Quenneville familiar with all-star defenceman pairing
By Ryan McCracken on March 24, 2018.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken
Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman David Quenneville was named to the Western Hockey League’s first all-star team alongside Moose Jaw Warriors blueliner Kale Clague this week —and believe it or not, there was a time when that back-end pairing was more than just a fantasy on paper.
“Coming into second year of bantam we played on a summer team together and that was what it was, it was me and Kale,” said Quenneville, adding it’s exciting to be recognized for his contributions this season. “You work hard during the season and to get an accolade like that is pretty special.”
Despite sharing the team lead in point production and leading all WHL defencemen with 26 goals — 12 of which came on the power play —and 80 points, Quenneville says he didn’t initially believe it when he first heard the news on Wednesday afternoon.
“I was just in the change room chatting with some of the boys and the young guys came in from school and told me. I thought they were kidding,” said Quenneville. “Then my phone started blowing up.”
The 5-foot-9, 195-pound Edmonton product set a new franchise record for career scoring when he notched his 197th point in a 4-0 win over the Calgary Hitmen on Feb. 9. He went on to close out the season at 214.
Quenneville also added a plus-seven rating on Medicine Hat’s back end while contributing an average of 1.14 points per game in a season that included 19 multiple point performances, eight of which came with three or four points.
“Eighty points, that’s a career for a lot of guys, esepcially on the back end,” said Tigers head coach Shaun Clouston. “For him to put up 80 as a defenceman is outstanding. He’s a ball of energy, he works hard every night, he competes, he’s a spark plug for us and he loves the game. He’s going to be a great player down the stretch here for us.”
Quenneville follows behind two brothers who have graduated through the WHL, Peter and John — both spent their entire major junior career with the Brandon Wheat Kings.When John was 19, he was named to the WHL’s second team all-star. He now plays for the New Jersey Devils’ AHL affiliate in Binghamton, and has been called up for 14 games with the big league club over the past two seasons.
“I guess I one-upped my brother,” said Quenneville, a 200th overall draft pick of the New York Islanders. “It was nice sending that text to him.”
