Matvei Gridin wins Sidney Crosby Trophy as QMJHL's top rookie
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If this season was the only one Matvei Gridin winds up spending in the QMJHL, at least he made it a memorable one.
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On Thursday, the Calgary Flames prospect saw his efforts for the Shawinigan Cataractes recognized when he won the Sidney Crosby Trophy as the Rookie of the Year in the Quebec junior league. It's the first time the trophy has been handed out.
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Gridin made his mark on the league, scoring 36 goals and adding 43 assists in 56 regular season games and then continuing to light it up in the playoffs, where he scored eight times and added nine helpers in 16 games.
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The 19-year-old Russian had previously played in the USHL and was selected 28 th overall in last year's draft by the Flames.
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When he was cut at the end of training camp, Flames head coach Ryan Huska spoke about the high expectations he had for Gridin.
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'I almost envision him as a guy that's going to go away and he's going to dominate in the (QMJHL) and he's going to come back next year and be in a position to make our team,' Huska said.
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Gridin certainly lived up to those lofty expectations and while his offensive numbers certainly popped, he told Postmedia a couple of weeks ago that he was more focused on improving the other areas of his game so that he can fight for a spot on the NHL roster at training camp in September.
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'I understand I have to play better without the puck to play at the next level, so this year I improved a lot at this,' Gridin said. 'I've just gotta show that I compete hard and can make plays. What I think, Sam Honzek is a great example for me — what he did last year at the main camp. So what's the problem for me to do the same thing?'
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