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QMJHL: Shawinigan set up for run at multiple Cups

It took some wheeling and dealing but the Shawinigan Cataractes are now looking like a very good and talented hockey team.

After some ups and downs and a revolving door of players in and out of Shawinigan, the Cataractes now appear to be a legitimate contender to capture the QMJHL's President's Cup and a worthy adversary at the 2012 Memorial Cup.

Shawinigan was almost perfect during the month of January skating to record of 8-1-0-1 . The only blemishes were a 4-3 home shootout loss at home to the Quebec Remparts on Jan. 27 and a surprising 4-2 upset win by the rebuilding Gatineau Olympiques one week prior.

The Cataractes made a statement not only to the QMJHL but the entire CHL when team management went out and acquired two of the league's premier defenceman to bolster the team's back end during the last trading period of the season.

"We knew we had two possibly three holes to fill on our roster especially on defence, our goal was to make some deals during the trade period and we did," said Shawinigan head coach, Eric Veilleux, whose team hosts the defending champion Saint John Sea Dogs in a likely showdown for first overall on Saturday.

"I have to give a lot of credit to [Cats GM Martin] Mondou who went out and got the job done."

On New Year's Eve, Mondou pulled the trigger on a deal that brought defenceman Morgan Ellis to Shawinigan from Cape Breton.

The Montreal Canadiens fourth-rounder is a solid two-way defender that brings four years of playing experience to Shawinigan. The Prince Edward Island native also carries a ton of leadership ability and will log copious amounts of ice time.

The Cataractes gave up Bronson Beaton, a 16-year-old right wing and a second round pick along with a first rounder in 2013 for Ellis.

But the biggest splash was saved for January 7 when defenceman Brandon Gormley became the key acquisition in a blockbuster trade with the Moncton Wildcats.

Shawinigan's defence corps became that much stronger and mature with the terrific tandem of Ellis and Gormley playing as a unit.

Gormley, a fellow Islander, had just completed his time as a member of Team Canada at the World Junior Championship in Alberta when he received the news he was headed to this year's Memorial Cup hosts.

Gormley didn't come cheap by any means as Shawinigan gave up an established player, the rights to Michael Matheson and six draft picks, highlighted by the Cataractes first pick in the 2013 CHL import draft.

Earlier this season the Cats were not exactly considered a powerhouse and team management was the first to admit it. They were decent but still missing several key ingredients to be able to compete for the QMJHL championship.

They realized they would need to take their talent level up a notch if they wanted to go toe to toe with three league champs.

No host team ever wants to bow out of the Memorial Cup without winning a single game. Many expert observers and media from around the league questioned the calibre of the Cataractes roster for this spring's national championship.

"I always believed in our forwards and their offensive ability," said Veilleux.

"My concern was the need to get some better defenceman to feed our forwards so they could do their thing and I feel that we now have the guys to do that."

It's been an ongoing process for the Cataractes for most of the season. The club had been tinkering with their lineup before finalizing their two big deals around Christmas.

In mid-December Shawinigan picked up defenceman Jonathan Narbonne from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada for a couple of draft picks.

A month into the season, forward New York Islanders-drafted right wing Kirill Kabanov was acquired from the Armada to bring in some offensive punch to help bolster the Shawinigan attack.

Kabanov is a top six forward along with fellow Russian Anton Zlobin as well as Peter Sakaris, Michael Chaput, Yannick Veilleux, and Michael Bournival.

Shawinigan's goaltending is doing the job as well with the duo of Gabriel Girard and Alex Dubeau guarding the pipes. The Cataractes netminders currently find themselves in the penthouse among QMJHL puck stoppers in several statistical categories.

Girard leads the league with a 2.25 goals-against average. Dubeau is in third place with a 2.62 average.

Speaking of Saint John, the Cataractes and Sea Dogs will square off against each other in Shawinigan on February 4.

After 51 games, Saint John sits atop the overall standings with 74 points. Shawinigan has played one fewer game and is a single point back with 73 points.

With the regular season winding down it will become very interesting to see how things play out for Shawinigan.

"I like our team, but we still have to progress," Veilleux said.

"We know what people expect from us and it will be up to the coaches and players to get to and play to those expectations."