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Laval Rocket: Laval Rocket at Springfield Thunderbirds 7:05 PM
- Thread starter Tyson
- Start date
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Very confident with the puck.
- Jul 21, 2022
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Roy is starting the season awfully slow
Gaylord Q Tinkledink
Registered User
- Apr 29, 2018
- 32,250
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I don't want to jinx him but Connor Hughes looks solid so far
- Jul 21, 2022
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%
Team_Spirit
95% Elliotte
- Jul 3, 2002
- 39,148
- 20,835
Shots 30-26 Laval
Hughes 1st AHL start did he play well?
Hughes 1st AHL start did he play well?
He'll take a little while to get his head straight.
Hopefully he realizes he has to become truly consistent before he gets recalled.
He should have been told what he needed to do before he was demoted. If he doesn't do what they asked him to do he can stay in the AHL.
montreal
Go Habs Go
ChesterNimitz
governed by the principle of calculated risk
- Jul 4, 2002
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I was able to watch both of Laval’s opening games and here are my observations.
Overall, I believe that Laval, which iced a younger team in both games, was clearly more skilled and more dynamic than both opponents. When it came to a straight comparison of the respective teams’ prospects, there was no contest as Laval’s pool of prospects clearly outclassed the prospects of their two opponents. In fact, I have not seen such a wealth of prospects on a Montreal farm team since the teams of the early 1980s that were comprised of the likes of Skrudland, Keane, Mcphee, etc.
I have for years employed a star system that rates my projection of a prospect’s chances of playing in the NHL - with five stars indicating the highest probability of the player under consideration playing in the NHL and one star indicating the lowest probability of the player ever playing in the NHL. I will only review and discuss those players that are considered true prospects and will omit discussing the older players who can rightfully be regarded as career minor leaguers or fringe NHLers.
Beck (****½) I thought Beck was Laval’s best forward over the two games and showed excellent skating, strong physical play, great recovery speed and clever play making. Frankly I thought Beck was the best player on the ice in both games. Beck centered a line of Mesar and Davidson which I believe was Laval’s best line over the two games. Beck’s pass that sent in Davidson for a breakaway against Springfield and resulted in Laval’s only goal was a thing of beauty. It was interesting to note that by the end of the Springfield game, Beck was both on Laval’s first power play unit and was one of Laval’s top penalty killers. In the face-off circle, Beck started off slowly against Providence but by the end of the second game he was largely money in the bank on the dot. This kid has NHL written all over him and will be team leader in Montreal. Beck’s emergence and obvious potential, make both Evans and Dvorak expendable.
Tuck (****) After Beck, Tuch was Laval’s most impressive forward. He showed NHL level speed and strength and played a driving physical game that pressured and intimidated opposing defencemen in both games. Tuch showed much more offensive flair than what I expected. He even played on Laval’s power play and came close to scoring a number of goals in the two games he played. Tuch is currently Laval’s most NHL ready forward and will probably be the first call up if Montreal needs an injury replacement. Tuch has every skill to make and succeed at the NHL level. He lacks his older brother’s scoring prowess but he will be a valuable player for Montreal for the next decade. He is a great skater and tough of nails.
Mesar (***) Mesar has been one of Laval’s most surprisingly effective forwards having scored 4 points in Laval’s first two games. Mesar’s speed and strength have noticeably improved since his draft year. This improvement, coupled with Mesar’s offensive skills, has earned Mesar a spot on Laval’s top line with Beck. Despite many fans’ skepticism, Mesar should, in time, play in the NHL. He’s now showing that he has all the requisite tools to succeed.
Davidson. (**½) Davidson is another young player who plays an NHL style game. Davidson’s game is built on versatility, responsibility and a high compete level. Coaches will love his work ethic. Davidson possesses underrated straight line speed and offensive skills as demonstrated by the high-lite reel goal he scored against Springfield. He also plays a heavy game that will wear down opposing defencemen. Davidson does lack quickness and that deficit may, if not addressed, will limit his effectiveness at the next level.
Florian Xhekaj (**½) Florian is one of the players that I watched with particular interest in an effort to gauge the state of their development. After a rather unremarkable against Providence, Xhekaj played a much more effective and noticeable game against Springfield, where he showed his good straight forward speed and offensive skill which created several good scoring chances and an opportunity to play on Laval’s power play. Similarly to Davidson, Xhekaj needs to gain quickness to his play, and, if he does, Xhekej will play in the NHL and play well.
Mailloux (****) Mailloux had a monster offensive game against Providence, scoring two goals and having two assists and being an offensive threat all game long. He was clearly the best player on the ice against a particularly weak opponent. Though some commentator’s criticized Mailloux’s play against Springfield, I though he played a strong, controlled game where he made the right plays in most circumstances. Mailloux, along with Engstrom and Trudeau, provide Laval with a level of mobility and skill that few AHL teams will be able to match. While he is now clearly an impactful player in the AHL, it remains to be seen if Mailloux can replicate that level of effectiveness in the NHL. If he can add a bit more quickness and strength, Mailloux has all the requisite skills to be an offensive force in the NHL.
Engstrom (****) In his first two games with Laval, Engstrom has showed that he is a cut above most AHL defencemen. Engstrom has good mobility, defensive acumen and processes the game at a high level. I think Engstrom has already shown in these first two games that he’s too good for the AHL. The question going forward will be if Engstrom’s skills are good enough for him to play effectively in the NHL. I think that they are and that Engstrom reasonably projects as a second pairing defenceman at the NHL level.
Roy (***) While Roy is clearly one of the most offensively gifted forwards on Laval, his lack of foot speed and spotty compete level make him a divisive player among the Hab’s fan base. In this writer’s opinion unless Roy amps up his foot speed and compete level, his ultimate success at the NHL level remains questionable. His high skill level was shown in the Springfield game where his ability to process the game allowed Roy to have numerous scoring opportunities. But the limitations in Roy’s game was clearly demonstrated in the late stages of the Springfield game when, trailing by one goal, Laval pulled its goalie for an extra attacker.in an effort to score the tying goal. Roy was on the ice and on a play where Beck, who was carrying the puck up the ice and using his great speed to drive the opposing defenceman off the defensive blueline, passed the puck to an area where he hoped his right winger, Roy could pick up the puck and attack the Springfield net. Roy lacked the pace and speed to receive the puck and the promising scoring opportunity was lost. And this was against AHL level competition. While Roy will most probably play in the NHL, unless he adds an element of urgency and speed to his game, his future effectiveness at the next level will be muted.
Trudeau (**½) Probably the most mobile of Laval’s defencemen, Trudeau remains an adventure in his own defensive zone. The goal that Trudeau scored against Providence amply showed Trudeau’s considerable offensive potential. This kid has talent and if he can grow his defensive game and gain some strength, Trudeau will play in the NHL, whether for Montreal or some other team.
Kidney (**) Kidney’s game has progressed markedly over the past two years. From a player who looked like he had no chance of playing professional hockey, let alone in the NHL, Kidney has become faster, stronger and feistier. If Kidney’s growth as a player continues it is not too far fetched to see him playing in the NHL in the future.
Farrell (**½) Remains a small, skilled player who shows good vision. I can't see Farrell having much of a future in Montreal as I think Mesar, who is of similar size, has a higher ceiling and with players like Demidov and Hage on the horizon, there will be little room for Farrell.
Those are my observations as of the start of what should be a very interesting year for a host of promising Montreal prospects.
Overall, I believe that Laval, which iced a younger team in both games, was clearly more skilled and more dynamic than both opponents. When it came to a straight comparison of the respective teams’ prospects, there was no contest as Laval’s pool of prospects clearly outclassed the prospects of their two opponents. In fact, I have not seen such a wealth of prospects on a Montreal farm team since the teams of the early 1980s that were comprised of the likes of Skrudland, Keane, Mcphee, etc.
I have for years employed a star system that rates my projection of a prospect’s chances of playing in the NHL - with five stars indicating the highest probability of the player under consideration playing in the NHL and one star indicating the lowest probability of the player ever playing in the NHL. I will only review and discuss those players that are considered true prospects and will omit discussing the older players who can rightfully be regarded as career minor leaguers or fringe NHLers.
Beck (****½) I thought Beck was Laval’s best forward over the two games and showed excellent skating, strong physical play, great recovery speed and clever play making. Frankly I thought Beck was the best player on the ice in both games. Beck centered a line of Mesar and Davidson which I believe was Laval’s best line over the two games. Beck’s pass that sent in Davidson for a breakaway against Springfield and resulted in Laval’s only goal was a thing of beauty. It was interesting to note that by the end of the Springfield game, Beck was both on Laval’s first power play unit and was one of Laval’s top penalty killers. In the face-off circle, Beck started off slowly against Providence but by the end of the second game he was largely money in the bank on the dot. This kid has NHL written all over him and will be team leader in Montreal. Beck’s emergence and obvious potential, make both Evans and Dvorak expendable.
Tuck (****) After Beck, Tuch was Laval’s most impressive forward. He showed NHL level speed and strength and played a driving physical game that pressured and intimidated opposing defencemen in both games. Tuch showed much more offensive flair than what I expected. He even played on Laval’s power play and came close to scoring a number of goals in the two games he played. Tuch is currently Laval’s most NHL ready forward and will probably be the first call up if Montreal needs an injury replacement. Tuch has every skill to make and succeed at the NHL level. He lacks his older brother’s scoring prowess but he will be a valuable player for Montreal for the next decade. He is a great skater and tough of nails.
Mesar (***) Mesar has been one of Laval’s most surprisingly effective forwards having scored 4 points in Laval’s first two games. Mesar’s speed and strength have noticeably improved since his draft year. This improvement, coupled with Mesar’s offensive skills, has earned Mesar a spot on Laval’s top line with Beck. Despite many fans’ skepticism, Mesar should, in time, play in the NHL. He’s now showing that he has all the requisite tools to succeed.
Davidson. (**½) Davidson is another young player who plays an NHL style game. Davidson’s game is built on versatility, responsibility and a high compete level. Coaches will love his work ethic. Davidson possesses underrated straight line speed and offensive skills as demonstrated by the high-lite reel goal he scored against Springfield. He also plays a heavy game that will wear down opposing defencemen. Davidson does lack quickness and that deficit may, if not addressed, will limit his effectiveness at the next level.
Florian Xhekaj (**½) Florian is one of the players that I watched with particular interest in an effort to gauge the state of their development. After a rather unremarkable against Providence, Xhekaj played a much more effective and noticeable game against Springfield, where he showed his good straight forward speed and offensive skill which created several good scoring chances and an opportunity to play on Laval’s power play. Similarly to Davidson, Xhekaj needs to gain quickness to his play, and, if he does, Xhekej will play in the NHL and play well.
Mailloux (****) Mailloux had a monster offensive game against Providence, scoring two goals and having two assists and being an offensive threat all game long. He was clearly the best player on the ice against a particularly weak opponent. Though some commentator’s criticized Mailloux’s play against Springfield, I though he played a strong, controlled game where he made the right plays in most circumstances. Mailloux, along with Engstrom and Trudeau, provide Laval with a level of mobility and skill that few AHL teams will be able to match. While he is now clearly an impactful player in the AHL, it remains to be seen if Mailloux can replicate that level of effectiveness in the NHL. If he can add a bit more quickness and strength, Mailloux has all the requisite skills to be an offensive force in the NHL.
Engstrom (****) In his first two games with Laval, Engstrom has showed that he is a cut above most AHL defencemen. Engstrom has good mobility, defensive acumen and processes the game at a high level. I think Engstrom has already shown in these first two games that he’s too good for the AHL. The question going forward will be if Engstrom’s skills are good enough for him to play effectively in the NHL. I think that they are and that Engstrom reasonably projects as a second pairing defenceman at the NHL level.
Roy (***) While Roy is clearly one of the most offensively gifted forwards on Laval, his lack of foot speed and spotty compete level make him a divisive player among the Hab’s fan base. In this writer’s opinion unless Roy amps up his foot speed and compete level, his ultimate success at the NHL level remains questionable. His high skill level was shown in the Springfield game where his ability to process the game allowed Roy to have numerous scoring opportunities. But the limitations in Roy’s game was clearly demonstrated in the late stages of the Springfield game when, trailing by one goal, Laval pulled its goalie for an extra attacker.in an effort to score the tying goal. Roy was on the ice and on a play where Beck, who was carrying the puck up the ice and using his great speed to drive the opposing defenceman off the defensive blueline, passed the puck to an area where he hoped his right winger, Roy could pick up the puck and attack the Springfield net. Roy lacked the pace and speed to receive the puck and the promising scoring opportunity was lost. And this was against AHL level competition. While Roy will most probably play in the NHL, unless he adds an element of urgency and speed to his game, his future effectiveness at the next level will be muted.
Trudeau (**½) Probably the most mobile of Laval’s defencemen, Trudeau remains an adventure in his own defensive zone. The goal that Trudeau scored against Providence amply showed Trudeau’s considerable offensive potential. This kid has talent and if he can grow his defensive game and gain some strength, Trudeau will play in the NHL, whether for Montreal or some other team.
Kidney (**) Kidney’s game has progressed markedly over the past two years. From a player who looked like he had no chance of playing professional hockey, let alone in the NHL, Kidney has become faster, stronger and feistier. If Kidney’s growth as a player continues it is not too far fetched to see him playing in the NHL in the future.
Farrell (**½) Remains a small, skilled player who shows good vision. I can't see Farrell having much of a future in Montreal as I think Mesar, who is of similar size, has a higher ceiling and with players like Demidov and Hage on the horizon, there will be little room for Farrell.
Those are my observations as of the start of what should be a very interesting year for a host of promising Montreal prospects.
