Rocket Notepad: Returning Players Love Laval, Big Step for Stephens, Deadlines for Lions

Rocket players Riley McKay and John Parker-Jones are happy to be back. Mitchell Stephens asked the question; she said 'yes.' Lions have deadlines to meet.

Last week, the Rocket signed forwards Riley McKay and John Parker-Jones to one-year, one-way AHL contracts.

In 2022-23, McKay dressed for 25 games with the Trois-Rivieres Lions before being recalled by Laval for the remainder of the season. The forward obtained 10 points in the ECHL and seven points in 23 games with the Rocket.

"I really wanted to be back in Laval. It's a great place to play," McKay said in a video posted by the team on social media.

Despite the small sample of games in the AHL, McKay led Laval in penalty minutes with 118. "I try to be physical, hard on the forecheck, and be good around the net."

Parker-Jones started the season with the Lions when he was recalled after scoring seven goals and 11 points in 17 games. The Brantford native was in and out of Laval's lineup and finished with three points in 20 games.

"I really loved coming to the rink every day, especially on game day. It sounds very cheesy to say, but we do have the best fans. It makes it so much more enjoyable to go to the games, play in the games," Parker-Jones answered when asked about his favorite part of playing for Laval.

The 6-foot-7, 230 pound forward is focusing on improving his skating during the off-season.

On Saturday, Mitchell Stephens posted an engagement announcement on his Instagram account. The forward is now engaged to his partner Emma Winnitoy. 

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After a slow start to the season, Stephens was a key players in Laval's push to clinch a playoff spot in 2022-23. The forward finished the year with 41 points in 68 matches. 

Stephens was the only forward of the organization with a two-way contract in 2022-'23 that was not recalled by Montreal. "I wanted to come in and wherever I was to play this style of game that I play and help the team win. It was a matter of day-by-day and if it happens, it happens. I was just focused on what I had to do every day," he said at the end of the season. 

The 26-year-old restricted free agent added that he feels capable of playing in the NHL. He has played 72 matches in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019-'20.

There are two deadlines upcoming this week in the ECHL. 

First, teams must complete all future consideration trades by 3:00 pm. Eastern time on Tuesday. The Trois-Rivieres Lions have two trades to complete as they acquired forward Karl El-Mir from the Orlando Solar Bears and goalie Francis Marotte from the Adirondack Thunder in December for future considerations. 

Second, the teams must submit their season-ending roster by 3:00 pm. Eastern time on Thursday. The season-ending roster cannot exceed 20 players and teams can only include players that were on the protection list submitted on June 9th. Players not included on the season-ending roster become unrestricted free agents. 

Following Thursday's deadline, the teams will have two weeks to sign the players or submit a qualifying offer to retain their rights.