Habs News: Montreal Canadiens, NHL, Carey Price, Mattias Norlinder, Cam Hillis, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Dominique Ducharme, Jonathan Drouin, Alexander Romanov

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Price is Back

When Carey Price spoke to NHL.com on Wednesday, he had not yet returned to the ice since having knee surgery on on July 22nd. That all changed on Thursday morning as Price stepped on the ice in Brossard. The Canadiens top player stretched and skated for about ten minutes before returning to the dressing room.

Day 2 of Rookie Camp

On Thursday, Canadiens prospects hit the ice for the first time in Brossard as the coaching staff from the Laval Rocket put them through drills.

Mattias Norlinder

Most of the media attention was directed at defenceman Mattias Norlinder, a third-round selection in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old is in Montreal with one goal in mind.

“That’s what I’m looking for. That’s why I’m here. That’s why all the guys are here. It’s a journey,” said Norlinder. “My focus right now is just to make the team. I’m looking forward to this week and then we’ll see what happens. It’s just fun to be here for the first time.”

Norlinder has already been through a challenging training camp a few weeks ago with the Frolunda Indians and has played a full exhibition schedule.

“Frölunda is one of the best clubs in Europe. The organization is great. We work really hard. From that city in Gothenburg, we have pretty good standards on a daily basis,” Norlinder told Rocket Sports. “I take that with me, and I’ll keep working hard here.”

For the young prospect to make the big club, he will need to adjust to a smaller rink. “This is my first time ever on the small ice. It will probably take some time, but I will give it time,” said Norlinder. “After one practice, I didn’t feel like it was too hard.”

Cam Hillis

Canadiens prospect Cam Hillis played 18 games for the Laval Rocket in 2020-21 in his first exposure to pro hockey. Hillis was a third-round selection in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

“I feel like more of a veteran here now, more of a take-charge kind of guy than at previous camps,” said Hillis. “I was a little more hesitant, but now I feel like this is my opportunity to grow here and take a few more steps forward.”

“The mindset in itself is just having the attitude to come to the rink, focusing on yourself, and making the team better that one percent each day. That’s kind of the message I learned from a few guys last year, just focusing on getting one percent better each day, and that’s all I can take care of. That adds up over time,” said the 21-year-old. “There’s obviously smaller details within the game that you work on with your coaches, and that’s something I definitely worked on this summer.”

“Everyone has their own timelines and my responsibility is just to keep progressing each day here and do my best to prove to them that I’m a little more ready than I was last year,” said Hillis.

Kotkaniemi Lands in NC

Former Canadiens centre Jesperi Kotkaneimi arrived in Raleigh close to midnight on Wednesday and was on the ice at Wake Competition Center with several Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday morning. “I’m really happy to be here,” Kotkaniemi said.

“It was great. Lot of great guys in the room. We had a little game at the end. It was a lot of fun out there. It felt good. It felt really good,” said Kotkaneimi after the skate.

On the upcoming season, Kotkaniemi said, “I feel this will be real good for me. I thought I got a little stuck over there (in Montreal), so a new start will be good.”

Hurricanes winger Teuvo Teravainen was also part of the on-ice workout. With respect to his new teammate, “[Kotkaniemi] can see the ice really good and is a smart player. I think he can add a lot. I think he’s a great young player who’s only going to get better, and that’s good for us.”

Ducharme Shares His Views

Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme sat down with La Presse to answer questions. His responses to current issues appear below (translated from French.)

On Jonathan Drouin playing centre..

“For me, Jo’s situation is how he’s going to play. The most important thing is that he feels good physically, mentally. Let him play to his full potential. After that, whether he is on the wing or in the center, it is not a priority for the moment. We know it’s an option.”

On the Canadiens playing a full season without a captain..

“Jeff Petry already had a part-time letter, he was an assistant when we had an injured guy. He is able to take a little more. Ben Chiarot, Joel Edmundson… that kind of player there. [Brendan Gallagher]… They watched it go and gave way to Shea, because it’s natural. It is also natural to take a small part of this place. But the influence he had in the team, it does not go away like that.”

On Alexander Romanov playing on the left, his natural side..

“That doesn’t mean he’ll never play right. But we would like him to continue to progress on his natural side. There are a lot of little situations, the way of playing one on one when he’s on the left, he’s a lot more comfortable.”

The Press Zone – Montreal podcast

Current Habs topics were discussed on this week’s episode of the The Press Zone – Montreal. Listen, share and subscribe!

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