Lakehead Athletics and Thunderwolves Hockey are very happy to announce the commitment of defenseman Pierre-Marc Guilbaut to Lakehead mens hockey for the 2007-08 season. Guibault presently is playing his last year of Major Junior for the Gatineau Olympiques and previously played for Shawinigan and Prince Edward Island of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Guilbault is an excellent defenseman who has great vision on the ice and really protects the defensive zone well. He is also an exemplary student-athlete and last season won the Trophy Marcel-Robert as top Scholastic Player in the QMJHL and then won the CHL Scholastic Player of the Year for all of Canadian Major Junior hockey. He also received the Guy Lafleur Award of Excellence in 2005-06. Guilbault was acquired by Gatineau in a trade with PEI to provide defensive stability and to free up his freewheeling d-partner Martin Frechette.
Guilbaut said he is excited about attending Lakehead and having the opportunity to continue playing hockey. Lakehead asked me to come and look at their school and hockey program and I really liked what I saw. I found its a great place to study away from home, which is what I wanted; as well as the fact that I can improve my English by studying in an English environment. I am really looking forward to still playing hockey and Lakehead has great fans and strong support, which is another reason I chose to come here. I also am looking forward to being a part of the national championships when Lakehead hosts (09 & 10) and that should be a very exciting experience.
Lakehead Head Scout Larry Bone said Guilbault will be a fantastic addition to the Lakehead roster. Pierre is an excellent young man and student-athlete. He was brought to the Olympiques because of his abilityto play defense. They were making a run for the championship and needed a d-man. They are quite happy with Pierre. He has allowed his playing partner Martin Frechette to play a more offensive role. Pierre has also contributed some good scoring points and is very talented offensively.
Guilbault is also excellent offensively and, so far this season, the St. Julie, Quebec native has 8 goals and 29 assists. That places him eighth in Gatineau team scoring and second in defenseman scoring behind his blue line partner Frechette. Guibault is known for his accurate crisp passes right on the tape and his ability to join in and lead the rush.
Aside from his excellence on the ice and in academics; Guilbault also works part-time while playing this season doing computer programming work for a company based in Montreal. He also works for the firm as his summer job.
Lakehead Athletic Director Tom Warden said Guilbault will be a solid fit with the Wolves. "Pierre-Marc is a really high quality major junior player in the Quebec league and he is an excellent student-athlete as shown by his scholastic player of the year awards. We're really looking forward to seeing him in a Lakehead jersey and to see what he will accomplish during his Lakehead career as both a student and a hockey player."
Pierre-Marc Guilbault Bio:
Position: Defense
Height: 5'11"
Weigth: 192 lbs
Shoots: Left
Birth date: 1986-02-04
Birth place: Ste-Julie, Quebec.
Major Junior Career history
2003-06-01 Entered "Quebec Major Junior Hockey League"
2003-06-01 Recruited/Drafted by "Shawinigan"
2006-04-05 2005-06 Season - Trophy Marcel-Robert (Scholastic player of the year)
2006-05-27 2005-06 Season - Scholastic player of the year Canadian Hockey League
2006-06-08 2005-06 Season - Recipient of the the Guy Lafleur Award of Excellence
2006-06-10 Exchanged to "P.E.I."
2006-12-20 Exchanged to "Gatineau"
Major Junior Stats: