JEFFREY
RAINVILLE
Lake Superior State
Jr. | F | Blind River, Ontario
New
LSSU head coach Jim Roque says Rainville is the Lakers'
most creative offensive player.
Key
Statistics: In two seasons with the Lakers, Rainville
has scored a total of 17 points. In his final year of juniors,
he led the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League with 110
points (56 goals, 54 assists).
What
He Does: New coach Jim Roque says Rainville is by
far his team's most creative offensive player. His scoring
opportunities have been minimal in his first two years with
the Lakers due to the team's system—specifically, the
reluctance to attack offensively and forecheck aggressively.
Granted, the LSSU offense won't look like an NHL All-Star
Game, but Roque says he'll allow players such as Rainville
greater freedom to pressure foes in their own end and create
scoring chances.
The
Bigger Picture: The Lakers were a better team than
last year's 9-22-7 record indicated, but offensive production
was an issue. Only six Division I teams averaged fewer goals
per game than LSSU, and their record in one-goal games was
5-10. Roque plans on sticking with Rainville—keeping
him on the power play, encouraging him to generate scoring
chances—even if he gets off to a slow start. In return,
he expects Rainville to play with confidence and take advantage
of the opportunity.
Lake
Superior State coach Jim Roque on Rainville: "There's
no doubt in my mind that if he can get some confidence early
on, he's going to take off. If he has a big year, we have
a big year."
