MONTREAL, QC. — After an absolute “day to forget” at the workplace today, I headed down to the Montreal Canadiens practice facility in Brossard to witness the third day of the Habs Rookie Camp. I needed to get my mind off of work and although I was only able to squeeze in the final hour of scrimmage, it certainly did the trick.
Before reading any further, if you haven’t done so already, I would recommend you start by reading Rookies Whet Hockey Appetite and Finding Skill and Size at the Rookie Camp, the two pieces written by Rick, All Habs lead writer and managing editor, where he shares his views on the first couple of days of rookie camp.
Being the final scrimmage, for most players, this was their final day to make a strong impression on the Habs management, who watched the practice, perched like birds on a wire in the upper outer corner of the facility.
Although I missed it, Lars Eller skated earlier in the day and with him on the ice was Andrei Markov. I was disappointed to have not been able to see Eller on Monday due to his abdominal injury, and once again, he was absent from today’s scrimmage. I was encouraged when told that both looked very good as they skated.
I was also told that Eller could stand to gain a pound or two. That’s similar to what I think about Alexander Avtsin. He has a big frame but he’s a noticeably skinny player, who will need to add some weight over the next year. You quickly forget this when the puck lands on his stick, where you get the impression he can work magic as if he were holding a wand.
So I find myself in the same position as I was following the trade when he was acquired, I keep hearing great things about him, but I’m looking forward to the day where I get to see him with my own eyes.
Andrei Markov, now wasn’t he supposed to miss eight months or did I dream that? My memory is foggy on the early reports however the facts are; he was skating on the ice today. What I was told is that if you had no idea of the injury he sustained in last year’s playoffs, looking at him today, he actually looked ready to play. Although it’s safe to say Andrei Markov is not ready to play and could miss the start of the upcoming season, I take this as very encouraging news and Habs fans should be hopeful that Markov should not have to miss too many games at the start of this upcoming season.
According to his agent, Don Meehan, Markov’s recovery is ahead of schedule.
Note that Hunter Bishop who sustained an injury on Monday after getting drilled by P.K. Subban was still absent from practice and scrimmage today.
The scrimmage saw the “White” team lead by Aaron Palushaj deliver a 7-to-1 blow to the “Red” team lead by Alexander Avtsin. The score could have been much closer if you consider that Avtsin himself missed three if not four break-aways /penalty shots.
I haven’t seen Eller on the ice yet, therefore from what I’ve seen, Avtsin is the most skilled player at the rookie camp. He appears to me as the most “NHL-ready” player, even more so than what I’ve seen from both Max Pacioretty and Ben Maxwell.
Avtsin is able to carry the puck extremely well across the neutral zone, has very deceptive speed, and showed that he’s often able to beat the defender when he charges towards the net. Although he had multiple chances alone with the goalie, my only negative point on him would be that he lacked finishing and execution. Perhaps he’s tired following three days of training?
I particularly noticed his ability to shield the puck from his opponents. The best player in the NHL in this aspect at the moment in my opinion is Sidney Crosby. This is the ability to put your body between the opponent and the puck, while maintaining control of the puck. Avtsin does this extremely well.
I would not be surprised if he were one of the first players called up this season over an injury, or as Rick pointed out to me, if a player (Eller for example) were to miss the start of the season due to an injury, it should be no surprise to see him in the lineup.
The dominant force on the ice continues to be P.K. Subban. Wow. He was quoted as saying that he gained seven pounds over the summer, but some rumors have him having gained as much as fifteen pounds, all muscle. Whether it’s seven, fifteen or somewhere in the middle, from what I can tell, he has lost nothing in speed or agility over it.
In just three days, he’s managed to have players scared to come down his side of the ice by delivering crushing blows, including another board-banger today. Keep in mind that he delivered a few blows on Monday, including one on Hunter Bishop who hasn’t seen any ice at the camp since.
Today, near the end of the scrimmage, he was again involved in a skirmish, this time with Maxwell. No sooner did Maxwell drop his gloves then he suffered three crushing blows from Subban, the final one being received as he was going down to the ice. Subban kept his gloves on the entire time. All players converged with Conboy dropping his gloves wanting to fight Subban. One referee was quick to grab Conboy, and it was clear that although Subban was not going to let anyone push him around, he was not going to drop the gloves and risk any injury over a needless fight. Both players played off the incident following the scrimmage claiming there are no hardships and it’s part of the game.
Subban also scored a goal for the winning team on a laser from the blue line beating the young Robert Mayer, while Maxwell had the lone goal for the losing squad.
When people speak of P.K. Subban as a player that should be considered for the Calder trophy this season, awarded to the league’s outstanding rookie of the year, I now confidently say that you should believe those people.
The surprise today was Aaron Palushaj. Acquired from the St. Louis Blues for Matt D’Agostini, he scored four goals and really showed signs of a player that has a great skill set around the net. The puck moved fluidly on his stick, and you know someone’s a goal scorer when they are staring at the net while shooting the puck.
It’s safe to say that Palushaj will be starting the season in Hamilton, but if anyone made a strong impression on the last day of rookie camp, it certainly was him.
Jarred Tinordi is simply a monster on the ice. You truly notice his size when he’s able to dwarf Ian Schultz who measures in at 6’3”. Considering his age and size, it’s also safe to say he’ll probably gain at least 20lbs if not more before he reaches the NHL. What you quickly notice about Tinordi is how mobile he is considering his size. He skates rather well, is intelligent with the puck, and I think that Habs fans and media have no reason to think that this was not a great number one pick by the Montreal Canadiens organization in this past draft.
Tinordi doesn’t seem to have a laser of a shot at the blue line, but if he can get the job done defensively, which he’s shown great signs of so far, I am hopeful that he will become what Mike Komisarek never became in Montreal, a strong, physical force at the blue line. (Sorry Mike, you blocked me on Twitter, I don’t expect you to read this anyways.)
I also tried to keep an eye on two other players today, Louis Leblanc and Brendan Gallagher.
Although I didn’t notice Leblanc so much, he managed to finish the game with two goals. He has a great shot and positions himself well in the offensive zone; he should do wonders with the Montreal Juniors this season.
Brendan Gallagher showed great talent around the net. Another player who seemed to have the puck glue to his stick today, he showed great hands around the net and although he’s rather small in stature, the new NHL has proven it has room for these types of players. He’s only 18 so we’ll have to be patient in his case.
It was great to have the chance to watch the scrimmage with Steven Hindle who I had not seen in about ten years, when we played minor hockey together in Saint Lambert. With him was Eric Engels, who I was also happy to meet. Both report on the Montreal Canadiens and I respect and admire the work they do tremendously.
The Montreal Canadiens hold their golf tournament Thursday, and the regular training camp starts on Friday. Although it’s fair to say that there’s not much room, or none at all for surprises in the lineup this year, I am pleased with what I saw today and earlier this week, and I truly believe that the future is bright.