The Montreal Canadiens prospects took to the ice for the first time at development camp, and one player we hadn't seen yet particularly stood out.
After going through physical testing on Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens’ prospects took to the ice for the first time in this development camp. Surrounded by numerous guest coaches, including Paul Byron and Adam Nicholas. There wasn’t anything special drill-wise; in fact, the best bit of action on the ice came not from the prospect, but from Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov.
The two hockey-obsessed youngsters jumped on the ice at 7:50 AM, before the Zamboni was even done working on the ice. They stayed on the ice for a full hour, working alongside Adam Nicholas, but they were also joined by Jack Gorton, Jeff Gorton’s son, and what could have been Kent Hughes or Martin St-Louis’ son. Despite it being summertime, Hutson and Demidov went all out, competing hard.
Once off the ice, they didn’t even take off; they stuck around, taking in the development drills of both the defensemen and the forwards. As it turned out, though, Demidov had another reason to stick around. Shortly before noon, his agent Dan Milstein tweeted that Gold Star had big news coming out of Montreal, and he then confirmed that the Russian ace had put pen to paper on an 8-year deal with a $9.15 AAV.
The news somewhat made up for the fact that Gleb Pugachyov wasn’t at development camp; his visa hadn’t been sorted out in time because of the holiday, and that Bryce Pickford wouldn’t be taking part in on-ice sessions as he’s expected to have shoulder surgery tomorrow.
What really stood out on the day was Alexander Zharovsky’s hands. The prospect spent a long time on the ice, and towards the end of the session, the winger displayed just how smooth his hands could be by putting 2nd-round pick Timofei Runtzo in his back pocket.
Off the ice, Michael Hage confirmed that his plan right now is to go back to school; he wants to keep improving as both a player and a person and be even better when he turns pro. He wants to play on the PK, in the last few minutes, taking the important faceoffs. You get a sense that he really intends to give back and be the veteran who takes other players under his wing, and at the same time, he wants to be the guy who is the top choice in the tough moment. As for whether the moves the Canadiens make or don’t make via trade or free agency could have an impact on his decision, he mentioned:
It was never about who’s here, who they’re bringing in. I would bet on myself 100 times out of 100 to step in, play the game I want to play, and make an impact. It was more about how much I want to go back.
The youngster also admitted that it was hard not to be able to perform as he normally would because of an ankle injury, and that wouldn’t have been how he would have liked to start his pro career. Nobody should worry about him deciding to wait to be a free agent and sign with another team: “No, it’s 100% certain that I want to play with the Canadiens. They are the team I’ve watched my whole life, and I think it’s a very exciting team, and a young team; I do not want to play with another team.”
Goaltender Alexis Cournoyer, who spent last season at Cornell University, provided the light relief of the day: “It’s a bit of a culture shock. You get there, and you can’t speak French because you get called out for it, being called “the Frenchies” and all that; it got to me as a Quebecer. I was with Xavier Veilleux, who was also from Quebec and who was on my team, and we couldn’t speak to each other in French, but it was weird we had to talk to each other in English because the other guys didn’t like it.”
Next season, he’ll be lining up with the Wisconsin Badgers, where he feels he’ll get more playing time, even if there will be three goaltenders, and he says he’s going to enjoy the battle and he’ll be happy to have both competition and pressure.
As for Zharovsky, he praised his host for the summer, Demidov and said he’s helping him tremendously. As for his future in North America, he explained: “I still have a year left on my contract in the KHL, but I would like to come once that’s over. I’ll try to perform as well as I can to come to Montreal in good shape.
On Wednesday, the prospects will be taking part in a scrimmage at 11:00 AM at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, which will be open to the public.
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