Laval Rocket: Laval Rocket @ Wilkes-Barre Penguins, November 29

[Rapala]

Will Engstrom win PP1 before the end of this season. He's far more efficient along the line than Logan is.

 

[BJCOLLINS]

I left half way through (kids?) & thought we had it easily? We were ahead 3-1 and something like 20-5 on shots? Glad I missed it.

 

[Runner77]

 

[montreal]

I thought it was one of Engstrom's best games of the season, Davidson continues to be red hot and Beck while his fight wasn't much of one at all, good to see him stand up for his teammate after the hit, he ends up a goal away from a Gordie Howe.

After their great start, Laval has lost 4 of their last 5, have given up 15 goals in the last 4 games.

 

[schwang26]

I thought it was one of Engstrom's best games of the season, Davidson continues to be red hot and Beck while his fight wasn't much of one at all, good to see him stand up for his teammate after the hit, he ends up a goal away from a Gordie Howe.

After their great start, Laval has lost 4 of their last 5, have given up 15 goals in the last 4 games.

Injuries plus pointless call up (Roy) aren’t helping. No excuse last night though.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Trudeau Breakaway Chance 0:03
RHP Slot Chance 0:20
Davidson Goal 3:22
Simoneau Breakaway Chance 4:27
Engstrom Strong Shift 4:43
Engstrom Nice Moves 5:01

Christ Engstrom’s good. Just has to fill out and get stronger I think. But man is he something. Still what do you do about the left side?

Davidson’s shot is wild. Plenty smart with the puck too it seems.His skating is pretty meh. Hopefully he can get that where it needs to be.

Xhekaj with some nice rushes. Next year he’ll produce. Kid’s a player

 

[ChesterNimitz]

I left half way through (kids?) & thought we had it easily? We were ahead 3-1 and something like 20-5 on shots? Glad I missed it.

I was attending a sport conference in Ottawa and was unable to follow either the Canadiens or the Laval games for the past week or so. I did, however, have a chance to review the video of the Rockets game against Hershey and I watched their game against Wilkes Barre/Scranton ('W-B/S' or the 'Penguins'). This is my assessment, focusing largely on last night's game and referencing the Hershey game.

Overall. the team minus Roy, Gignac , Tuch and Mesar, was a lot less dynamic offensively than what I have been watching over the first part of the season. While their effort/effectiveness against Hershey was, at best, tepid, their game against W-B/S was a completely different affair. For the first 35 minutes of the W-B/S game, Laval was totally dominant holding their opponent to 6 shorts and having close to 30 of their own. Laval never had a more dominant period of play this year. But for the goaltending of Blomqvist ( and some lack of finish by the Rockets) Laval is up by 4 or 5 goals by the midpoint of the second period. Then it all changed for two reasons: poor penalty killing and poor performance in face-off circle. 4 of the 5 goals that the Penguins scored came directly as a result of failure in penalty killing or loss of a face-off or a combination of both.

Despite the double loss, there were some positives and here is my assessment of our prospects' play.

After an impressive start to his inaugural professional season, Beck has plateaued a bit, as he was largely invisible against Hershey though a bit more noticeable/effective against W-B/s. Except for an occasional rush where he displayed his speed in transporting the puck and few smart plays where he created a couple of scoring chances, Beck had a quiet game against Hershey. This was disappointing to this writer as his team was missing a significant portion of its offensive capabilities and Beck failed to step up his game. Beck had a much better game against the Penguins where he was much more involved making numerous rushes, set up several excellent opportunities with his superior offensive vision and even got into a fight standing up for a teammate who was run over by one of the Penguin players. Beck was okay in the face-off circle against Hershey but was terrible against W-B/S. People have to understand that Beck is a young player who is playing in this first season of professional hockey. It will take him time to adjust to the rigors and grind of professional hockey where he is playing a far more compressed schedule than in junior against bigger, stronger and more skilled players. But fear not, this kid is NHL bound and will be an important player for Montreal over the next decade. He has the skating ability, vision, shot, physicality and leadership skills to succeed.

Farrell was invisible against Hershey, but more effective against the Penguins. This is not surprising as Farrell is largely dependent on Beck for his success. If Beck is effective, so will Farrell. Against W-B/S was much more noticeable, using his speed and play making ability to create grade 'A" scoring chances. One play stood out when Beck entered the Penguins' zone at great speed, driving back the opposing defencemen and passed the puck to Farrell who in turn found the trailing Mailloux in the slot who had a point blank shot that was stopped by Blomqvist. That one play displayed the best attributes of each of the players involved: Beck's speed/vision; Farrell's quickness & playmaking ability and Mailloux's offensive orientation/vision and skating ability without the puck.

Davidson continues to impress and was, at least in this writers opinion, among Laval's best players in the two games. Davidson plays a pro-style game who displays fair straight forward speed, good offensive vision, an excellent one-timer and release, physicality and leadership. This kid never takes a shift off. He's an in your face type of player who drives to the net with purpose and forechecks with gusto. This kid has true NHL potential and I would be surprised if he doesn't get a call up to Montreal later this season. As I have said, we have found Gallagher's replacement. And if he picks up a half of step of speed, he will offer a bigger and better ( and a far more durable) version of Gallagher.

The maturation process of Florian Xhekaj continues incrementally. Each game Xhekaj seems to improve as does the coaching staff's confidence in this young center. Xhekaj is now playing on the second penalty and power play units. Offensively, Xhekaj is showing more confidence in his skills and, while no Beck, he's transporting the puck more often and more effectively. On the rush his size, speed and rush are hard for defenceman to counter. His play making ability and passing skills are really underrated. Xhekaj makes intuitive passes and does so under pressure and in tight quarters. He forechecks forcibly and you can see that opposing defencemen know when this kid is in the area and on the hunt. Defensively, Xhekaj backchecks consistently and uses his size and reach to effectively shut down passing lanes. In both games, Xhekaj was noticeable for good things: transporting the puck with speed, his physical play, adroit playmaking under pressure, his drive to the net and creating scoring chances off a relentless forecheck. If this kid can gain a bit more quickness and more strength, he will be a valuable player in for the Canadiens going forward. People have to stop seeing this kid as a 4th line thug. Xhekaj has the ability to be much, much more.

I know I must be in minority here, but the prospect that has surprised me the most this year is Kidney. And the two games against Hershey and W-B/S were no difference. Sometimes I have to check the number of the player I am watching to confirm that the player who made an impression on me was # 21. Kidney's game has come leaps and bounds from the player who I watched last year and thought would be challenged to play in the ECHL. This kid has gotten bigger, stronger and faster seemingly overnight. Kidney still has a way to go but in his play against Hershey and the Penguins, he showed speed, strength along the boards, the willingness to take a hit to make a play, good play making, an effective forecheck and a viable shot. Kidney's improvement was recognized by Laval's coaching staff who actually have starting playing him in 4 on 4 situations and on the Rocket's power play where he was able to display his rapidly developing skating ability; his good passing skills and a one-timer that almost resulted in several goals. The more I see of Kidney the more I am starting to see him as an NHL level player. If his improvement/development continues at the rate as it has to date, this kid will make the NHL, despite his many doubters here.

For Mailloux, these two games provided stark examples of both the good and bad (mirrored opposites) in this young player's current level of development. For the good, Mailloux exhibited confidence in the defensive, was able to read the play and breakup/defend several opposing rushes, made the appropriate, if not judicious, mid ice pinches, ably kept the puck in the offensive zone, displayed good speed on the backcheck, made numerous successful first passes and passes in the offensive while quaterbacking Laval's powerplay, made a couple of end to end rushes, showed his excellent shot from the point that he was able to get pass/through blocking opposing players and scored on a slap shot from the point. The bad: Mailloux generally couldn't evade forechecking pressure; was at times clumsy in his skating (including falling down when trying to pivot which led to a Hershey breakaway) and puck handling (particularly on the power play where he overhandled the puck); took a number of ill timed, high risk chances that nearly turned into disastrous turnovers; and he had trouble controlling opposing players in the defensive zone which required him to take a penalty on which the Penguins scored; he had trouble clearing the puck on occasion including one miscue which led to another penalty where Hershey scored on the ensuing power play. This player remains an enigma. Late in the Penguins' game Mailloux decided to take the puck on the power play and skate with into the offensive zone. He showed speed and power. The question I asked myself: why in heck doesn't he do that more often? Why the penchant to take two or three strides, slow down to a near stop and then drop the puck to a trailing teammate? Particularly when the avenue of entry into the offensive zone is clearly there? Why not take it in or at least chip and chase it? Mailloux is 6' 3" and can skate with above average speed when he's not carrying the puck. More often than not with his size, strength, reach and momentum he's getting to that puck first.

This inconsistent level of play may still be a reflection of Mailloux's lost years of development. Whatever the reason, I still believe that Mailloux's path of success to the NHL is as a power forward. Remove his defensive responsibilities and let him exploit his ample offensive skills, many of which are already of high NHL caliber. But what do I know.

Engstrom remains Laval's most skilled and mobile defenseman. Marry Engstrom's mobility to Mailloux's offensive skills and we would have a potential Norris candidate. In both games Engstrom ably displayed his superior mobility, stick handling skills, aggressive play in pressing opposing forwards in the defensive zone and ability to keep the puck in the offensive zone. He was however prone to a number of sloppy plays that resulted in give-a-ways in the defensive zone. But as the season has progressed, the number inopportune give-a-ways has dropped and Engstrom has become more dependable in his own zone. Engstrom has untapped offensive potential that should start to surface as he becomes more comfortable with the North American style of game. Like Davidson, I wouldn't be surprised if Engstrom gets a call up to Montreal before the end of this season. If Hughes is active at the trade deadline that call up may be a permanent one.

Similar to Mailloux, Trudeau's play in the two games had its ups and downs. While he was steadier and stronger in the game against Hershey than against the Penguins, Trudeau was able to show in both games his above average mobility in the defensive zone and in supporting the offence. Similarly to Mailloux, Trudeau had his sloppy skating moments including falling a number of times while pivoting that allowed the opposing teams' scoring chances. But on the positive, Trudeau displays above average offensive awareness and the ability to see and recognize open teammates and to set the up with a crisp and accurate pass. On the negative, Trudeau is still prone to making gaffs in the defensive zone and has not overcome his tendency to take untimely penalties. The penalties taken by Trudeau in the second and third periods against W-B/S turned the game around for the Penguins. Until Trudeau cleans up these deficiencies, he will not progress to the next level, regardless of his physical skills.

 

[BJCOLLINS]

I was attending a sport conference in Ottawa and was unable to follow either the Canadiens or the Laval games for the past week or so. I did, however, have a chance to review the video of the Rockets game against Hershey and I watched their game against Wilkes Barre/Scranton ('W-B/S' or the 'Penguins'). This is my assessment, focusing largely on last night's game and referencing the Hershey game.

Overall. the team minus Roy, Gignac , Tuch and Mesar, was a lot less dynamic offensively than what I have been watching over the first part of the season. While their effort/effectiveness against Hershey was, at best, tepid, their game against W-B/S was a completely different affair. For the first 35 minutes of the W-B/S game, Laval was totally dominant holding their opponent to 6 shorts and having close to 30 of their own. Laval never had a more dominant period of play this year. But for the goaltending of Blomqvist ( and some lack of finish by the Rockets) Laval is up by 4 or 5 goals by the midpoint of the second period. Then it all changed for two reasons: poor penalty killing and poor performance in face-off circle. 4 of the 5 goals that the Penguins scored came directly as a result of failure in penalty killing or loss of a face-off or a combination of both.

Despite the double loss, there were some positives and here is my assessment of our prospects' play.

After an impressive start to his inaugural professional season, Beck has plateaued a bit, as he was largely invisible against Hershey though a bit more noticeable/effective against W-B/s. Except for an occasional rush where he displayed his speed in transporting the puck and few smart plays where he created a couple of scoring chances, Beck had a quiet game against Hershey. This was disappointing to this writer as his team was missing a significant portion of its offensive capabilities and Beck failed to step up his game. Beck had a much better game against the Penguins where he was much more involved making numerous rushes, set up several excellent opportunities with his superior offensive vision and even got into a fight standing up for a teammate who was run over by one of the Penguin players. Beck was okay in the face-off circle against Hershey but was terrible against W-B/S. People have to understand that Beck is a young player who is playing in this first season of professional hockey. It will take him time to adjust to the rigors and grind of professional hockey where he is playing a far more compressed schedule than in junior against bigger, stronger and more skilled players. But fear not, this kid is NHL bound and will be an important player for Montreal over the next decade. He has the skating ability, vision, shot, physicality and leadership skills to succeed.

Farrell was invisible against Hershey, but more effective against the Penguins. This is not surprising as Farrell is largely dependent on Beck for his success. If Beck is effective, so will Farrell. Against W-B/S was much more noticeable, using his speed and play making ability to create grade 'A" scoring chances. One play stood out when Beck entered the Penguins' zone at great speed, driving back the opposing defencemen and passed the puck to Farrell who in turn found the trailing Mailloux in the slot who had a point blank shot that was stopped by Blomqvist. That one play displayed the best attributes of each of the players involved: Beck's speed/vision; Farrell's quickness & playmaking ability and Mailloux's offensive orientation/vision and skating ability without the puck.

Davidson continues to impress and was, at least in this writers opinion, among Laval's best players in the two games. Davidson plays a pro-style game who displays fair straight forward speed, good offensive vision, an excellent one-timer and release, physicality and leadership. This kid never takes a shift off. He's an in your face type of player who drives to the net with purpose and forechecks with gusto. This kid has true NHL potential and I would be surprised if he doesn't get a call up to Montreal later this season. As I have said, we have found Gallagher's replacement. And if he picks up a half of step of speed, he will offer a bigger and better ( and a far more durable) version of Gallagher.

The maturation process of Florian Xhekaj continues incrementally. Each game Xhekaj seems to improve as does the coaching staff's confidence in this young center. Xhekaj is now playing on the second penalty and power play units. Offensively, Xhekaj is showing more confidence in his skills and, while no Beck, he's transporting the puck more often and more effectively. On the rush his size, speed and rush are hard for defenceman to counter. His play making ability and passing skills are really underrated. Xhekaj makes intuitive passes and does so under pressure and in tight quarters. He forechecks forcibly and you can see that opposing defencemen know when this kid is in the area and on the hunt. Defensively, Xhekaj backchecks consistently and uses his size and reach to effectively shut down passing lanes. In both games, Xhekaj was noticeable for good things: transporting the puck with speed, his physical play, adroit playmaking under pressure, his drive to the net and creating scoring chances off a relentless forecheck. If this kid can gain a bit more quickness and more strength, he will be a valuable player in for the Canadiens going forward. People have to stop seeing this kid as a 4th line thug. Xhekaj has the ability to be much, much more.

I know I must be in minority here, but the prospect that has surprised me the most this year is Kidney. And the two games against Hershey and W-B/S were no difference. Sometimes I have to check the number of the player I am watching to confirm that the player who made an impression on me was # 21. Kidney's game has come leaps and bounds from the player who I watched last year and thought would be challenged to play in the ECHL. This kid has gotten bigger, stronger and faster seemingly overnight. Kidney still has a way to go but in his play against Hershey and the Penguins, he showed speed, strength along the boards, the willingness to take a hit to make a play, good play making, an effective forecheck and a viable shot. Kidney's improvement was recognized by Laval's coaching staff who actually have starting playing him in 4 on 4 situations and on the Rocket's power play where he was able to display his rapidly developing skating ability; his good passing skills and a one-timer that almost resulted in several goals. The more I see of Kidney the more I am starting to see him as an NHL level player. If his improvement/development continues at the rate as it has to date, this kid will make the NHL, despite his many doubters here.

For Mailloux, these two games provided stark examples of both the good and bad (mirrored opposites) in this young player's current level of development. For the good, Mailloux exhibited confidence in the defensive, was able to read the play and breakup/defend several opposing rushes, made the appropriate, if not judicious, mid ice pinches, ably kept the puck in the offensive zone, displayed good speed on the backcheck, made numerous successful first passes and passes in the offensive while quaterbacking Laval's powerplay, made a couple of end to end rushes, showed his excellent shot from the point that he was able to get pass/through blocking opposing players and scored on a slap shot from the point. The bad: Mailloux generally couldn't evade forechecking pressure; was at times clumsy in his skating (including falling down when trying to pivot which led to a Hershey breakaway) and puck handling (particularly on the power play where he overhandled the puck); took a number of ill timed, high risk chances that nearly turned into disastrous turnovers; and he had trouble controlling opposing players in the defensive zone which required him to take a penalty on which the Penguins scored; he had trouble clearing the puck on occasion including one miscue which led to another penalty where Hershey scored on the ensuing power play. This player remains an enigma. Late in the Penguins' game Mailloux decided to take the puck on the power play and skate with into the offensive zone. He showed speed and power. The question I asked myself: why in heck doesn't he do that more often? Why the penchant to take two or three strides, slow down to a near stop and then drop the puck to a trailing teammate? Particularly when the avenue of entry into the offensive zone is clearly there? Why not take it in or at least chip and chase it? Mailloux is 6' 3" and can skate with above average speed when he's not carrying the puck. More often than not with his size, strength, reach and momentum he's getting to that puck first.

This inconsistent level of play may still be a reflection of Mailloux's lost years of development. Whatever the reason, I still believe that Mailloux's path of success to the NHL is as a power forward. Remove his defensive responsibilities and let him exploit his ample offensive skills, many of which are already of high NHL caliber. But what do I know.

Engstrom remains Laval's most skilled and mobile defenseman. Marry Engstrom's mobility to Mailloux's offensive skills and we would have a potential Norris candidate. In both games Engstrom ably displayed his superior mobility, stick handling skills, aggressive play in pressing opposing forwards in the defensive zone and ability to keep the puck in the offensive zone. He was however prone to a number of sloppy plays that resulted in give-a-ways in the defensive zone. But as the season has progressed, the number inopportune give-a-ways has dropped and Engstrom has become more dependable in his own zone. Engstrom has untapped offensive potential that should start to surface as he becomes more comfortable with the North American style of game. Like Davidson, I wouldn't be surprised if Engstrom gets a call up to Montreal before the end of this season. If Hughes is active at the trade deadline that call up may be a permanent one.

Similar to Mailloux, Trudeau's play in the two games had its ups and downs. While he was steadier and stronger in the game against Hershey than against the Penguins, Trudeau was able to show in both games his above average mobility in the defensive zone and in supporting the offence. Similarly to Mailloux, Trudeau had his sloppy skating moments including falling a number of times while pivoting that allowed the opposing teams' scoring chances. But on the positive, Trudeau displays above average offensive awareness and the ability to see and recognize open teammates and to set the up with a crisp and accurate pass. On the negative, Trudeau is still prone to making gaffs in the defensive zone and has not overcome his tendency to take untimely penalties. The penalties taken by Trudeau in the second and third periods against W-B/S turned the game around for the Penguins. Until Trudeau cleans up these deficiencies, he will not progress to the next level, regardless of his physical skills.

Thanks for this.
IMHO, there are some young players that seem to have a game that is better suited for the NHL. I see that in both Davidson and Beck. The AHL has a phonetic chaos to it, with players often times out of position and questionable skating grace. My Grandad called the AHL “Ricochet shooting with fighters”…and he loved it, lol. Cheers.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Thanks for this.
IMHO, there are some young players that seem to have a game that is better suited for the NHL. I see that in both Davidson and Beck. The AHL has a phonetic chaos to it, with players often times out of position and questionable skating grace. My Grandad called the AHL “Ricochet shooting with fighters”…and he loved it, lol. Cheers.

I think in Beck, and Tuch we have two players in Laval that project as solid NHLers. The next tier includes Florian Xhekaj, Mailloux, Roy, Engstrom and Davidson, most of whom should carve out useful careers in the NHL, whether with Montreal or some other team . The bottom tier of potential NHLers would include Kidney and Trudeau. The jury is out on Mesar. It's regrettable he was injured and effectively lost a year of development. It's an impressive list of prospects that most teams would envy. And it doesn't include our two best prospects: Demidov and Hage and the very underrated Sam Harris.

We're in good shape going forward, particularly with 3 first round and 4 first round picks (so far) over the next two years.