The match between the Drakkar and the Londres will be presented this evening from 7 p.m. on RDS.ca.
MONTREAL – The draft is over. His detractors can continue to say what they want about him, Justin Poirier left Las Vegas last June with a jersey, a cap and an opportunity.
A chance to prove that he, a small-framed sniper considered one-dimensional by some, deserves to be considered a legitimate prospect for the Carolina Hurricanes. Like an NHL player in the making.
“That doesn’t mean that because I was drafted, I’m going to play professional,” put the 5th round selection, the 156th overall in the most recent amateur auction, into perspective on Thursday.
“So this year, my motivation is to prove to the organization that the next step for me is to sign a contract. »
To do this, the terror of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar will have to do more than collect goals by the shovelful. Matching the feat of the legendary Sidney Crosby by scoring at least 50 goals at the age of 17 as he did last year is all well and good, but it doesn’t guarantee a place in the big league.
“I’ll be honest, of course I want to continue to score as many goals as possible. It’s in my DNA. When I work hard and respect my style of play, the goals come. But this year, I have other personal goals to achieve. »
First, balance your offensive production. At the end of the last regular season, the 5’9” right winger had 51 goals – a league high – and 31 assists in 68 games.
“I don’t expect to finish 50-50 in goals and assists, but if it can be a little closer than last year, it would definitely be mission accomplished. »
For the moment, Baie-Comeau’s most popular redhead displays an ideal ratio: 10 goals and 10 assists in 13 games, which allows him to occupy first place in his team’s scoring rankings, even if he is not the top scorer.
His linemate Louis-Charles Plourde, who played two more matches, is two lengths ahead of him. The 20-year-old Czech Matyas Melovsky, center of this first unit, follows with five successes in nine games since he was cut by the New Jersey Devils
“Offensively, he’s an intelligent young man,” recalls Drakkar head coach Jean-François Grégoire about his star player. He sees the options and he uses them better and better. At this time, he becomes more difficult to cover, because I don’t want to, he becomes less predictable by being able to use everyone on the ice. »
“At the start of the season, in the first four or five games, whether on the power play or five-on-five, opposing players cheated a lot on me in the offensive zone because they knew I was dangerous with the washer. But there, we have other players who are scoring more and more goals. If they cheat on me, they’re going to get caught at their own game.”
This is how Poirier experienced his first two games with more than one assist this season last weekend. Friday, he first concluded the duel against the Charlottetown Islanders with a goal and two assists. Then, Sunday against the Quebec Remparts, he scored once again in addition to participating in the creation of three other goals for his team.
Production, therefore, is there. In his third campaign in the circuit, Poirier was shut out only once, starting this one with at least one point in each of his first 10 outings.
Enough to ease the disappointment of not being able to participate on the ice in his first Hurricanes training camp due to an upper body injury.
“It was definitely a shock at first, I was really disappointed,” he confides, consoling himself with the idea of having been able to spend a full week with the team. , the time to undergo treatments.
“I think it was better to rest to have a big season. Right now, the injuries are gone. The pace has returned. »
And the Hurricanes have their eye on him. According to him, player development coach Kevin McCarthy contacts him once or twice a week to discuss his most recent performances and monitor his progress while waiting to visit him on the North Shore.
“When I left [de la Caroline]he told me to keep playing my game and keep your head held high. It was perhaps sad that it happened during a training camp where I would have liked to prove it to myself, but it was better that I recovered. »
Another chance will come. Now it’s up to him to make sure he deserves it.
“First-round picks in the NHL, teams don’t want to pass on them because they don’t want to look crazy. For other draft picks, if you ever get signed and end up playing for the team, that’s a bonus. That’s how it is, that’s the reality,” recalls Grégoire.
“There is an opportunity. After that, it’s up to him to demonstrate that the Hurricanes drew the right number and that he wants to become a professional. It’s that simple. »
