score to 3-1. However, it was too late for the Generals as Halifax closed out the game with two empty-net goals from Alain Leblanc and Michael MacKenzie late in the third period. The Highlanders took the lead in the series with a final score of 5-1.

In Game 2, Halifax scored first, thanks to Martin Lindsay's goal with about 3 minutes left in the second period. The Highlanders continued to dominate the game, and Lindsay doubled their lead in the third period. Ultimately, the Highlanders' goalkeeper Alex Davis performed outstandingly, stopping all 30 of Moncton's shots. This allowed Halifax to secure a 2-0 win and a spot in the Sound Cup Final. (HFX wins 2-0)

Quebec Reds vs Montréal Métros
The Métros made a triumphant return to the playoffs, taking control of Game 1 right from the start. In just a minute, center Yvan Roy scored a goal, putting the team up 1-0. The addition of defenseman Randall Clarke, who was signed during the season, paid off when he doubled Montréal's lead in the early stages of the second period. The Métros continued to dominate, with Roy scoring his second goal on the powerplay in the third period, extending their lead to 3-0. Roy completed his hat-trick with an empty-net goal late in the third period, securing the Métros' victory with a final score of 4-0. The team's goaltender, Nicolas Deschênes, was a standout player, stopping all 24 of Quebec's shots and earning a well-deserved shutout.

Quebec would score the opening goal of Game 2 about 4 minutes in, with Maxime Chevalier scoring on the powerplay and then, a few minutes later, Roy Davies would make it 2-0 for the Reds. Quebec's dominance would continue into the second as Bradley Stewart would give the Reds a comfortable 3-0 lead late in the second. Early in the third, Montréal would finally respond as Sage Steeves would find the back of the net to bring the score to 3-1, and then Gaëtan Patenaude would add his contribution a minute later to make it 3-2. Quebec would reply with Roy Davies scoring his second less than a minute later to bring it back up to 4-2, but the Métros would strike again later in the period with Daniel Caron sending the puck past the Reds goalie to make it a 1-goal game once more. The Métros couldn't score the tying goal, and Quebec tied the series up with a 4-3 victory to send the series to an ultimate Game 3 in front of their home crowd.

The atmosphere was electric at Citadel Arena for Game 3 as the winner of this game would go on to play in the Sound Cup Final against Halifax. 5 minutes into the game, the Métros struck as Tristan Loubier would beat Quebec goaltender Patrick Bell with a well-placed shot to open the scoring. Later in the period, the Métros' Edouard Lefebvre would score on the powerplay to put Montréal up by 2, but the Reds would reply a few minutes later with Steve Lawton blasting the puck past Métros goalie Nicolas Deschênes to make it a 2-1 game. Early in the second period, Quebec's Evan James would tie the game at 2 with a well-placed wrist-shot, and Murray Brissett would give the Reds the lead with his own goal a few minutes later. A few minutes after the Brissett goal, the Reds would strike again on the powerplay, thanks to Kevin Taylor's slapshot, and then Roy Davies would add in his contribution late in the second to put Quebec up 5-2. Late in the third, Steve Lawton would score his second of the night to extend Quebec's lead to 6-2, a score that would stand until the final buzzer. The Reds celebrated the triumph with their fans and looked forward to their first Sound Cup appearance. (QUE wins 2-1)




1950 Sound Cup Final Preview
Quebec Reds vs Halifax Highlanders
The 1950 Sound Cup Final is set to be a clash of titans as the Halifax Highlanders take on the Quebec Reds in a best-of-five series. Halifax comes into the final with a dominant performance in their semifinal series against the Moncton Generals, outscoring them 7-1 over two games. On the other hand, Quebec had a tough semifinal series against the Montréal Métros, needing a decisive Game 3 victory to advance. With both teams hungry for a championship, this final promises to be an intense battle between two evenly-matched squads. Ultimately, I think Halifax being more rested will help them as I see them hoisting their second Sound Cup.
Pick: Halifax

1950 Sound Cup Finals
Halifax Highlanders vs Quebec Reds



Game 1: QUE 0 @ HFX 4 Halifax would strike first on the powerplay halfway through the first period thanks to a brilliant shot by Michael MacKenzie, and then Sean Fontana would double the Highlanders’ lead early in the second period also on the powerplay. The powerplay goal fest would continue for Halifax as Martin Lindsay would score late in the second to make it 3-0 in favour of the Highlanders, then Dan James would make it a 4-0 game midway through the third with what would be the last goal of the game as Halifax won 4-0 with Alex Davis recording a 21-save shutout.

Game 2: QUE 3 @ HFX 1 Once again, Halifax would open the scoring on the powerplay thanks to a goal by Robert Mayne early in the second period, but then Quebec would equalize with a powerplay goal coming from the stick of Bradley Stewart late in the third. A few minutes later, the Reds would take the lead after a well-placed wrist shot from Maxime Chevalier found the back of the net. Evan James would complete Quebec’s victory with an empty-net goal as the Reds won 3-1 and tied the series up.

Game 3: HFX 3 @ QUE 4 Halifax’s Michael MacKenzie would open the scoring about midway through the 1st period, but Quebec would equalize a minute later with a goal from Robert White. The Reds would then take the lead with a goal from Andrew Mike late in the first period, and Evan James would score midway through the second period to make it 3-1. The Reds' goal onslaught wouldn’t be done as Ezra McLeod would find the back of the net with a powerful slapshot late in the second period to bring the score up to 4-1, but Halifax would get one back late in the third off of the stick of Jamie MacKenzie. Jermaine Thompson would bring the Highlanders within one goal with a powerplay goal in the last minute of the third period, but Quebec held firm and took the series lead with a 4-3 victory.

Game 4: HFX 5 @ QUE 1 Early in the first period, Halifax would score first, thanks to a powerplay goal from rookie Joseph Drouin, but Quebec would tie it up a few minutes later thanks to a James Mulder goal. The Highlanders would retake the lead late in the first, thanks to a goal from Gavin Scott, and then Robert Mayne would double their lead with a goal in the second period. Early in the third period, Alain Leblanc would make it 4-1 for the Highlanders, then Robert Mayne scored his second goal in an empty net late in the third, securing a 5-1 victory for Halifax and setting up a game five in their home arena.

Game 5: QUE 0 @ HFX 3 The atmosphere at Wallace Coliseum in Halifax was electric as the two teams skated onto the ice for this ultimate game. The home crowd would erupt in cheers early in the first as the Highlanders’ Joseph Drouin would beat Quebec goalie Patrick Bell with a quick wrist shot. Early in the third period, Robert Mayne would double the Halifax lead, and then a few minutes later, Stanley Blackwood would make it 3-0 for the Highlanders on the powerplay. No other goal would be scored, and the Highlanders players would take to the ice after the final buzzer to go celebrate their second Sound Cup triumph with their goalie Alex Davis, who had stopped all 28 of Quebec’s shots. Halifax would parade the Sound Cup in front of their cheering home fans.

Sound Cup Champions: Halifax Highlanders (2)

Can I submit more than 1 draft prospect?