The Canadian | Hockey team looking for hockey players

Is there a distinction between people who do plumbing and plumbers? How would dentists react who have been practicing their profession for five years and were told, in a job interview, that the position is only open to dentists?

These rhetorical questions occupy the mind perfectly during a REM ride between Brossard and Montreal. And it seems that they will be at the heart of the Canadiens’ training camp, which began Wednesday with medical exams and a range of filming and photo shoots for the players.

In his third camp as head coach, Martin St-Louis knows what he’s looking for: hockey players. Which, let’s face it, is pretty convenient considering the industry he works in.

“There’s a big difference between being someone who plays hockey and being a hockey player,” St-Louis explained in a press scrum at the Canadiens’ practice facility Wednesday afternoon. “Guys know the definition of a hockey player. When you have a lot of them, you’re in a good position. We’ve been in the process of turning them into hockey players for two years.”

Two examples

Although we may be a bit cynical, St-Louis has nevertheless explained his concept.

First, he agreed to give examples. Unfortunately for those hoping for fireworks, he limited himself to listing hockey players, without naming those in the other category, who simply “play hockey.”

Example number 1: Cole Caufield. St-Louis made it one of its projects for 2023-2024, it was very happy to cite it as an example.

“Cole has always been a very talented scorer,” recalled the head coach. “Last year, he was criticized because he wasn’t scoring as many goals. But he took a big step to become a hockey player. He was playing a more complete game, he was winning his battles, he was physically involved. He wasn’t just playing on the perimeter. He’s a great example.”

A look at where Caufield scored his 28 goals last year supports St. Louis’ point. Here’s where the former No. 22 scored his 26 goals in 2022-23.

But last season, he scored 15 of his 28 goals from the two “heavy traffic” locations, the goalie’s half-circle and the Batman-mask-shaped area in front of the half-circle. And he didn’t score a single goal from either of the two outer triangles, perhaps also a sign of the impact his shoulder surgery had on his shooting quality.

Defensively, Caufield is coming off the best of his four NHL seasons, according to most of Natural Stat Trick’s leading indicators. For example, at five-on-five, the Habs allowed an average of 2.71 goals per 60 minutes that Caufield spent on the ice. It was the first time that number fell below 3.00.

These aren’t the numbers of a future Selke Trophy winner, but they are the numbers of a hockey player, apparently.

The other example was David Savard, a player who has almost nothing in common with Caufield, except perhaps the fact that they come from the heartlands of the dairy industry, namely Wisconsin and the MRC des Maskoutains.

“Savvy, you could say he’s a hockey player. Not all players show it the same way,” St-Louis said.

The Lane Hutson Case

If there’s one player who will have to prove that he’s a hockey player, and not just a one-dimensional freak show, it’s Lane Hutson. There’s no need to go over his qualities; they’ve been described and discussed extensively, on your platforms of choice, for the past week.

Still, he will be closely monitored over the next three weeks, because on paper, he is the youngster in the best position to land a spot in the opening squad of the season.

For both Hutson and Logan Mailloux, St-Louis confirms that it is “important” that they are adequate defensively.

“It’s about playing the game. I keep saying, I want to see players who play the game. We know Hutson has offensive talent. It can happen in the first four shifts. But sometimes it won’t happen, so you have to play the game and be ready for anything. If you push yourself too hard, [l’attaque]you only take care of one person: yourself. If you play the game, you take care of the whole team.

In short

Demidov’s coaching

This camp will be without the Canadiens’ top offensive prospect, Ivan Demidov, who started his season in St. Petersburg in the KHL. However, it appears that he will not report exclusively to the director of player development, Rob Ramage. The latter usually travels to Europe during the season; he did so with David Reinbacher in Switzerland last year. But with Russia in the geopolitical situation that we know, he will not go there in person. In the meantime, the former The Canadiens’ last draft pick is “in contact” with Dale Lablans and Stéphane Gervais, from the Canadiens’ sports science and performance department, Ramage said Wednesday. “Nick Bobrov communicates a lot with his coaches,” Ramage added. He says he talks to Demidov “via Zoom. His English is good. Sometimes it’s more difficult when you have to go through an interpreter.”

A deserved “C”

Ramage has been closely involved with Logan Mailloux, particularly during the turbulent year he had after the Canadiens drafted him in 2021. Ramage said he was “proud” to see his protégé act as captain of the Canadiens’ prospects during the two games this weekend against the Maple Leafs. “He’s been through a lot, but he accepted all the challenges. He worked hard on the ice and off, and we see the results. He deserved the C. He had a good season last year and improved. He’s a good teammate, a good leader.” Ramage particularly praised Mailloux for rushing to Hutson’s defense after he was violently tackled by Marshall Finnie. “That’s why he had the C. The Hunter brothers did a very good job with him in London and they often talked about his character.”

Miller operated

In addition, goaltender Quentin Miller, the Habs’ fourth-round pick in 2023, underwent shoulder surgery on Tuesday. This operation explains his absence from camp. Miller is playing for the Rimouski Oceanic, which is guaranteed to participate in the Memorial Cup as the host team. In addition, he has until May 31 to convince the Canadiens to offer him a contract, otherwise the team will lose his rights and he will become eligible for the draft again. The operation will keep him out of the game for several months, so it will be necessary to see if he will have enough time to return to the game and do himself justice. “I understand that the operation went well, but it’s still a hard blow for the youngster,” lamented Ramage.