Justin Carbonneau is one of the names we’ve heard mentioned frequently over the last few days, often in the same sentence as the Montreal Canadiens. It makes sense, not only is he from Levis in Quebec, but he’s also ranked by most pundits right around the rank the Habs should speak at come draft day.

We wrote about him not so long ago, but it’s worth revisiting with his combine interview. The 6-foot-1 and 192-pound forward was quite busy in Buffalo, meeting a whopping 26 teams, but he certainly doesn’t seem to mind the attention. He looked like a fish in water during his media scrum.

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Asked who he would compare his game to, Carbonneau says he plays like Philadelphia Flyers' Travis Konecky, and when pressed, he confirmed that he doesn’t mind being a pest like the Pennsylvania outfit’s star.

What’s most interesting about his short interview, however, is how humble he appears to be. That’s a player who’s very aware that being drafted doesn’t mean you’ve made it and that he’s still got plenty to work on. He mentions that he has to work on his consistency, a theme that has often been discussed in Montreal over the last few years, given the numerous youngsters Martin St-Louis has to work with.

The fact that he‘s humble doesn’t mean he lacks confidence, however, and he’s clear on the fact that he knows what he can bring to the table for a team. That’s not to say he wasn’t ready to speak the praises of his competitors; he called fellow LMJHQ prospect Caleb Desnoyers “one of the best players he’s played against so far”.

The youngster genuinely seems to have his wits about him, a quality that usually means one can perform well in interviews. He confirmed that the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Flyers were two of the 26 teams he met with, but we already know that he was also set to meet with the Canadiens.

It will be interesting to see if the Canadiens draft him if he’s still available when their turn comes. He’s certainly had a good season, and he came across very well in Mike Augello’s recording of his media scrum.

Photo credit: Mike Augello

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