Canadian training camp | Ten auditions under the microscope

While all NHL teams must submit their start-of-season rosters Monday afternoon, and thus comply with the 23-player limit and the $88 million salary cap, the Canadian must still remove three names from the list. attackers and defenders who are still at his training camp. The Press reviews the top 10 candidates who have been battling for office for three weeks.

The defenders

Adam Engstrom

A lot of curiosity preceded the arrival in North America of this 20-year-old Swede. His calm possession of the puck and the quality of his decision-making helped him stand out from the group at rookie camp. At the main training camp, however, his defensive deficiencies were exposed. His five-on-five puck possession indicators were among the club’s weakest during the preparatory calendar, while CH generally looked good in this aspect of the game. Again on Saturday, in Ottawa, his vision and passing qualities allowed him to report himself. It was less easy in his zone. He nevertheless leaves a nice business card behind him, and will probably have the opportunity to rise to prominence in the American League.

Lane Hutson

There is no suspense about it. Even in his most difficult preseason game, last Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he seemed superior to his young colleagues who coveted the available positions on defense. His offensive flair is well above average and, despite a limited sample size, Hutson seems capable of using it against NHL players. His persistence also allows him to get out of trouble in his zone. Given his small size, he must still pass the test of endurance, even more so in a much more rigorous schedule than in the university ranks. However, he seems to have already won his bet and will clearly be in the starting lineup on Wednesday.

Logan Mailloux

With club management apparently holding him in high esteem, he remained at training camp until the end. But has he proven that he is ready to play full time in the NHL? It’s less clear. Unless we demote Arber He must still prove that he can be primarily used in defensive missions, while his offensive qualities do not seem remarkable enough to earn him a position for the moment. He must also limit individual errors.

Jayden Struble

Since he seemed to slow down last spring at the end of the season, one could wonder where Struble would settle in the organization chart of the Montreal defense. Very quickly, we got the answer. The American had possibly the best camp among the club’s young defenders. His athletic qualities are extraordinary, and his defensive responsibility makes him somewhat indispensable within a group which has a marked taste for attack. Besides, even though he doesn’t have the size of Arber Xhekaj, he loves the tough game. At 23 years old, he looks a lot like a sure bet who could help the numerically inferior squad.

Arber Xhekaj

He shouldn’t have been on this list. However, he experienced an ordinary camp during which his indiscipline attracted much more attention than his qualities, and even than his other faults. He got his team into hot water by being kicked out of two preseason games; even if it was theoretically inconsequential, one wonders if his lack of composure will not cost his club dearly during the season. He is, by far, the most physical player in the organization. Will it be enough to keep him in the lineup? The lack of competition in camp will likely keep him in Montreal, but it could well be in a reserve role.

The attackers

Alex Barré-Boulet

Signing a first one-way NHL contract, at age 27, was in itself a first victory for Alex Barré-Boulet. Winning a job at the end of training camp would be a second. The Quebecer put the odds on his side by standing out in virtually each of the exhibition matches he played, notably thanks to his combativeness. Now, it is reasonable to wonder what place he could take in the Montreal attack, he who presents a resolutely offensive profile, but who, to date, has never managed to fully establish himself in the NHL. Would he be able to find a role that suits him on a fourth line, when he is not playing shorthanded? In this regard, we can believe that Emil Heineman and Oliver Kapanen had the upper hand over him.

Emil Heineman

At 22, the Swede is no longer a new face in the Habs environment, especially since he spent most of last season with the Laval Rocket. In this context, he had to show more than in the past, and that is what he did. Saturday morning, Martin St-Louis admitted that he had “taken a step”. His maturity is evident, he noted, and he seems to be using his “tools” better, namely his speed, size and shooting. He doesn’t seem to have shown, however, that he’s ready to produce offensively on a regular basis. In four exhibition games, he spent a lot of time on the penalty kill, and little on the power play, a sign of the role that could be entrusted to him if he remained in Montreal.

Oliver Kapanen

The big star of this camp, with Lane Hutson. Little known in the Montreal market – Martin St-Louis candidly admitted that he knew nothing about him a few weeks ago – the Finn arrived without great expectations, but the intelligence of his game turned the spotlight on him. Labeled as a center player, he looked good when sent to the wing; described as a responsible attacker defensively, he also stood out offensively. With four points, he was the club’s best in the preparatory calendar. Is he ready, at 20 years old, for a jump to the NHL? It would be difficult to decide right away, which the CH management will have to do, since it cannot be transferred to the Rocket if it is cut: it will therefore be Europe or Montreal. We could nevertheless extend his audition for a few days, or even a few weeks, in a reservist role.

Michael Pezzetta

He is the first to admit it: since his arrival among the professionals, Michael Pezzetta has essentially fought every day to keep his position. It was therefore not one more selection camp that was going to dampen his motivation. However, everyone knows what to expect from this energetic 26-year-old forward, who has remained in the NHL almost full time for the past three years. In the meantime, Martin St-Louis has often praised his personal qualities, but rarely, if ever, his hockey attributes. While the team wants to advance in the standings, one wonders if this is the season where the limitations in its game will take precedence over its enthusiasm and robustness. And if he doesn’t end up in the American League.

Joshua Roy

He made such a good impression in Montreal last season that he has gone under the radar a bit in recent weeks. One observation nevertheless stands out: Joshua Roy did not really have a great training camp. He wasn’t bad, but he didn’t stand out at the level we would have expected from him. Remember, he only played 23 games in the NHL last year, so he will still be considered a rookie when he returns to the big league. Element that arouses curiosity about him: he is the only attacker to have played five preseason games, including the last in Ottawa, during which Martin St-Louis gave leave to his main offensive guns. Is he on thinner ice than you might think?