Laval – Pascal Vincent has repeated it in each of his meetings with journalists since the opening of the Canadiens’ rookie camp. He is still learning about his world.
The names are now familiar to him. Faces too. And, more and more, the skills and competencies of each of the players that he has the mandate to develop in his role as head coach of the Laval Rocket.
“Now it’s about defining the roles and the things we need to improve. »
With five forwards potentially in their first full professional season – Owen Beck, Filip Mešár, Florian Xhekaj, Luke Tuch and Israel Mianscum – and three other forwards in their second – Sean Farrell, Riley Kidney and Jared Davidson – THE coach of the school club certainly does not lack material to shape in attack.
And it’s time for experiments.
On day 2 of the team’s training camp, Wednesday at Place Bell, Vincent notably chose to bring together Beck, Mešár and Davidson on the same unit.
Here is what the composition of the two teams sent to the ice for the second intra-squad game of the camp looked like:
REDS
Davidson-Beck-Mesar
Tuch-Xhekaj-Arseneau
Nijhoff-Novak-Beaucage
Hayes-Sévigny
Paquette-Jacobs
Motew
Jones
Cavallin
BLANCS
Farrell-Gignac-Simoneau
Kidney-Condotta-Dauphin
Mianscum-Cormier-Savoie
Wotherspoon-Trudeau
Gélinas-Jandric
Thomas
Hughes
“We’re going to look at what works and what doesn’t, and we’re going to try to match our young people. Sometimes there are combinations that come together naturally, and there are others that you hope will work, but they don’t. We’ll see how it goes. It’s part of the evaluation,” noted Vincent when asked if the balance between experience and inexperience would influence the composition of his trios.
One thing is certain, the pilot intends to give its young players the opportunity to define the role and the specialty which will perhaps one day allow them to wear the colors of the parent company.
Citing Davidson as an example, who was able to stand out by playing two preparatory matches with the Canadian before being cut, Vincent opened up about the refining work that awaits the latter and all the other hopefuls called to settle down this year in the locker room at Place Bell.
“He’s a guy who can play center […]and there he plays on the wing. We’re going to try to show him a little bit about both jobs. I see a lot of potential in him and I know he’s a guy who doesn’t mind playing physical either. It has a lot of elements. Now you have to create a kind of funnel. Create an identity.
“When we talk about you, if I have trouble describing you in just a few words, we are not in the right place. We need to be able to describe you in just a few words. When you get there, you have an identity,” Vincent elaborated to clarify his thoughts.
“We need to get there with our young players. »
More responsibilities, a reminder in mind
At Habs camp, Davidson offered insight into the qualities that set him apart. In addition to his excellent shooting and his willingness to come up against bigger players than him, CH’s 5th round pick in 2022 also exhibited his forechecking skills during the team’s first preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
In the second period, the 22-year-old Albertan stole the puck from a defender in the enemy zone, before setting the table for a goal from Luke Tuch. It was the first of his two assists in the game.
ContentId(3.1449357):Canadiens: Luke Tuch breaks the ice after the turnaround caused by Jared Davidson
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“The camp went well,” Davidson concluded Wednesday after Rocket training. I think I played well and I heard good things about my game. It’s up to me now to just continue to improve every day in hopes of getting a call-up. »
Because unlike last year, this is a possibility. After having completed a first one-year contract valid only for the American League, Davidson convinced the Canadian to offer him a first two-year pact this summer, rather than giving up his rights. And this even if two injuries suffered during his rookie season in Laval slowed his progress and limited his workload to 38 games.
“I didn’t really know what was going to happen and if I was going to come back, but I’m happy that they said yes,” confided the man who concluded the last campaign with 11 goals and 5 assists to his record after a acclimatization which earned him a few evenings in the stands.
For the moment, Davidson cannot comment on the mandate that will be given to him this winter, but it will certainly be more important than last year.
“I am ready to play any role that I am told to play,” he promised. If it’s to be more physical than last year, I will be. If I have to score more often, I will score goals. I’m ready to play in any situation: the power play, the penalty kill… anywhere. All I want is to play and help the team. »
All that remains is to go through the funnel.
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