Laval Rocket: GDT: Rochester at Rocket 20 Nov 7 PM

[Skip Bayless]

Yeah at this point he has alot to work on if he wants to play in the NHL.

He needs to be like Armia. The puck protection and takeaways is his salvation.

 

[schwang26]

He needs to be like Armia. The puck protection and takeaways is his salvation.

I’ve always thought that it’s too bad he can’t switch to being a defenceman. The guy is ridiculous along the boards and at stealing pucks. Zero aggressiveness unfortunately.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Its such a plague on the site. Prospects at all levels across all organizations have warts. Evaluating young players on a shift to shift, game at a time basis, leads to erratic and mostly bad hot takes.

From this writer's perspective, Laval played a solid game against a strong opponent minus one of their better young forwards, Tuch and with RHP playing in his first game of the season (at any level) after a lengthy absence. Both goalies played well, with Levi, in particular, making a number of game saving stops. While the play in regulation time was mostly even, with the teams trading good scoring chances, Rochester dominated the overtime.

Here are my assessments of the play of our prospects which I hope are not seen as 'erratic and mostly bad hot takes'.

Beck had another stellar game where he displayed his explosive skating, great vision and play making ability. In particular, he teamed up with Farrell on a number of Give & Gos which led to several excellent scoring chances. Beck’s skating also allowed him to create scoring chances for himself including a great rush in the third period when he went end to end, then beating the Rochester defenceman wide and forcing Levi to make a good save. His skating and stickhandling abilities on the power play forced a Rochester defenceman to take a penalty which gave Laval a 5 on 3 advantage. Beck used his strong skating to forecheck effectively and to cut off the ice to opposing players. He was also much improved on faceoffs. If this kid’s rate of development continues: he will be a star in NHL.

Despite the bad reviews he generally receives here, Farrell had a pretty strong game. Other than Florian Xhekaj, no Laval player had more scoring chances. In addition to scoring a goal that was mysteriously called back, Farrell, who has the luxury of playing with Beck, was set up for two glittering chances: one where he hit the post and another where Levi was forced to make one of his many great saves. Farrell was noticeable for both good and bad reasons. Farrell has quickness, a nose for the net and the ability to anticipate the play. He makes a good complement to Beck who understands Farrell’s ability to find the open space. While that is the good, Farrell remains a light player who is easily bumped off the puck and is a liability in the defensive zone. He will live and die with his ability to produce offensively. But as long as Farrell continues to generate scoring chances, I’m prepared to cut him some slack to see if those scoring chances can be converted into actual production.

Xhekaj had his best game so far. He had more scoring chances than any other Laval player. He continued to show his strong straight forward speed, made multiple excellent passes in the offensive zone , played physically and was noticeable in all three zones. For his strong play, Xhekaj was rewarded with an opportunity to play on the power play unit. This should come as no surprise as Xhekaj was an important part of the Brantford power play last season. This kid is no mere bottom six forward. His offensive potential was amply displayed on the short-handed goal he scored and the multiple scoring chances he had. But for Levi’s brilliance, Xhekaj could have a hat trick in the game. Xhekaj remains a work in progress on face-offs and I suspect that with his style of skating, his future in Montreal will be as a scoring, power forward. It’s not too farfetched to see Xhekaj as a Will Cuylle style forward. But that next step won’t happen until he gains that needed half step of quickness.

Kidney, who actually played center in this game, had a rather nondescript effect on the outcome. Kidney continued to display elements that, at least to this writer, provide hope that he may develop into an NHLer. Kidney flashed bursts of speed, played hard and had a great scoring chance on a 2 on 1 opportunity where his shot just went wide. Unless Kidney gets stronger and faster, making the NHL may well be a bridge too far.

Davidson, while he had his offensive moments, did not have one of his stronger games. Davidson played hard, had a couple of scoring chances and got into a spirited fight. He play’s a pro-style game and like so many young players, he has to get faster to be an effective NHLer. But all the other elements are there for him to succeed: shot, offensive vision, compete level and leadership. I think he makes it.

Roy had a mixed game. The positives were his incredible vision which allowed him to make multiple plays where he set up teammates for what should have been tap-in goals and his strength on the puck and surprising board work. When he wants, Roy can play an effective physical game. The negatives included poor play selection at times, which led to turn overs and Roy’s Achilles’ Heel:: his lack of foot speed. This deficit was amply displayed in the overtime period where Roy was on for an extended period of time as Laval was trapped in its own zone as the Rochester players literally skated circles around the Laval players, including Roy. It must now be obvious to any observant fan that Roy will never be a play driver in the NHL. Roy has the skills to play in the NHL, but it has to be in a situation where his ample skills can be maximized and his obvious deficits minimized.

Mailloux showed more fluidity in his skating, particularly when he wasn’t carrying the puck such as on the backcheck and jumping up to support a Laval rush. But when carrying the puck, Mailloux still shows the worrying inability to evade/outskate the first forechecker. His first pass and vision in the offensive zone remains unmatched on the Laval team. Mailloux was active in the offensive zone and aside from one misread in the defensive zone that resulted in Rochester scoring chance, he played an effective defensive game against a strong opponent. Interestingly, Mailloux played a few rare shifts on the penalty killing unit. While usually effective on the power play, I found some of Mailloux’s play / pass selections, questionable which contributed to Laval’s power play’s overall ineffectiveness in this game.

Engstrom continued to display his superior mobility in covering a ton of ice in the defensive zone, successfully transporting the puck through three zones and walking the blue line on multiple occasions. Engstrom does, however, have a propensity to try high risks plays that lead to untimely turnovers. That propensity has to be addressed before he makes the next step.

Trudeau had his best games in weeks. Every aspect of his game that makes him a viable prospect was on display: excellent mobility, including a play where he was able to stop a breakaway on a strong backcheck: good physicality in all zones of the ice including the best open ice body check of the game where he ran over a Rochester forward in front of the Laval net and some excellent stickhandling displays at the offensive blueline. If this mercurial player can limit the ‘bad’ Trudeau games, he has a chance to play in the NHL.

 

[BJCOLLINS]

Too bad he will never get a legitimate shot

He’s got some game and I thought he looked good at times last year too. It’s way too early to say he won’t get a shot. I don’t have to tell you that every AHL player that plays strong enough to play in the show gets recognized, if not by his team, by scouts of other teams. Seems like a good kid as well.
Cheers

 

[Tyson]

From this writer's perspective, Laval played a solid game against a strong opponent minus one of their better young forwards, Tuch and with RHP playing in his first game of the season (at any level) after a lengthy absence. Both goalies played well, with Levi, in particular, making a number of game saving stops. While the play in regulation time was mostly even, with the teams trading good scoring chances, Rochester dominated the overtime.

Here are my assessments of the play of our prospects which I hope are not seen as 'erratic and mostly bad hot takes'.

Beck had another stellar game where he displayed his explosive skating, great vision and play making ability. In particular, he teamed up with Farrell on a number of Give & Gos which led to several excellent scoring chances. Beck’s skating also allowed him to create scoring chances for himself including a great rush in the third period when he went end to end, then beating the Rochester defenceman wide and forcing Levi to make a good save. His skating and stickhandling abilities on the power play forced a Rochester defenceman to take a penalty which gave Laval a 5 on 3 advantage. Beck used his strong skating to forecheck effectively and to cut off the ice to opposing players. He was also much improved on faceoffs. If this kid’s rate of development continues: he will be a star in NHL.

Despite the bad reviews he generally receives here, Farrell had a pretty strong game. Other than Florian Xhekaj, no Laval player had more scoring chances. In addition to scoring a goal that was mysteriously called back, Farrell, who has the luxury of playing with Beck, was set up for two glittering chances: one where he hit the post and another where Levi was forced to make one of his many great saves. Farrell was noticeable for both good and bad reasons. Farrell has quickness, a nose for the net and the ability to anticipate the play. He makes a good complement to Beck who understands Farrell’s ability to find the open space. While that is the good, Farrell remains a light player who is easily bumped off the puck and is a liability in the defensive zone. He will live and die with his ability to produce offensively. But as long as Farrell continues to generate scoring chances, I prepared to cut him some slack to see if those scoring chances can be converted into actual production.

Xhekaj had his best game so far. He had more scoring chances than any other Laval player. He continued to show his strong straight forward speed, made multiple excellent passes in the offensive zone , played physically and was noticeable in all three zones. For his strong play, Xhekaj was rewarded with an opportunity to play on the power play unit. This should come as no surprise as Xhekaj was an important part of the Brantford power play last season. This kid is no mere bottom six forward. His offensive potential was amply displayed on the short-handed goal he scored and the multiple scoring chances he had. But for Levi’s brilliance, Xhekaj could have a hat trick in the game. Xhekaj remains a work in progress on face-offs and I suspect that with his style of skating, his future in Montreal will be as a scoring, power forward. But that next step won’t happen until he gains that needed half step of quickness.

Kidney, who actually played center in this game, had a rather nondescript effect on the outcome. Kidney continued to display elements that, at least to this writer, provide hope that he may develop into an NHLer. Kidney flashed bursts of speed, played hard and had a great scoring chance on a 2 on 1 opportunity where his shot just went wide. Unless Kidney gets stronger and faster, making the NHL may well be a bridge too far.

Davidson, while he had his offensive moments, did not have one of his stronger games. Davidson played hard, had a couple of scoring chances and got into a spirited fight. He play’s a pro-style game and like so many young players, he has to get faster to be an effective NHLer. But all the other elements are there for him to succeed: shot, offensive vision, compete level and leadership. I think he makes it.

Roy had a mixed game. The positives were his incredible vision which allowed him to make multiple plays where he set up teammates for what should have been tap-in goals and his strength on the puck and surprising board work. When he wants, Roy can play an effective game. The negatives included poor play selection at times, which led to turn overs and Roy’s Achilles’ Heel:: his lack of foot speed. This deficit was amply displayed in the overtime period where Roy was on for an extended period of time as Laval was trapped in its own zone as the Rochester players literally skated circles around the Laval players, including Roy. It must now be obvious to any observant fan that Roy will never be a play driver in the NHL. Roy has the skills to play in the NHL, but it has to be in a situation where his ample skills can be maximized.

Mailloux showed more fluidity in his skating, particularly when he wasn’t carrying the puck such as on the backcheck and jumping up to support a Laval rush. But when carrying the puck, Mailloux still shows the worrying inability to evade/outskate the first forechecker. His first pass and vision in the offensive zone remains unmatched on the Laval team. Mailloux was active in the offensive zone and aside from one misread in the defensive zone that resulted in Rochester scoring chance, he played an effective defensive game against a strong opponent. Interestingly, Mailloux played a few rare shifts on the penalty killing unit. While usually effective on the power play, I found some of Mailloux’s play / pass selections, questionable which contributed to Laval’s power play’s ineffectiveness.

Engstrom continued to display his superior mobility in covering a ton of ice in the defensive zone, successfully transporting the puck through three zones and walking the blue line on multiple occasions. Engstrom does, however, have a propensity to try high risks plays that lead to untimely turnovers. That propensity has to be addressed before he makes the next step.

Trudeau had his best games in weeks. Every aspect of his game that makes him a viable prospect was on display: excellent mobility, including a play where he was able to stop a breakaway on a strong backcheck: good physicality in all zones of the ice including the best open ice body check of the game where he ran over a Rochester forward in front of the Laval net and some excellent stickhandling displays at the offensive blueline. If this mercurial player can limit the ‘bad’ Trudeau games, he has a chance to play in the NHL.

Mailloux's skating and overall defensive awareness needs alot of work. He is in Laval for a reason and is not ready. If the Habs had to call up a RD I would prefer Lindstrom with well over 100 NHL games under his belt.

 

[overlords]

supposedly Dobes talked some serious shit on the refs for that refused call?

 

[Tyson]

supposedly Dobes talked some serious shit on the refs for that refused call?

Dobes is a fiery competitor

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Mailloux's skating and overall defensive awareness needs alot of work. He is in Laval for a reason and is not ready. If the Habs had to call up a RD I would prefer Lindstrom with well over 100 NHL games under his belt.

It’s funny how the narrative about Mailloux has changed. And changed so dramatically. Before the start of last year the prevailing opinion about Mailloux was that he was a large defenceman with elite skating. Now, he’s a player whose skating ‘needs a lot of work.’ Regrettably, you’re correct.

Reality, as I have opined, is a bitch.

 

[overlords]

It’s funny how the narrative about Mailloux has changed. And changed so dramatically. Before the start of last year the prevailing opinion about Mailloux was that he was a large defenceman with elite skating. Now, he’s a player whose skating ‘needs a lot of work.’ Regrettably, you’re correct.

Reality, as I have opined, is a bitch.

I still think that if Rein didn't get hurt and had continued on the same swing we saw him on in Laval last year, Mailloux would be seen as trade bait for long term veteran RD like Randerrson.