Laval Rocket Expected to Feature Plenty of Montreal Canadiens Prospects

Laval Rocket head coach JF Houle will have to change his focus to teaching and development as the team prepares to welcome a large number of Montreal Canadiens prospects.

With the organization’s cupboards filled with Canadiens prospects, the Laval Rocket are anticipated to have a younger roster compared to the previous seasons. Jean-Francois Houle has been expecting a younger group since the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.

These prospects are set to take on significant responsibilities, as outlined by Houle. “It’s an opportunity for them to gain some leadership, to get a lot of ice time and that’s what we intend to do. We intend to put those guys in situations that they need to learn like a big faceoff in the last minute of play, you’re probably going to see a young guy taking that faceoff,” coach said at the Canadiens development camp.

He continued, “On the power play, you might see some different people on there that need to produce because that’s part of their game. If they want to play in the NHL, they got to produce in the American Hockey League, so we’re going to try to put them in that situation.”

So who exactly are these young players to expect to start the season in Laval? Time to pull out the crystal ball and project the composition of the Rocket’s roster to begin the season.

The following assumptions apply to the projection:

The projection suggests that Laval’s roster will have 17 forwards to begin the season. Luckily, there’s no roster limit or salary cap in the AHL for the team to deal with. It would not be unusual as last season's opening night, Houle also had 17 healthy forwards on his roster. 

The forward group has three quality prospects that will be making their AHL debut: Sean Farrell, Riley Kidney, Jared Davidson. Farrell experienced pro hockey last season with six NHL matches. 

Joshua Roy and Filip Mesar can be added to that group as they have dressed for one playoff and one regular season contest respectively. 

Other notable forwards that are expected to get key responsibilities are Emil Heineman and Lias Andersson. Heineman joined Laval in mid-March and kicked off his North American experience with seven goals and nine points in 11 games. He will likely be on the top of the list to get recalled by the Canadiens. 

Andersson was a free agency signing on July 2nd. The 24-year-old was drafted by the New York Rangers in 2017 when Jeff Gorton was the general manager. 

Laval's defense will have more experienced players compared the forward group. From the nine defensemen on the roster, Logan Mailloux could be the only one making his professional debut. 

The Canadiens logjam at the blue line may force Justin Barron to start the year in the AHL along with veteran Chris Wideman. My expectation is that 31 teams will pass on Wideman when he's placed on waivers. 

Wideman has been a good teammate since joining the organization and did not  complain publicly when he had to watch games from the press box for extended periods. He has the potential of having a similar impact that Karl Alzner had when he was assigned to the Rocket in 2019. Alzner mentored his young teammates and was a positive influence despite being unhappy of his personal situation. 

Barron, Wideman along with Mailloux and Nicolas Beaudin are all dangerous weapons for Houle on the power play. 

Similar to Montreal, Laval's defensive unit is crowded. In the current state of the roster, Olivier Galipeau would begin the season in Trois-Rivieres for a third consecutive season. Galipeau has always left a positive impression with Houle every time that he's been recalled. 

Miguel Tourigny, drafted seventh round by the Canadiens in 2022, would also be a victim of the logjam on defense and start the season in the ECHL. 

Cayden Primeau's lack of performance at the NHL level will ultimately land him in the AHL to start the season. Any chance that he had of earning a spot in Montreal vanished when the organization acquired Casey DeSmith from the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Jakub Dobes joined the Rocket last year at the conclusion of his NCAA season, but did not get an opportunity to start a match. In 2023-24, Dobes should get ample opportunities in goal for Laval.

Despite the roster being expected to be younger than it has over the last couple of years, Houle anticipates that they will remain competitive. "It's going to be a talented group. A lot of teams in the American Hockey League when they have a young talented group, they get better as the year progresses and I think that's what is going to happen to us."

"[The young players] will learn. There's just going to be some harsh times at the beginning of the season but I think by Christmas they're going to learn a lot about the league and they will be better for it."

In the two seasons with Houle behind the bench, the Rocket clinched a playoff spot twice, including a run to the conference final in his rookie season. Winning is important in a player's development according to the coach.

"Developing in a winning environment is very important. We're going to do our best to make that happen. The most important thing is to be able to see the progress throughout the year."

Like the Laval Rocket, the Montreal Canadiens will have a younger lineup brimming with prospects. 

Listen to this topic and more on a brand new episode of the Canadiens Connection podcast: What Does A Younger Habs Roster Mean for 2023-24? | Canadiens Connection episode 257

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