New York Islanders prospect Alan Quine is off to a great start over the first couple of weeks of the AHL season. Could he be up soon?
By Justin Weiss
The Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) are off to a very impressive start, much of which can be attributed to the play of prospect Alan Quine, a 22-year-old from Ottawa, Ontario.
Bridgeport (8-4-0-0) has received contributions from guys like Joe Whitney, Bracken Kearns and Taylor Beck, but none have been as explosive as Quine, who has tallied 4 goals and 9 assists (13 points) in 12 games.
A 1993 birthday, Quine was originally selected by the Detroit Red Wings with the 85th overall pick in the 2011 Draft. He was then redrafted by the New York Islanders in the sixth round of the 2013 NHL Draft, where he has shined.
He posted good numbers with the Stockton Thunder (ECHL) and the Sound Tigers the last two seasons, but has exploded onto the scene in 2015-16, scoring the overtime winner and being named the first star on November 1, and starting off the season with a four game point streak.
“Quiner’s a magician with the puck,” Mike Halmo claimed, via Michael Fornabaio of the CT Post:
“You really look at Alan Quine, I think his defensive awareness and defensive intensity are much better now,” Bridgeport coach Brent Thompson said. “There’s still another level, especially to compete in the National Hockey League. That comes with strength. But he’s not afraid to win one-on-one battles in the corner. He’s done a better job of it.”
This has not been expected, however. It’s been a long time since Red Wings scout Kirk Luedeke dished out a little praise about Quine, via Kirk Luedeke of a Bruins draft watch piece in 2011:
Quine was a highly-regarded minor midget player drafted by Kingston a couple of years ago and he had a solid rookie year for the Frontenacs as an offensive savant with terrific hands, vision, touch and overall skill. He’s a good skater who has all the offensive tools to be a steady producer at the highest level, even if he had an off-year where he didn’t meet expectations.
Although under 6-feet and on the light side, he is quick and elusive- two traits that a player of his disposition must possess. He played well for Team Canada at the 2010 Ivan Hlinka in August, winning the gold medal.
The wheels fell off Quine’s season when he got off to a real slow start, and although he was moved to Peterborough for Spooner in November and picked up the production, he never really put up the kind of points expected of him and as a result, fell off the map a bit.
The 6-0, 200 pound center reminds many of Darren Helm, the Red Wings fifth rounder in 2005, who impressed scouts thanks to natural quickness and agility.
Quine’s best seasons came when he was surrounded by a legitimate supporting cast. With the OHL Eastern Conference Champion Belleville Bulls in 2012-13, he had a remarkable plus-29 rating and an impressive 1.46 points-per-game.
“I think anytime you go 5-0 with a chance to go 6-0, I think guys are buying into what the coaches are saying,” Quine said. “We have a deep team. Everyone’s playing within the system.”
It is no surprise that Quine, a sixth round pick, is generally regarded by scouts as a longshot, but it awfully encouraging to see how he is playing in the NHL’s top developmental league.
Would his production translate into a point-per-game in the big leagues? Probably not. But if a forward gets injured, the Isles may turn to Quine (because they like waiting until top prospects are at least 30 before playing them).
“I think I learned a lot last year,” Quine said. “I got good opportunities with guys going up last year. I got to play a big role. I was able to start this year off with the knowledge that I could be a good player in this league.”
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