Round one is in the books and the Boston Bruins have made an addition to the organization with the selection of Jordan Caron, a forward from Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL. The bigger news, however, is that they have not made any subtractions. RW Phil Kessel was rumored to possibly be on the move to Toronto in exchange for defenseman Tomas Kaberle. But the apparent snag was that the B's were under the impression that the 7th overall pick would be coming along with the stud blueliner. Such a deal was never in Brian Burke's plans.
So, take a deep breath and let it out.....Phil Kessel is still property of the Black and Gold. For now.
So what's the word on Jordan Caron? Well by all accounts, it seems like a solid late first round grab for the B's.
Last year Boston elected to go with Joe Colborne, a gifted center, but one with a reputation for being downy soft. Caron is anything but. The consensus is the Sayabec, Quebec native, listed at 6'2" 202 lbs., epitomizes the definition of a power forward. His hard-nosed style netted him 36 goals, which placed him 11th in the QMJHL in scoring.
Hockey's Future listed him among the top ten QMJHL prospects for 2009. Here's what Kevin Forbes had to say about Caron back on 12/26/08:
Born in November of 1990, Jordan Caron is already playing in his third QMJHL season. But after starting his major junior career as a 15-year-old, Caron has done nothing but prove his doubters wrong, not only that he belonged at this level, but now that he is one of the top offensive weapons in the league. With his Rimouski Oceanic hosting the Memorial Cup, he will be given an even bigger stage leading up to the draft to show his stuff.
For Caron, it's not just his immense offensive skills, or his play in his own end that draws a buzz. In fact, the driving force behind Caron is just that: his drive and determination on the ice, never backing down from the opposition and fighting through defenders to find room on the ice to make a play.
However, that rambunctious style has taken its toll over the last three years, with Caron missing time with injuries. He has yet to play more than 60 games in a season and even this year has missed time with an ankle injury. In 25 games for Rimouski, Caron has scored 15 goals and has 26 points.
Caron ramped up his production from there, registering 21-20-41 totals over the last 31 regular season games. In the postseason for Rimouski, where NHL stars Sidney Crosby, Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards have all played, Caron had six goals and five assists in 16 games, finishing second on the team in scoring during the playoffs.
Caron impressed scouts with his stellar work ethic and well-rounded game. Here's an excerpt from an nhl.com article back in May, written by Adam Schwartz:
"I'm more of a goal scorer than a playmaker," Caron said. "I have a good shot and I have to work on going in front of the net more, but I use my shot as much as I can."
His strong suit may be his offensive ability, but he isn't a one-dimensional player; Caron takes pride in his defensive game and penalty killing.
"I can play at both ends of the ice, I can play physical and I can play the (penalty kill)," Caron said. "Maybe I can work on my quickness, moving my feet."
NHL Central Scouting's Chris Bordeleau stresses that Caron’s work ethic and defensive ability will earn him an NHL spot.
"He's been consistent and a hard worker," Bordeleau said. "He's not a flashy-type guy, but very consistent and dependable player. Right now, I would say he would be between a third-line and second-line guy. We figure that's where he's going to be, that type of player. He's very aware of defensive responsibilities and handles them very well."
MyNHLDraft.com's Ryan (no last name listed) doesn't seem to hold Caron in such high regard as others. Take the following for what it's worth:
Jordan Caron is a tiny sparkplug coming out of the Q. He thinks he's super tough but he's not actually. He's overly confident which needs to be fixed and is a problem among teammates. Although, he does posses quite a hard shot. He skating is not quite up to NHL standard but Guy Lafleur is working with him on that. He will certainly be a 'project pick' considering the fact that if he keeps traveling down this path he'll be a AHL'er for his career. Overall in my professional opinion you should do your homework on this guy before selecting him.
Submitted by: Ryan
Here is Caron's interview from May with NHL.com:
And finally, here are Caron's stats during his three years with Rimouski, courtesy of Hockey DB:
The Bruins seemingly went against the grain last year with Colborne, but a player like Caron fits their "tougher to play against" motto to a tee. Despite the harsh opinion of the apparent experts at My NHL Draft, I did do my homework Ryan, and it seems like many scouting organizations are quite high on Jordan Caron. For that, I commend the Bruins for selecting him with the 25th overall pick.
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