Excerpt from 'Habs Hockey Report' of host Amy Johnson commenting on the upcoming competition for a spot on the Montreal Canadiens blue line. The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that they agreed to a two-year entry level contract with Jared Davidson. The 21-year-old was drafted 130th overall by the organization in 2022 out of the Western Hockey League's (WHL) Seattle Thunderbirds. Davidson played with the Laval Rocket last season on an American Hockey League (AHL) contract. The club had the forward's exclusive signing rights until June 1st at 5:00 p.m. EDT. If the parties did not conclude a deal prior to the deadline, he would have been eligible to get picked by another organization in this year's draft. "I'm pretty excited. It's really nice to get that figured out and be back in Laval and Montreal is exciting. There's really no place like [Laval] to play in the AHL. I'm really happy to be back, and I'm happy we got it done early in the summer," he commented in a post shared by the team on social media. The Edmonton, Alberta native left a good impression during Canadiens training camp and dressed for one preseason game before his assignment to the AHL. Upper body injuries in October and March and a stretch of healthy scratches limited the prospect to 38 games with the Rocket, where he obtained 11 goals and five assists. He was primarily used in a bottom six role, and on the second power play unit. The six-foot, 183 pound forward had a slow start to his rookie season with two points in his first 10 games, and the production picked up with seven points in the next set of 10 contests. [embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C7pfBlDy_y3[/embed] Davidson obtained his first career AHL hat trick on February 16th in the Rocket's 5-2 victory in Hartford against the Wolfpack. He will be looking to have a healthier sophomore season in the Canadiens organization. In Laval, Davidson spent the entire season on the wing and the coach might be looking at slotting him at the position he was drafted as a center. "I want to be a big part of the Laval team this year, be on the offensive side, be relied on more situations, and hopefully get a couple of games with the Canadiens this year," he stated as his objectives. "I'm excited to play hockey again. This year, I was hurt a lot and I didn't get to be on the ice and do what I love as much as i would like to." Be sure to bookmark THN.com/Montreal [https://thn.com/montreal] for year-round coverage of the Montreal Canadiens, Laval Rocket, and Habs prospects playing in leagues around the world. The Hockey News: Pick A Free Issue! [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTk3MTk4Mzc0MTE4Nzc2/hockeynewsad.jpg] The Hockey News: Pick A Free Issue!
