One might have thought that by making the jump to the American Hockey League, coach Stéphane Julien would once again find himself in the front row to witness the exploits of Joshua Roy, who turned professional at the same time. But no.
On the contrary, not once was he able to face his former player from the Sherbrooke Phoenix, since Roy quickly made his entry into the NHL before seeing his season cut short due to an injury.
Assistant coach with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the American Hockey League, Julien will begin a second season as a professional. He was granted a three-year contract by the Detroit Red Wings’ farm club last summer.
Meanwhile, Joshua joined the Laval Rocket. And a little later, the Montreal Canadiens. In 23 games, the Beauceron obtained nine points, including four goals, in the National League.
Impressed by the great start of his former star player?
“No, I wasn’t surprised at all. He’s a gamer. Pressure doesn’t bother him. He’s scored points everywhere he’s been. He may not have the physique of an athlete, so for him, he has to be ready every year and see it as a personal challenge.”
PHOTO JEAN ROY, LA TRIBUNE
Stéphane Julien, assistant coach with the Grand Rapids Griffins
Julien is convinced of one thing: if Roy wants to become an NHL player, he will succeed.
“It’s up to him now to see if he’s ready to handle all of this well throughout his career. He has a great chance. He has one foot in the National League and he’s shown some great things, like his vision of the game.”
The big difference between the QMJHL and the AHL
The Red Wings’ farm club was in the midst of a metamorphosis last season when Julien arrived as Dan Watson’s assistant.
“We had a difficult start. The personnel was different, there were 11 rookies, which resulted in 2 wins in the first 10 games. At the beginning of December, we found our rhythm after establishing the basics. It had been five years since the team had participated in the playoffs.
“After the holidays, we had an 18-game point streak, we broke league records and our young players made good progress, like Marco Kasper, our first pick in 2022, and our defenseman Simon Edvinsson or even Jonatan Berggren, who will probably start the season in Detroit.”
Julien knew what to expect when he arrived in the American League. But he hadn’t yet fully grasped the importance of the contracts given to drafted players in relation to their usage and their hierarchy.
“I knew the routine of the American League. In the AHL, we see a certain turning point in development, we saw it a little in Montreal at the end of the year when some players complained about seeing the young players playing a lot.”
Teams invest a lot in contracts for young NHLers and our job is to develop them. We have to manage the roster based on a lot of things and discuss all of that with the veterans, who sometimes get left out to let young people come into the lineup.
Stephane Julien
“Another difference in the American League,” Julien says, “is that yes, there is a group effect, a team spirit, but also a bit of selfishness because all the players want to move up to the National League, so play more, produce more and all that.
“For our part, it went very well on that side. We had a good group, which was not difficult to manage. The guys have the knife between their teeth and when we supervise them as we should, they will appreciate our work.”
The Griffins ultimately finished second in their division.
“We will still have a competitive team. We lose three players, but we add new young players like Nate Danielson, ninth choice in the NHL in 2023. That’s a bit like the American League. Players move up, others arrive.
“After being so close to a playoff berth, I think our organization is going to absolutely want to make the playoffs this year in the NHL, so we’ll have the pressure even in Grand Rapids, because we’re very integrated into what’s going on in Detroit.”
Read the text on the website of The Tribune
Learn more
-
- 9
- Joshua Roy had 9 points in 23 games with the Canadiens last season.