The enthusiasm of the youth allowed the Laval Rocket to position themselves well in the North section rankings to end the year 2024, but adjustments will be necessary to stay the course in 2025.
American Hockey League seasons are long and it is not uncommon to see teams experience a few more difficult stretches here and there.
After starting the campaign with a 12-2-1 record in its first 15 games, the Laval team has just experienced one. His 6-8-1 record in his next 15 games dropped him from first to third in his section.
The Montreal Canadiens’ farm club thought they had regained their rhythm thanks to three victories in a row before Christmas, but two losses at home against the Syracuse Crunch led to some questions about the energy level of the coach’s players. -chef Pascal Vincent.
For one of the first times this season, the weight of busy weekends appears to be causing problems for the Rocket. However, concern has not set in among the players and the opportunity is great to learn from these situations to come back strong after the New Year’s break.
“It’s a little two-game slide. We will mature a lot thanks to this and we will turn the page,” insisted captain Lucas Condotta.
“No one is worried in the locker room,” added Xavier Simoneau. We have a team to go far this year, both in the season and in the playoffs. I just think it’s a little wake-up call. »
However, few Rocket players can boast of having shown consistency in recent weeks. William Trudeau can, however, submit his candidacy. The 22-year-old defender wanted to do too much at times last year, but he was able to simplify his game this season.
This is what caught the attention of his head coach recently, and this is what earned him a promotion on the first power play, Saturday, during the second clash of the weekend against the Crunch .
“I played a little bit on the first power play unit in my rookie season,” said Trudeau, who was rewarded with an assist. I’m not the player who’s going to complicate things on the ice, whether on the power play or in all three zones. All the better if that’s what the coaches are looking for. I think we are trying to find solutions. »
Vincent decided to modify his first wave of power play, because no defender really took over the position at the blue line. This role could have gone to an offensive player like Logan Mailloux, but the Habs’ first-round pick in 2021 is currently going through a long desert.
After collecting a goal and three points in five games with the Canadiens this season, Mailloux was demoted to the American League to refine his overall game.
Against the Crunch on Saturday, his two minor penalties broke the Rocket’s momentum and he was sent off for 10 minutes due to unsportsmanlike conduct towards one of the referees. Mailloux has only collected one assist in his last 12 outings and he has a minus-6 rating.
“Our plan with him is to develop him five against five. I think he’s learning what it takes to become a professional and what you have to do to get to that level every day, Vincent explained. I understand the desire to evaluate it with the points, but that’s not what we’re looking at. It’s an important moment for him. To see how he will react and if he will react well. »
The adjustment that Mailloux will have to make in the American League to return to the NHL, goalie Jakub Dobes made last season.
Dobes struggled to reach a respectable level of play during the first two months of his professional rookie season in 2023-24, but he wasn’t the same from December onwards.
In his second campaign in the American League, the 23-year-old Czech helped the Rocket have the best start in its history and he has just been recalled by the Canadian. While his teammates in Laval played the first period of their game on Saturday, Dobes shut out the Florida Panthers, the reigning Stanley Cup champions, in his first career start in the Bettman circuit.
“It’s amazing for him,” Condotta said. We were able to watch the game for a bit. We are all very proud. »
“I spoke to him on Friday. Jakub was here, he was injured twice, he came back and he played well for us, noted Vincent. He was ready mentally and physically. »
Even if the Rocket and the Canadian have been relatively healthy since the start of their respective seasons, this most recent recall from Dobes allows players not to forget that efforts can be rewarded.
“What we want is for our players to have goals. Their job here is to look at the Canadiens’ lineup and note which guys they need to replace to have a chance of being called up, Vincent said. To see that Dobes did the job here, that he got called up, that he did things the right way and it’s working, it’s good. »
The head coach and his staff plan to meet with players individually in the coming weeks to complete mid-season evaluations.
