Always ready
Coaching staff is hoping Mathieu Tousignant can put his enthusiatic play

CHARLES REID
The Guardian

P.E.I. Rocket therapist Mark Kiervan opened the doors at one end of the Civic Centre where the Zamboni drives out and yelled at a handful of Rocket players still skating after Wednesday‼sup>TM</sup>s morning session of training camp.

Forward Mathieu Tousignant was one of those stragglers holding up the big machine‼sup>TM</sup>s driver from flooding the ice nearly an hour after practice ended.

Guy Chouinard, Rocket head coach and director of hockey operations, said that‼sup>TM</sup>s typical of the 19-year-old Tousignant.

 eFor Tousy, that‼sup>TM</sup>s one of the concern you don‼sup>TM</sup>t have is for him to come in shape, to be enthusiastic. He‼sup>TM</sup>s the type of player we want our young players to (copy),” said Chouinard.  eTousy loves the game of hockey so any time in the morning he‼sup>TM</sup>s on the ice. He wants to work hard, he‼sup>TM</sup>s having fun, he‼sup>TM</sup>s enthused about it. Sometimes during the game he goes overboard.”

Tousignant‼sup>TM</sup>s on-ice eagerness (some call it being an agitator) has earned him 224 career penalty minutes in 131 games. But he‼sup>TM</sup>s got some offence, too, tallying 90 points in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League over three seasons with Baie-Comeau and P.E.I.

Last season, the Rocket traded its captain, Pierre-Luc Lessard, for Tousignant and defencemen Raphael Neiderer, who should stick with the Rocket this season, and Myles Gomes, who wasn‼sup>TM</sup>t invited to camp.

Tousignant quickly endeared himself to the Rocket faithful with his hard-charging, motor-mouth game, almost drawing as many penalties as he committed.

And in his second season with P.E.I., he‼sup>TM</sup>s not about to change.

 eEverybody should be a leader. That‼sup>TM</sup>s the winning way. We need to be a team, a family,” said Tousignant after he finally left the ice.

This year Tousignant was NHL draft-eligible and had been rated as high as a third round pick in the league‼sup>TM</sup>s mid-term scouting list.

Prior to the draft he had talked to 15 teams, but the NHL‼sup>TM</sup>s final scouting lists dropped him to the fifth round as the draft approached.

On draft day, teams bypassed him despite his offensive touch and yappy streak.

NHL team scouts told Tousignant his skating needed work.

But after the draft he received an invitation to San Jose‼sup>TM</sup>s rookie game versus Anaheim in Las Vegas on Sept. 16. He leaves Sept. 10 for Nevada.

He said there‼sup>TM</sup>s no lingering disappointment at being snubbed because being drafted guarantees nothing.

 eI don‼sup>TM</sup>t care. I don‼sup>TM</sup>t know if I can say that, but there are many ways (get to the NHL). My goal isn‼sup>TM</sup>t to be drafted, but to make the NHL. I‼sup>TM</sup>ll work on that,” he said.  eSome will be drafted and not make the NHL.”

Last season, a flinty, hard-skating second line of Tousignant, Jan Kana and Benjamin Casavant, another Christmas trade period pickup, had instant chemistry on the ice.

But Kana, a Czech Republic native didn‼sup>TM</sup>t return • he signed a deal with a club in Europe • so the Rocket must regroup its lines.

In training camp Wednesday, Chouinard teamed Tousignant with Chris Doyle and Matthew Lachaine. It could be the first line on opening day Sept. 12 in Moncton.

The three won‼sup>TM</sup>t play in Friday‼sup>TM</sup>s exhibition game in Cape Breton, but will suit up Sunday against the Eagles at the Civic Centre. Game time is 4 p.m.



*****

Tousignant at a glance:

• Born - Nov. 21, 1989.

• Hometown - St-Etienne-de-Lauzon, Que.

• Position - Centre.

• Shoots - Left.

• Height/Weight - 6 feet, 184 pounds.

• Career Numbers (with Baie-Comeau and P.E.I.):

• Regular season - 131 games, 90 points (30 goals, 60 assists), 224 penalty minutes.

• Playoffs - 11 games, 10 points (four goals, six assists), 23 penalty minutes.

• http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=167973&sc=99

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