(Gatineau) Year after year, the Canadiens’ hopes are scrutinized. But one of them, curiously, has long escaped scrutiny, despite his convincing performances. His name is Riley Kidney.
Kidney was selected in the second round by the Canadiens in 2021. He signed his NHL entry contract last year. In September, he was one of the 74 players invited to the CH training camp.
While some, like Owen Beck, turned heads, Kidney was more understated. Perhaps for this reason, little has been said so far about this Nova Scotia native center player.
“Before coming here, I knew that people didn’t talk a lot about me”, confides the main interested party to The Press. “I always felt that I was a bit in the shadow of other recruits. Since I came here, I’ve done a lot of interviews and things like that. I get more coverage,” he adds candidly, and without the slightest bitterness.
“Here” is Gatineau. Kidney arrived there last January, after being acquired from the Acadie-Bathurst Titan by the Olympiques. Since then, the 20-year-old forward has “opened the eyes” of many, according to his coach, Louis Robitaille.
Since January 7, the day of his second game with the Olympiques, Kidney has scored in each of his team’s games. A harvest of 65 points in 29 games; stunning numbers. But his feats of arms do not stop there. In the playoffs, Kidney scored 4 goals and collected 14 assists in 9 games, helping his team reach the semi-finals, a duel against the Quebec Remparts which will begin on Friday.
At the mention of all these statistics, the sympathetic Nova Scotian sketches a shy smile. “I wanted to be the guy who was going to bring a lot of offense to the team,” he said. There are the points, of course, but none of this could have happened if I hadn’t had such good line partners. They helped me a lot and I helped them too. »
This is far from the first time that Kidney has distinguished himself on the Cecchini circuit. Last year, in Bathurst, he quietly amassed 100 points in 66 games. Since January, all eyes are now on him. His prowess is noticed.
Since he arrived here, the world talks about him and recognizes [son talent]. I think it opened people’s eyes.
Louis Robitaille, head coach of the Olympiques
” [Les gens] see his evolution, the way he performs since he arrived here […], argues Louis Robitaille. It gives him a pat on the back saying: yes, I knew I was among the best, but now I’m one of them. »
A “confidence boost”
Riley Kidney signed his NHL entry contract with the Canadiens in May 2022. At training camp last September, the young man went through a storm; he was among the first cut off.
“I was not satisfied, he admits himself. I did not play at all as I am capable of. I was nervous, I was thinking too much. »
He had a training camp so-so. But here he is comfortable. You see that he is a guy who, the more comfortable and loved he is going to feel, the better off he is going to be. He’s a cerebral guy.
Louis Robitaille
Last January, Kidney and Robitaille went to Montreal for a medical evaluation with the doctors of the Canadian. As long as it’s there, they attended the evening game. Leaving the Bell Centre, the young man and his coach ran into CH vice-president of hockey operations, Jeff Gorton, and general manager, Kent Hughes.
” It was good ! exclaims Kidney. It’s rare that you get to talk to both of them, so that was nice. They told me: ‟Keep working hard, you are doing a good job.” »
“It was a good boost of confidence,” he adds, visibly still delighted with this meeting.
Still work to do
According to Louis Robitaille, Kidney is just waiting to learn and grow. “He is very self-critical, hard on himself. He’s a very perfectionist guy. He wants to make a difference. »
Since January, the coach has helped his player to become more complete, so that his transition to the pros next year is easier. Barring a surprise, Kidney will play with the Laval Rocket in 2023-2024.
“There’s nothing wrong with going to the minors and learning the hard way. […] It will be good for his development. I think he will work his way through the organization over the years. He will learn. »
I think Martin St-Louis will like this kind of player, who is an intelligent player. I think he has a bright future. Now he will have work to do.
Louis Robitaille
This work, Kidney is eager to begin. Or rather to pursue it. This season, the director of hockey development, Adam Nicholas, sent him videos to advise him. “He showed me to attack more in the middle, it creates more opportunities because it’s the danger zone,” he explains.
During the summer, Kidney plans to travel back and forth between Halifax and Montreal to train. He wants to add muscle to his 6′, 175 lb frame and improve his explosiveness on skates.
Even if he will come to the next camp with the objective of breaking through the Canadiens’ line-up, the forward knows he should spend the next season in Laval. And it suits him perfectly.
“I went there last year, during the playoffs, and I saw the atmosphere there. It was really loud and cool. »
He also began to learn French in Gatineau. An interview in the language of Molière soon? “Maybe in a few years!” he replies, laughing.
A (former) Bruins fan
Riley Kidney grew up in Nova Scotia. It was his two-year older brother, Liam, who introduced him to hockey. “I wanted to be like him,” he says. When asked if he was a Canadiens fan, the young man smiled, even blushed. “Montreal fans won’t like it, but I was a Bruins fan,” he blurts out. “When I was younger, my bedroom was painted black and yellow. I was a huge fan. Obviously, when I got drafted, I changed a bit! he exclaims, laughing.