Habs News: NHL, Montreal Canadiens, Kaiden Guhle, Owen Beck, Jean-Francois Houle
ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | LAVAL, QC. — The Canadiens wrapped up their participation at the 2022 Prospects Challenge in Buffalo with a pair of games over the weekend.
On Friday, Montreal had a one goal lead with under two minutes remaining in the third when the New Jersey Devils tied the score and force overtime. Ryan Francis was serving a slashing minor to start the extra frame, and the Devils needed 17 seconds to capitalize and obtain the 4-3 victory. William Trudeau, Filip Mesar and Owen Beck scored in the loss.
On Sunday, the Canadiens scored three power play goals and headed to a convincing 7-2 win against the Ottawa Senators. Emil Heineman, Riley Kidney, Xavier Simoneau (2), John Parker-Jones, Brett Stapley were Montreal’s scorers.
With the victory, the Habs finished the tournament with one win in three games. “It was very positive. We saw some nice things throughout the tournament and there was a lot of players showed their talent. I’m very happy with what we were able to observe during the three games,” Jean-Francois Houle evaluated following Sunday’s game.
“Our work ethic was excellent in all three games. Our breakouts were really good, we had good zone exits,” the coach added.
Guhle Debut
After being sidelined for the first two games in Buffalo, Kaiden Guhle slotted into the lineup on Sunday against the Senators. He was paired with Justin Barron and was also on the power-play and penalty-kill units.
Guhle started skating in early August as he was recovering from a lower-body injury suffered in last season’s playoff run with the Edmonton Oil Kings. The 20-year-old helped his team win the WHL championship by collecting 16 points in 19 playoff games. At the Memorial Cup, he collected three points in three matches.
The defenceman did not miss a lot of training time over the off-season due to the injury. “I took a little bit time off obviously with the injury and the long season. Probably would have taken around that much time off anyways.”
The Canadiens first round draft pick in 2020 is expected to play with the Canadiens at some point this season, as Kent Hughes has mentioned that young players will rotate between Montreal and Laval.
“I think he’s a guy that’s mature, and a leader. On the ice he makes crisp passes, and he’s ready for an NHL camp, and will do everything to earn a spot in Montreal,” coach Houle said. The defenceman was an alternate captain on Sunday.
Beck Leaves Mark
Owen Beck made his debut in the Canadiens organization at the 2022 Prospects Challenge, and left a good impression. The Canadiens second round pick (33rd overall) in this year’s draft scored twice in three games.
#Habs Owen Beck with goal vs #Sabres@AllHabs @RocketSports #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/khz89iR3CF
— Chris G (@ChrisHabs360) September 16, 2022
#Habs Owen Beck with goal while being watched by two players vs #Devils @AllHabs @RocketSports #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/B5Q1am3ooU
— Chris G (@ChrisHabs360) September 17, 2022
“I wanted to come here and make an impact on the game, and I felt like I’ve done that. I’ve done what I have a reputation of doing like winning faceoffs, playing a strong 200-foot game,” Beck said following Friday’s loss.
“He finds the holes, has good speed, and faceoffs,” Houle listed when asked what he liked about the forward. “His lateral moves were impressive with his speed.”
The 18-year-old will return to play in the OHL with the Mississauga Steelheads this season. In his rookie season, he scored 21 goals and 51 points in 68 games.
Beck tries to model his style of play to Philip Danault, Bo Horvat and Patrice Bergeron. “His great 200-foot game. He did such a great job with that when he was in Montreal and helped them have a ton of success,” the forward explained his appreciation of the former Hab.
Main Camp Begins
The Canadiens prospects returned to Montreal from Buffalo following Sunday’s game against the Senators and will have the day off on Monday. Rookie camp concludes with practice in Brossard on Tuesday followed by main camp kicking off on Wednesday with medical exams and physicals.
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The Habs unveiled a new leadership team and showcased their rookies this week. We discussed prospects with Buffalo-based reporter Joe Yerdon.
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By Chris G., Senior Writer
All Habs Hockey Magazine
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