Earlier this week, Montreal Canadiens and Laval Rocket player Joshua Roy was attending Jonathan Huberdeau’s golf tournament and spoke to RDS’ Eric Leblanc. The 21-year-old has wised up since last season, and he’s aware of how crucial the upcoming camp and season will be.
He had an underwhelming camp in 2024 and looked surprised to be sent down to the AHL, but things will be even more complicated this season. The Canadiens now have Ivan Demidov; they acquired Zack Bolduc in a trade and signed Samuel Blais. Oliver Kapanen, Owen Beck, Florian Xhekaj, Lucas Condotta, and Jared Davidson will also be hoping to graduate with the Habs.
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Roy was never going to challenge Demidov for the second-line role, especially considering he didn’t produce much in the 12 games he played in Montreal last season. This Summer, he intends to work on his physical form, which is sometimes lacking and prevents him from providing the same level of effort in each game, which is not something coaches like.
Roy explains that he didn’t need to be told what was wrong with his game; he says he’s smart enough to figure out the issues. Roy can talk the talk, but can he walk the walk? That remains to be seen.
The Rocket forward also commented on the Logan Mailloux vs. Bolduc trade, explaining that the defenseman was one of his good friends, a good person, and an outstanding player. He added that with Noah Dobson’s arrival and all the good defensemen in the organization, a defenseman was bound to be leaving soon. He’ll get a new start in St. Louis.
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
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