Montreal Canadiens prospects Jayden Struble, Logan Mailloux, Joshua Roy are part of a rookie team in Buffalo participating in the Prospects Challenge.

After a disappointing start in the Prospects Challenge on Friday against the Sabres, the Canadiens prospects bounced back with a 4-1 victory on Saturday against the prospects of their division rivals Bruins. 

On Sunday, the coaching staff had a short practice in the morning before a team bonding activity at Highmark Stadium to watch the Buffalo Bills NFL home opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bills beat the Raiders 38-10.

The Canadiens hit the ice for the final game of the Prospects Challenge on Monday at 1:30 pm. ET before returning home to start preparing for main camp to begin this week. 

Struble Looks Ready

Jayden Struble joined the team during the day on Friday due to personal reasons that prevented him taking the bus with his teammates on Thursday. 

Jean-Francois Houle was happy with the defenseman's performance versus the Bruins. "[Struble] was physical and engaged. That's what you need to show." 

The 22-year-old turned pro last year following his season with the NCAA's Northeastern University and dressed for nine regular season and two playoff matches with the Laval Rocket. 

Houle feels that the experience in the American Hockey League (AHL) benefitted Struble. "I saw a good progression. He worked hard all summer. He's very athletic and is in good physical shape and it helped him to come to Laval at the end of last year. I saw a big difference." 

The short stint with the Rocket allowed Struble to adapt his summer preparation to continue his development. "It's a hard league in the AHL. I'm sure the NHL is harder. Playing against men, everyone is heavy, everyone is strong and everyone is fast. Knowing that going into the summer and knowing that I have to work that much harder."

The next step for Struble is consistency says the coach. "The young players have to try to be as consistent as possible for the management to be able to see you. Management doesn't come to all the games, so when they do you'd better be good." 

Mailloux is Calm

Struble was paired with Logan Mailloux for Saturday's contest against the Bruins. Mailloux was looking to bounce back following a shaky performance on Friday in his first match in a Canadiens jersey. 

"He was okay. He was more physical. To become a professional it takes time. It wasn't perfect but he showed that he has good skills and we can work with that," evaluated Houle. 

The coach felt that Struble's presence had a positive impact on the 31st overall pick of the 2021 draft pick. "He was more calm and it showed that he had less stress. He was more relaxed today."

Roy Working on Defensive Play

Joshua Roy led the team with two goals over the weekend. Lighting the red lamp is the forward's strength. In the last two seasons with the QMJHL's Sherbrooke Phoenix, he scored 51 and 46 goals respectively. 

The knock on Roy has been his defensive play and he's been working on improving that aspect. "I think it's going really well. I want to be more defensive, more versatile that can play when we're leading or losing by one goal."

The 20-year old is happy with the way that he has progressed. "I've always had the label of being an offensive player. I'm starting to prove slowly that I can play on both sides of the ice."

Houle saw progress in Roy's defensive play. "I think he's more aware defensively. He understands to play as a pro and get ice time, you need to be able to play on both sides of the ice. We know that he's capable offensively. He has a good stick, he can be on the penalty kill. We will give him opportunities in that situation to see if he can do that as a pro."