Miguël Tourigny wanted to progress, mature and learn to play with professionals more quickly. For all these reasons, he decided in October to go and play in Slovakia rather than play a final season with the juniors. Eight months later, he considers that his objectives have been achieved.
Tourigny is preparing for his training at the Bell Complex in Brossard when he answers the call of The Press, last Thursday. After enjoying vacations and working on the family farm for the past few weeks, he started training last Tuesday at the Canadiens’ facilities.
“It’s really fun,” he exclaims on the phone. The resort here is awesome. The gym is super nice. The hot bath, the ice bath, those little things that people don’t have when training at home, I’m lucky to have them. I’m very happy ! »
Tourigny’s decision to play in Slovakia came as a surprise to some early in the season, considering he was eligible for a fifth and final season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
The defender had already been thinking about it for a while. When he was cut from Laval Rocket training camp in October, he spoke with his agent, but the conversation didn’t last long; the next day he signed his contract with Dukla Trenčín. And two days later, he flew to Slovakia.
In the event of a return to the QMJHL, Tourigny would have played with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, to which he was traded in December 2021. Before leaving for Slovakia, the young man spoke with the coach of the New Brunswick team. , who told him of the possibility of exchanging him to a city where he would have a chance to win the Gilles-Courteau trophy. But Tourigny had made up his mind.
I said: I really want to improve in the long term. Of course it would have been good to go back to junior in the short term, but to get used to playing with men right away will help me a lot more.
Miguel Tourigny
As for the organization of the Canadian, it shared his mentality, he says.
“They told me that the junior wouldn’t be effective for me and that it wouldn’t make me a better player if I went back there. They told me that going to play in Europe would be the best decision. »
no remorse
In Slovakia, Tourigny experienced all kinds of firsts: first time in an apartment, first time in Europe, first time with professionals.
“At first, it was still a shock,” he admits. […] The guys helped me a lot to acclimatize to life there. »
On the hockey side, the young man quickly explained to his coaches what he hoped to work on during the season.
The world often criticizes me for my defensive side. There, I improved it. I haven’t lost my offensive touch, that’s for sure, but I’m better at deciding when to go or not. At the end of the season, I found that my game had really taken a notch more.
Miguel Tourigny
Tourigny has amassed 5 goals and 19 assists in 39 games, a harvest that attests to his ever-present offensive side. Whether he has matured as he wanted, the defender does not hesitate.
“Extremely,” he replies. When you’re a junior, you play a lot. You can’t really train. There, you play twice a week, so you have more training. At first, I had to adapt to that too. »
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Defender Miguël Tourigny at the Canadiens development camp in July 2022
“I still had the junior mentality, but the coaches told me: ‘If you want to go higher, you will have to train more, make lots of little sacrifices.’ Eventually, I added that to my everyday life. Now I’m just keeping that momentum going and it’s going great. »
A contract and a big summer
Upon his return to Quebec in April, Tourigny signed his first one-year, one-way contract with the Laval Rocket. A nice surprise for those who “expected zero to sign right away”.
“At first I thought I was going to come to training camp again and they were going to evaluate me there. When I came back and got the call, I said, ‘Well, OK, thank you!’ »
The Victoriavillois is well aware that the Canadiens’ organization is blessed with talented young defenders. However, he refuses to put pressure on himself for the future. The first step is to make his place with the Rocket next season.
I really trust myself. I’m just going to do my business and whatever happens will happen. Of course, I’m not going to be pushed around, I’m going to want to take my place.
Miguel Tourigny
First and foremost, he needs to have a good summer of training. By his own admission, rubbing shoulders with Kaiden Guhle, David Savard, Nick Suzuki and Jake Allen, among others, in training during the summer, will help him “even more” to acclimatize to the professional level.
And then, if all goes well, who knows, these players may be his teammates soon.
“If, eventually, I resign with the Canadian, I will already have a base of friendship a little”, he says in what one guesses to be a smile on the end of the line.
Tourigny squared
PHOTO OLIVIER CROTEAU, LE NOUVELLISTE ARCHIVES
Jordan Tourigny
Another Tourigny should soon be drafted into the National League: Jordan, Miguël’s three-year-younger brother, appears at 123e rank on the latest list of the best North American skaters from the NHL Central Scouting. Miguël, who wouldn’t miss the draft in Nashville for the world, has watched his brother’s every game this season. “We spoke to each other every day, so I tried to help him a lot with his game. “, he lets know. The two brothers, both defensemen, faced each other in the QMJHL; perhaps they will find themselves this time within the same organization. “The team that will pick him up will have a nice surprise. […] To be drafted in the same place, it would be great fun. But at this point, I only wish him happiness, no matter where he goes. »
Katherine Harvey-Pinard, The Press