Rafaël Harvey-Pinard will get his first audition before the new management of the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Quebec striker intends to take full advantage of it.
“It’s a nice bonus to be here. I’m really excited, because it will be a great experience and I intend to make the most of it. I’m going to give it my all, and I’m going to want to show the organization what I’m capable of doing,” Harvey-Pinard first mentioned.
The 23-year-old took part in the Canadiens’ training session at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard on Wednesday, a few hours after being recalled from the Laval Rocket, the Habs’ school club in the American league.
He therefore comes into the fold of the Bleu-blanc-rouge in a very different context from that in which he found himself with the team at the turn of the New Year.
The Saguenay striker then played three games between December 28 and 1er January, when almost half of the CH workforce was decimated by an outbreak of COVID-19 and the club’s management was in turmoil.
“It’s going to be different. When I replaced during the holidays, I honestly believe that we had almost the entire Rocket team here. The circumstances were different. This time around, I think I’ll be able to hang out with more guys who are regulars in the NHL, take their advice and talk to them more. […] I think it will be super good for me to be able to play a game,” said Harvey-Pinard.
Among those he is likely to rub shoulders with is Brendan Gallagher, a player who advocates a style of play similar to his. “Gally” was also complimentary to Harvey-Pinard, whom his Rocket teammates nicknamed “Lavalagher”.
“He is a young man who worked to get here. He is a good teammate, who is appreciated by the coaches. He’s the kind of guy who keeps a team going. He listens to advice, he wants to learn. Last year, when I was in Laval, I played with him and I learned that he was very intelligent as a player. He has a lot of potential,” admitted Gallagher.
His statistics are eloquent on this subject. Harvey-Pinard leads the Rocket with 51 points and 32 assists in 64 games. His +28 differential also puts him tied for first in the Rocket, with defenseman Tory Dello.
For his part, the main interested party mentioned that the trigger for him had occurred following a discussion after the holidays with the head coach of the Rocket, Jean-François Houle.
“You often want to be on the score sheet, but I realized along the way that I shouldn’t change my identity. I talked about it a lot with Jean-François. I continued to work, I kept my identity, and it unlocked. Since then, the confidence is there, so that’s what I learned this season,” said Harvey-Pinard, all smiles.
St-Louis is “intrigued”
The arrival of Harvey-Pinard could give some tone to the Canadian’s attack, which has been down lately. The Habs have yet to score in two starts since Carey Price’s return to play, instead trailing 5-0 overall.
In this context, the interim head coach, Martin St-Louis, admitted he was looking forward to seeing Harvey-Pinard in action on Thursday. “I am very intrigued. I’ve heard good things — I don’t know him very well as a player — and I can’t wait to see him. I was happy that he could train with us today, and he could play tomorrow [jeudi] said St-Louis.
In training on Wednesday, the Quebecer performed rehearsals with a trio completed by Mathieu Perreault and Laurent Dauphin.
Harvey-Pinard’s recall came a day after forward Paul Byron suffered a lower-body injury in the 0-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. The CH indicated on Wednesday that the Franco-Ontarian’s state of health would be reassessed on a daily basis, but St-Louis has already made it clear that he will not face the Flyers.