Development camp is always a time of excitement and hope for Habs fans. Expectations have no bounds. How many prospects will be in the opening night lineup? Realistically we know that it is a rare feat but in early July, all things seem possible.

Of the crop of prospects at this year’s development camp, Sven Andrighetto is the closest to being NHL ready but Charles Hudon, Michael McCarron and Nikita Scherbak are each coming off impressive seasons with their respective teams. They will be looking to impress at camp.

No conclusions to be taken away from the first day at camp. Some prospects like Noah Juulsen and Lukas Vejdemo were simply trying to learn unfamiliar drills.

All Habs staffer Chris G was at Brossard and filed his report.

Posted by Chris G, Digital Radio Producer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

BROSSARD, QC. — Before hitting the ice to open up the 2015, the prospects hit the soccer field inside the Bell Sports Complex for stretching and cardio. Once they were warmed up, the prospects were split up in two squads and each group hit their respective rink where a couple of hundred of Habs fans were in attendance. All four goalies invited to the camp started off together for some drills before they were split up amongst the two groups. The 43 prospects invited to the camp stayed on the ice for approximately 75 minutes as they ran  several drills including skating and breakouts. Following the on-ice session, the players participated in a yoga session on the soccer field and finished off Day 1 with some off ice team building activities.

This is the group on ice #1. The rest of the prospects are on rink #2 #Habs360 #allhabs pic.twitter.com/EcAaLHDu8Y

— Chris G (@ChrisHabs360) July 5, 2015

Notables of group no. 1:

Tim BOZON, Daniel CARR, Connor CRISP, Charles HUDON, Nikita SCHERBAK, Simon BOURQUE, Darren DIETZ

Notables of group no. 2:

Sven ANDRIGHETTO, Michael MCCARRON, Noah JUULSEN, Zachary FUCALE

Day 1 Notes:

• Nikita Scherbak is at camp listed at 6-foot-2-inches, weighing 204 lbs. At last year’s development camp, Scherbak was 6-foot-1-inch, 175 lbs. By the time 2014 rookie camp rolled around, Scherbak was weighing in at 189 lbs. It’s clear that he has been adding muscle to his frame. Scherbak looked motivated on the ice as he trains during the offseason hoping to make the Canadiens roster in 2015-16.
• Michael McCarron height is listed at 6-foot-6-inches, 235 lbs. That is one inch taller compared to last year’s development camp.
• Charles Hudon also stood out from group no. 1. He looking to win a spot with the Canadiens for the 2015-16 season. Hudon participated in a faceoff drill with Daniel Carr, and won every single faceoff.

Mac Bennett leading the stretches. Mac Bennett mène les étirements. #Habs360 #allhabs pic.twitter.com/JFvVZzUw58

— Chris G (@ChrisHabs360) July 5, 2015

On-ice practice sessions scheduled for Day 2 of the Development camp.

Nikita Scherbak

Noah Juulsen