Pascal Vincent and Francis Bouillon spoke to the media this morning as the rookie camp came to a close.
The Laval Rocket coach Pascal Vincent seems pleased with how the rookie camp went. He wouldn't say it allowed him to see what kind of character his team in Laval would have this year as only about half the players who took part in the camp will be in Laval.
Asked about Owen Beck's offensive potential in professional hockey, Vincent explained he's got a great shot, qualities and abilities which will allow him to contribute offensively, but as of now, he cannot say to what extent.
Preaching for his parish, the coach explained the AHL is a good league and added that only exceptional player go straight from the junior or NCAA straight to the NHL. On players who may now think they have arrived and are too good for the lower-level, the bench boss explained it's normal to be on a high after attending a professional camp, but there will be higher expectations for them in the lower levels now. Those players cannot rest on the laurels, they have to dominate now.
Asked if there were players that the media didn't catch on its radar that made a good impression, he declined to name names. Not that there weren't any, but he didn't want to name three or four and forget another three or four, he didn't want that for the players.
The Rocket's camp should open on October 1st and until then, Vincent and his staff will be there to help the Canadiens. There will be two groups at camp, he will be taking one group and Martin St-Louis will handle the other group. He expects to spend the next week and a half to start creating bounds with they players.
As for player development coach Francis Bouillon, it was hardly surprising to hear someone draw a parallel between him and rookie Lane Hutson since both aren't very tall, but he immediately said they were on a different skill level. As to the advice he's given him, he's told him to keep doing what got him there. The blueliner's high hockey IQ is what got him there and the coaches don't want to mess with his head too much, they are giving him some pointers, but they don't want to denature him.
As for Logan Mailloux, he loves how keen he is to improved and how far he has come through struggles last season. He had a lot to improve from the way he played in junior and he stuck with it, he understood things. He sums it up by saying he's a big man with a great shot who will play in the NHL for sure.
He call Adam Engstrom a nice surprise even though they knew there was a chance he would shuffle the cards in camp. Even though they don't see Europeans play that much, they were aware of what he brought to the table.
He also watched David Reinbacher's game from afar last season and they were eager to evaluate him when he came over. The organization likes to have the players with them as soon as possible. He consider his rookie camp has been alright, but they're not worried about him, he's still young and learning.
On Owen Beck, he showed up at camp more mature not only physically but mentally. Last year, he didn't think going back to junior was a possibility for him but in the end he went back, now he's got that experience and he knows what he has to do at the main camp.
He mentioned that rookie camp was just an introduction, the real deal is about to start and the players have been told there is room on the Canadiens and that they just need to earn themselves a spot, it will be a great internal battle.
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