Few players are as realistic in their words as Filip Mesar. CH’s second first-round pick in the last draft has shown great things so far, but at 176 lbs, he knows he has to pack on the chest to hold his own physically.
Posted at 8:40 p.m.
His observation after the rookie tournament and three days of training camp with the CH veterans? “Maybe I need two years to be stronger and play in the National League,” he said. I think I have the speed to keep up with these guys, but I could be a little stronger. I would need two years to get bigger, stronger. Like he did in Buffalo, he reiterated that he’s aiming for Laval this season, “but if that doesn’t work out, the OHL would be good for a year.” »
Sean Monahan continues to participate in practices, but not in simulated games. Martin St-Louis, however, assured that the striker acquired this summer will indeed play preparatory meetings, which bodes well for his availability at the start of the season.
Logan Mailloux, another who is continuing his rehabilitation after an operation, also participated in the training, even allowing himself a nice feint at the expense of Brendan Gallagher. But he’s still wearing a powder blue jersey, suggesting he doesn’t yet have the green light to take hits.
Speaking of injuries, defender Madison Bowey, hired as a free agent this summer likely to play an important role in Laval, has not participated in on-ice drills so far. However, we met him in the Bell Sports Complex on Saturday. He is suffering from a lower body injury, according to St-Louis. “Nothing serious,” said the coach.
With a fluid skate and an imposing size, Arber Xhekaj is reminiscent of Ben Chiarot. Xhekaj is obviously not at the level of Chiarot and it is still too early to know if he will have a career that will even approach that of the former number 8 of CH. But it was interesting to hear Xhekaj name Chiarot as an inspirational defender. “A guy from Hamilton, like me. I really like watching him play, I talked to him a lot at camp last year,” said the tough defender.
For a second day in a row, two intrasquad games were presented in Brossard. In the first game of the day, Cole Caufield’s Reds won 5-2. Caufield himself hit the target with an ultra-accurate wrist shot, taken from the left side of the offensive zone. Danick Martel, Michael Matheson, Justin Barron and Joshua Roy (empty net) also scored in the win. Gallagher and Jordan Harris replied. Note that the left winger in the Gallagher trio, Evgenii Dadonov, had some happy streaks in this duel, even if he did not score.
In the second match, the Reds, this time with Kirby Dach as first center, triumphed 4-1. Emil Heineman continued to shine and was rewarded with a goal. Mitchell Stephens, Joël Teasdale and Dach, on a deviation, also hit the target in the victory. Lucas Condotta scored the only goal for the opposing side. Despite his goal, Dach delivered an uneven performance, sometimes keeping the puck too long in the offensive zone.
Bad news for fans who like to attend Canadiens training; the team intends to “mostly” hold its game morning exercises at the Bell Centre. For several years, almost all of these training sessions have taken place in Brossard, where they are open to the public, unlike those at the Bell Centre. The idea behind this change? “Going into our house, being in our house more often,” argued St-Louis, adding that his players will know “the ice, the boards” better.