LAVAL | Olivier Galipeau is one of the great stories of the Laval Rocket at the heart of a season that is not always very rosy.
The 26-year-old defender waited until the sixth game of the season to have his name added to the team’s squad and when the opportunity arose, he didn’t miss it.
He has 4 assists in his last 3 games and a record of 8 points in 10 games after having his best season in the American League last year with 9 points in 45 games. That’s why he’s taking advantage of the opportunity that comes with the recalls of Jayden Struble, Mattias Norlinder and Gustav Lindstrom, all of whom are with the Canadians.
“I’m getting more reps in games, I’m gaining a little more confidence. “I control what I can control,” he summarized on Monday after the team’s training.
Difficult
We believe Galipeau is a good team player. He also wore the captain’s “C” with the Val-d’Or Foreurs and the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, but at the start of the year he was chewing on the bit.
“Mentally it’s tough, you want to stay focused, have a good attitude and keep things light in the locker room. I’ve been working hard with our fitness trainer Stéphane Gervais to stay in shape so that when the time comes, I don’t feel like I’m behind the other two weeks.
“When I played my first game in Rochester, I felt like I had played every game, I was physically ready.”
Since then he has only missed his turn three times and is busy playing simply and efficiently.
Effective
Going back to his offensive game, he claims that it makes him more stable in his overall game, but he claims that it all starts with his defensive game. He is also second in points among the team’s defensemen behind Logan Mailloux, who has two more points.
“It affects confidence, I’m more comfortable with the puck, I see guys a little quicker, but I’m not trying to completely change my game to become a Cale Makar.”
“This happens naturally through my defensive game, where I try to interrupt plays in order to recover quickly. It’s working at the moment.”
Further evidence that things are going well defensively is that he currently has a +3 differential, having never finished a positive season in his first four seasons in the American League.
Rough route
Galipeau is a good offensive producer in the youth ranks and has moved between the American League and ECHL since entering the professional ranks. Last year he played 45 games in Laval and 19 with the Trois-Rivières Lions.
“Since I turned professional, I haven’t always had the easiest path. With all the work I’ve put in, it’s even better if the problem can be solved.”
Assistant coach Kelly Buchberger only had good words for the veteran.
“He plays on both ends of the ice. I was told about his stats in the junior ranks, it was a while ago, but he had good ones in the ECHL too.
“He’s a smart player, he’s a competitor and he scores his points without even playing on the power play. There aren’t many players who can get eight points in ten games without relying on the massive attack.