(Laval) During the Laval Rocket camp, head coach Jean-François Houle said he expected a “rock and roll” start to the season. He didn’t lie.
In the space of two weeks, the high expectations for his team have given way to some questions, at all positions. Many of his young players are still adapting to the American Hockey League style of play, and the chemistry with the newcomers has yet to be established.
Even though he is not satisfied with the current results, Houle is not surprised to see that the Rocket is 1-5-1 in his first seven outings of the season. He intends to continue the learning process to bring his troop to the expected level.
“These are young people trying to learn. We have players who don’t have a lot of experience, so everything is new for many of them, Houle said Tuesday after training at Place Bell. It’s “rock and roll” and it will be for a while. »
His men learned the hard way this weekend, suffering two losses on the road, in Rochester and Syracuse. The one against the Crunch on Saturday proved even more scathing, as the Rocket was outclassed in all aspects of the game, especially in terms of intensity.
The excuse of youth can work to a certain extent, but the head coach reminds that there is no age to offer a high level of energy and work.
“You can be young and make mistakes due to youth or lack of experience, but the work ethic must always be there,” Houle emphasized. Losing is one thing, but not working for 60 minutes is another. It’s going to be important for us to give a good effort for our fans this week. »
The Laval team will play its next three matches at home, in four days. The first will take place on Wednesday, against the Utica Comets, while the last two, Friday and Saturday, will take place against the Toronto Marlies.
The Rocket has yet to face the Comets this season, but he saw them up close a few months ago. The Utica squad swept both games of the first round series between the two teams in April.
If Houle has players in front of him who are still a little green for the American League, his counterpart behind the bench, Kevin Dineen, is dealing with a very different reality.
“Utica has over 3,000 games of American League experience. I haven’t counted our total matches, but it’s definitely not 3,000,” Houle said. It is a structured team that keeps its opponents outside (the paying zone). We’ll have to find a way to get to the net. »
Over the weekend, the Rocket recalled forwards Nolan Yaremko and Jakov Novak from its ECHL school club, the Trois-Rivières Lions. The two imposing players had a good start to the season in Trois-Rivières, where the team has suffered only one loss since the start of the season.
“I had a bit of an experience last year and I’m excited to be back. I want to help the team win. I’m someone who works hard and keeps things simple. I’m not going to change my style,” said Yaremko, who had five points in 12 games with the Rocket last season.
For Novak, this will be a first experience in the American Hockey League.
“It’s my first recall, so I’m going to try to take advantage of it as much as possible,” he said. The game gets faster as you level up. Management told me they wanted physical play over 200 feet, and that’s what I want to bring. »
Hearing the statements of Yaremko and Novak, we can deduce that the message from defender Tobie Paquette-Bisson may have reached the right ears.
After Saturday’s clash, the Rocket guard somehow spoke about a lack of urgency in the play of some of his teammates. His head coach didn’t disagree and added that this week’s games, coupled with the recalls of Yaremko and Novak, will perhaps serve to send messages.
“It puts everyone on alert and it shows that there is nothing free in life,” insisted Houle. If some players don’t do the job, others will take their place. This is professional hockey. Everyone needs to look in the mirror. Whether you’re young, a first-round draft pick or a player with an American League contract, you have to be accountable. »