As seen on YouTube: Olivier Archambault has turned heads in Montreal before. Now a prospect of the Canadiens, he will have the opportunity to use those skills FOR a Montreal franchise.
The Specs: Habs’ second fourth rounder this year (108th overall). Stands at 5’11”, weighs 170 pounds. Last season he produced 53 points in 65 games for the Val-d’Or Foreurs. The left-winger from Le Gardeur, Quebec is also a former first overall pick in the QMJHL Entry Draft and now belongs to the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
The Skinny: Skilled, speedy forward with great hands and balance (was the model student of the balance/skating drills at development camp) who has come away with the unfortunate tag of “undersized.” As loudly as I hear your collective disappointment, keep in mind those who succeeded pretty well in shaking off such tags as members of the Habs (numbers 14 and 58–er, 51 come to mind).
The Stats:
| Regular Season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2009-10 | Val-d’Or Foreurs | QMJHL | 58 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 14 | -13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-11 | Val-d’Or Foreurs | QMJHL | 65 | 20 | 33 | 53 | 28 | -7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
What you’ve probably heard by now: That he didn’t exactly leave Val-d’Or on the friendliest of terms. The rumours of a “problematic attitude” during his tour of duty with the Foreurs are more than abundant on news sites and fan forums alike, but both the Voltigeurs, who acquired him during the 2011 QMJHL Entry Draft, and Archambault himself have overturned all those rumours, electing for a clean slate heading into 2011-12.
What you may not know: Archambault has two fights to his record, both from last season. (It’s worth noting that he had the upper hand in size regarding both opponents, but the fact remains.)
Pierre Gauthier’s take: “He has skills you can’t take away from him.”
On living up to the expectations of being a former 1st overall pick: “At the beginning of training camp during my rookie season, I put a bit of pressure (on myself) because I was the first pick, but afterwards I put that behind me. I told myself that it was just a draft and that it doesn’t change anything. A third round pick has to work just as hard as I do.”
On joining the Voltigeurs: “One thing’s for sure, it will be nice to find myself in a winning environment. I feel I can be useful to the Voltigeurs by using my offensive abilities. I skate well and am a good passer.”
Social Media User?: @oarchy09 . He also has 14 fans on Facebook.