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Laval Rocket: Laval Rocket vs Hartford Wolf Pack, Fri. Jan. 31st, 7 PM | RDS

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MarkovsKnee said:
Good game by Laval. That was a full 60. They worked hard & played with energy.

Primeau was solid.
Xhekaj had a terrific game.
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Florian was one of the best players in the game and the coaches rewarded him with a lot of ice time. Xhekaj played the style of game that will get him to the NHL: hard hitting; strong straight away skating speed; good net presence; a quick, active stick; and being responsible defensively. If this kid could gain a step of quickness, he’ll be a player for Montreal. And a good one.
 
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ChesterNimitz said:
Florian was one of the best players in the game and the coaches rewarded him with a lot of ice time. Xhekaj played the style of game that will get him to the NHL; hard hitting; strong straight away skating speed( good net presence; a quick, active stick; and responsible defensively. If this kid could gain a step of quickness he’ll be a player for Montreal. And a good one.
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I hope you are right because the younger Xhekaj keeps getting better and better.
 
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Tyson said:
Primeau is 8-0

When will NHL GM's come calling?
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The gap between the NHL and the AHL is significant. Primeau is a steady, if not a good AHL goalie. He’s a marginal goalie at the NHL level. Let’s hope some other team is seduced by Primeau’s current glowing statistics and is more impressed with his potential than some (most) of us. Our goaltending future is Fowler not anyone else in our system. At any level.
 
Tyson said:
Very young and very raw but the way he is progressing i see a future 4th line Center with size and nastiness.
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I think Florian’s ‘nastiness’ is overstated and his skill level understated. People forget or don’t know that Xhekaj largely ran Brantford’s effective power play from the right point/ half boards. The first time I saw him play in the OHL I realized that this was no nepotistic/ throw away draft pick. I even opined ( and received some mock rebukes) that he should be on Team Canada’s radar for the upcoming WJC. It’s hard for some to resist the prevailing consensus. Very hard.

Whether Florian can make and succeed at the NHL level will come down to one factor: can he gain the necessary quickness to play effectively against players who are faster and as strong as he is right now. But that is the projection based question that affects the potential of all players toiling in leagues outside of the NHL.
 
I didn't watch the first, so maybe I missed it, but Mailloux usually has a brain fart in at least once a period and I only noticed his one play at the top of the blueline in the 3rd.

A player like him won't remove the brain facts, but he's been reducing them and honestly compared to last year he's reduced them significantly.

He might be turning into a player and have a legitimate shot to start with the Habs next season.
 
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Another good, yet pointless game by Mesar (especially on Beck's goal). In his case, the scoresheet does not reflect his play, yet again.

The 4th line was great. Davidson is continuing to make his case for a callup.

Vets played a very good game (Hayes, Hof, Dauphin, RHP). ABB has some offensive skills, but he makes futile risky plays all the time.
 
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Tyson said:
I hope you are right because the younger Xhekaj keeps getting better and better.
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Its interesting to note that many posters are talking about Xhekaj’s physicality and the goal he scored as a result of his strong net presence.

To this writer, his single most important and instructive play was the penalty Xhejak drew beating a Hartford defenceman wide off a rush. This is the skating ability that I immediately noticed when I started to follow Xhekaj’s play in Brantford. As I watched most of his games I realized that this 6’3” -6’4” player possessed good straight away speed and enough hockey skills to play on and run an OHL power play. This was no thug. Again, as it mostly happens, the prevailing consensus was wrong.

The question now is can Xhekaj succeed at the AHL level? Then ultimately, at the NHL level? Does he have the skating (quickness) to be effective playing against superior opposition. If the answer is yes, then we have a player who will be an important contributor for the next decade. If not, we’ll have to keep drafting.
 
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We get to go again at 3:00 PM
I always find these short turnaround games interesting. I like to see who can find some jump and who can't.
 
Tyson said:
My concern is Connor Hughes who has been borderline average in recent weeks.
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Going to need strong goaltending for sure. Lots of key injuries. I’m surprised they’ve been squeezing out wins to be honest.

Speaking of injuries, does anyone have an up to date list?
 
Tyson said:
Laval has a .695 winning percentage, highest in the AHL
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Funny, I’m probably a loner in this regard, but Laval’s winning and place in the standings is largely unimportant to me. I watch solely to follow and assess the play and level of development of our prospects. While winning installs a positive culture in our young players I would rather them be dominant players in a losing game than inconsequential players in a winning game.
 
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ChesterNimitz said:
Funny, I’m probably a loner in this regard, but Laval’s winning and place in the standings is largely unimportant to me. I watch solely to follow and assess the play and level of development of our prospects. While winning installs a positive culture in our young players I would rather them be dominant players in a losing game than inconsequential players in a winning game.
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I agree partly but during the Bergevin/Lefebvre era we saw how losing did not help develop young players. Prospects develop better when they are in a winning culture. Vincent uses the kids in critical situations and playing important games is way more important than playing meaningless games. Also, the great fans in Laval deserve a winning team.
 
Tyson said:
I agree partly but during the Bergevin/Lefebvre era we saw how losing did not help develop young players. Prospects develop better when they are in a winning culture. Vincent uses the kids in critical situations and playing important games is way more important than playing meaningless games. Also, the great fans in Laval deserve a winning team.
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Also competing in the playoffs in a sometimes physically challenging and exhausting environment. Excellent for developing players and obtaining valuable experience!
 
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Tyson said:
I agree partly but during the Bergevin/Lefebvre era we saw how losing did not help develop young players. Prospects develop better when they are in a winning culture. Vincent uses the kids in critical situations and playing important games is way more important than playing meaningless games. Also, the great fans in Laval deserve a winning team.
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High end prospects on a winning team is ideal. But if I have to choose, give me a handful of prime/ elite prospects over a team with strong career AHLers which is barren of prospects. That is why in my usual overviews of Laval games I omit any reference to the veterans and focus solely on the play/performance of our prospects. The latter are the future of the Canadiens while the former serve in a mentoring role.
 
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