The Canadian | The organization’s message to young people

It almost looked like Rob Ramage and Francis Bouillon had coordinated to send the same message to the players: train here.

Guillaume Lefrancois
The Press

The theme of player development has been fashionable around the Canadiens since the arrival of Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes. With 38 players claimed in the last four drafts, the pool of hopefuls has never been so full.

Ramage was meeting with the media after practice Tuesday, and a colleague asked him which players stood out at the rookie tournament in Buffalo. He immediately appointed Xavier Simoneau and William Trudeau.

“They had a very good summer in Brossard, they trained here and it showed,” retorted Ramage.

Bouillon, he first named Emil Heineman, before being asked specifically about Simoneau. It was as if he was waiting to be asked the question.

“He spent a lot of time here, a lot of time on the ice with Adam Nicholas [le directeur du développement hockey]. Trudeau also made a lot of effort and as a player you have to invest somewhere. Simoneau doesn’t come from here, but he spent the summer with Trudeau. They were here Monday through Friday, working out and getting on the ice. This is how you become a hockey player. You train with the best. They understood that spending time in Brossard is an investment. »

It is obviously easier for players established in the Montreal region to make such an effort, because they can sleep at home. Those who come from outside have to stay, so pay for a hotel or an apartment. For junior-age players, who still don’t have an NHL contract, the investment can be considerable.

Juraj Slafkovsky made this investment, arriving a few weeks before the start of the camp. However, he is one of the privileged ones, since he signed his contract this summer, which comes with an annual bonus of $95,000. “It allowed me to get to know the world, to get rid of the effect of jet lag. I know the city better and that is important,” he summed up.

Owen Beck, pick of 2^e lap of CH, wanted to imitate him, but a busier summer than expected prevented him from doing so, he said. But he would like to spend “maybe every other week” at the team’s facilities in Brossard next summer.

Jordan Harris meanwhile spent the summer at home in the Boston area. Among other things, he skated with Bruins prospects, sessions organized by John McLean and Tom Ford, two skill development consultants hired by the Bruins.

“I was home this summer, it was convenient, I knew when I had ice and I had groups of players to train with. Spending my summers here would be just as good, if not better,” he admits.

For Ramage, there is no doubt that the hopefuls would benefit from emulating Simoneau and Trudeau, who were able to rub shoulders with Nick Suzuki and Josh Anderson, among others.

“Things have changed in the locker room. Guys from the Canadian train here and what better models to work with, to know what to improve? Do you want to become a hockey player or do you prefer spending time at the beach? Ramage dropped.

Novelties

That is a piece that is in the hands of the players. For its part, the new administration of the Canadian has also implemented initiatives.

For example, by participating in a more elaborate rookie tournament than those of recent years with three or even two teams. There were six clubs in Buffalo and the hopefuls of the Canadiens faced three different teams in addition to holding a training session. “From a scouting standpoint, you can see more teams,” Ramage said. We played three games and that was enough. That’s what we were able to do by going to Buffalo, instead of just playing against Belleville. »

The staff to frame the hopes has also been fattened. Ramage and Bouillon are now surrounded by the very energetic Adam Nicholas. Marie-Philip Poulin joined as a consultant, but since her main job is to play hockey, she cannot be there full time.

In addition, a member of the organization told us this weekend that Scott Pellerin has joined the development team. The former player, who worked seven years in player development for the Maple Leafs, was also on the ice Tuesday. In addition, Nick Carrière, whose official title is “Affiliated Clubs Manager and Professional Scout” has also joined the player development group, as Ramage named him when listing the personnel.

It was impossible to know what the titles of Pellerin and Carrière are. But Ramage underlined their importance, recalling that the Habs will have 27 prospects this season who will not be with the Laval Rocket.