LAVAL | Joel Armia met the media for the first time since he was traded to the Laval Rocket and he didn’t make a big statement.
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This is in the order of things since the great Finn is not known for his eloquence.
Armia mostly said he would work hard, keep a good attitude and be patient.
“Obviously, everyone here wants to be in the NHL so I’m going to behave like a pro and do everything I can while I’m here,” he said while refraining from saying whether he saw the blow coming or not or if he knows what the future holds for him.
“I’ve no idea. To be honest, it’s not in my hands so I have to be patient. That’s all I can do.”
Example
The 30-year-old veteran, however, seems excited to find himself on a young and talented team.
“There are so many good young players in this group. I don’t know if I’ve seen so many young players with so much skill. Plus, it’s a good group of individuals.”
He can therefore feed on this enthusiasm to move forward in a situation which is far from ideal for him.
“It’s 100% sure. Everyone is having fun on the ice, no one is in a bad mood, it’s nice to see. I’m going to be a pro on and off the ice every day to set a good example.”
Nice welcome
Armia’s arrival was well received by the player group. Brandon Gignac also praised the Finn’s attitude.
“He could have arrived with a negative attitude, it’s not fun what’s happening to him, but he arrived here really positive, he’s working in practice. He is extremely talented, it is not for nothing that he played in the National League for a very long time.
The head coach, Jean-François Houle, had a conversation with Armia and maintains that he is in a good state of mind even if it is not easy for him. Houle has also had to manage this type of situation on a few occasions with the final retrenchments at the Canadian camp which allowed him to recover several young players, including Logan Mailloux.
“These are two completely different conversations. It’s certain that a young player is different, he suspects that he will go to the American League to learn a little. In the case of Armia, he came back through waivers, it’s different.
“The guys aren’t super happy to go down, but in one case you deal with a disappointment while in the other it’s an ego injury.”
Useful
With his 439 games in the NHL, Armia could prove to be a great ally for Jean-François Houle in a very young and very talented group.
“He’s a guy who has a lot of experience, he has good skills, he’s one of our biggest guys up front and he’s capable of scoring goals.”
According to Brandon Gignac, Armia fills a need in an attack that is a little physically small.
“He can play anywhere, on the power play or the penalty kill. He’s an extremely intelligent guy, he’s big and difficult to play against. We lacked a bit of size and he’s going to bring it to us.”