“Dobeš. »
Jean-François Houle does not hesitate for a second: the player who has impressed him the most this season in his development with the Rocket is the rookie Czech goalkeeper.
The jailer’s last name leaves the coach’s lips while the sound of the question has not even finished bouncing off the walls of the conference room at Place Bell. The media were gathered there for more than three hours during the team’s assessment on Sunday morning.
“The way he started, it wasn’t easy,” Houle quickly adds. He showed a lot of character to recover. It’s the hardest position in hockey. Doing what he did is something, no joke. »
Through December 7, Dobeš recorded a 3-5-2 record, a 4.51 goals-against average and a .864 save percentage.
After 51 games, he dropped his average to 2.93 and his save percentage to .906, achieving a record of 24-18-6.
PHOTO CHRISTINNE MUSCHI, THE CANADIAN PRESS
After a difficult start to the season, Jakub Dobeš was able to bounce back.
Houle gives credit here to his goalkeeping coach, Marco Marciano. It is also to him that the main interested party refers.
The first month and a half wasn’t very good. I was a rookie on a young team, and it happens. I was talking to Marco about it: I’m not disappointed that it happened. I’m proud of it. It was good for me to learn through this difficult time. My career is still very young. I have to go through this process.
Jakub Dobes
His progress was also noticed by his teammates, notably the one who was his roommate at the start of the season: Logan Mailloux.
“He became one of the best goalies in the AHL at the end of the season,” assures the defenseman, who quickly became one of his good friends.
“He will definitely play in the NHL very soon,” said Lias Andersson.
On the importance of winning seasons
“I was a rookie in a young team,” Dobeš said. These simple eight words alone reflect the reality of the 2023-2024 Rocket and, in a way, that of playing in the AHL.
The mandate of Houle and the Canadiens’ farm club organization, a rebuilding team moreover, consists of developing the organization’s young prospects into NHL players.
On the other hand, with the success the team is experiencing in terms of attendance at Place Bell, it also becomes essential to make it a competitive team that aspires to participate in the playoffs. What the Rocket has failed to do this season.
“I agree, it’s very important to have winning seasons here to keep our fans,” replied the coach when a colleague pointed out the issue of this duality.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Brandon Gignac celebrates a goal scored during a match on March 29.
“It’s important to have a good product on the ice, but also to develop young people by having good veterans who can help you win. It’s hard to balance the two sometimes. You have to find the right veteran. »
Often, in the AHL, you have several veterans who are still thinking about their careers a little. They are not at the age where they think about helping young people. It can hurt.
Jean-François Houle
Without naming anyone, he uses the example of a player who seeks to accumulate minutes on the power play, and does not understand why it is rather the rookie who obtains this juicy playing time.
“We are a development league. We want to make National League players. The 28, 30 year old veteran may no longer be there in his career. »
“We prioritize young people here”
We are going to quote Tobie Paquette-Bisson here, but not because the hat suits him. It is, in fact, quite the opposite.
Rather, we’re talking about it because he openly criticized the organization after the loss that eliminated the Rocket on Friday night. According to BPM Sports journalist Anthony Marcotte, Paquette-Bisson criticized the higher authorities for having prioritized the development of young players by playing 10 rookies for this crucial match against Belleville, when healthy veterans could have contributed to the immediate success of the team. He doesn’t blame his head coach here, who doesn’t always have the final choice of players on his bench anyway.
On Sunday, the defender revealed – smiling – that he had been “slapped on the wrist” since then.
“I’m going to be careful about what I say,” he emphasizes. It’s hard not to make the playoffs. We have grinded all year round, guys together. They need to come back, young people, we prioritize young people here. It’s nothing against them, they did a really good job, they were incredible. I spoke more for the guys who weren’t playing. I felt bad for them. THE [Arnaud] Durandeau, the [Olivier] Galipeau who were doing really well. »
Especially since in itself, qualifying for the series would have been a great opportunity to contribute to the said development of hopes.
“It’s boring” not to have had this “experience”, concedes Jean-François Houle.
But the coach recalls that the sequence of matches played mainly since the arrival of David Reinbacher, a month ago, made it possible to play “intense, important hockey”, which was “beneficial” for the “young players ” organisation.
Beyond victory, it is above all on this that the work of the Rocket coaches will be judged.
“Developing for the NHL is important for the organization,” Houle reiterates. But developing in victory is a lot easier, and it’s better than developing in defeat. »