Joshua Roy has now broken the ice. He played his first game in the Canadian jersey and in the NHL. While it's an experience a player can't forget, the moment becomes even greater when you make your debut against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers.
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“It was very emotional for me, it was a really incredible moment,” Roy said after the game. On the other hand, it was a really good team and it was crazy how loud the crowd was.”
Roy was recalled from the Laval Rocket late Friday night due to an injury to Josh Anderson and played 13:03. He was on the left wing with Sean Monahan and Joel Armia. He blocked three shots.
“I wanted to give him repetitions and give him a good feel for the game,” explained Martin St-Louis. I wanted to keep him away from 97 (McDavid) and 29 (Draisaitl). His trio delivered good minutes. I'm happy with what I saw from him. He played his first game on a Saturday night in Montreal against a good team.”
Roy, who scored 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) in 34 games for the Rocket, was unable to steal his first appearance. The fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft was also pleased with his rookie turn during warmups.
“I especially didn’t want to miss my first shot,” he replied with a smile. I was really stressed but I’m really happy.”
Defenseman Philip Kemp also took part in his first NHL game for the Oilers this evening.
Guhle in the land of knowledge
Kaiden Guhle passed the test in his first game of the season on the right wing. He had quite an appearance against McDavid's line alongside Mike Matheson.
“I don’t think it was difficult to play on the right,” replied Guhle. The biggest challenge is recovering the puck against the back wall in my territory. I have a defensive mentality and wanted to play it safe against the Oilers. I enjoyed playing with Mike.”
“I guess we wanted to rely on our speed compared to McDavid’s speed,” he continued. It was a good experience.”
In his final season in the 2021–2022 Western Junior League, Guhle played for the Edmonton Oil Kings. He met McDavid often.
“We followed the Oilers a lot,” said the 21-year-old defenseman. I didn't meet him often, but he knew we had a good team. He stopped to greet us and ask about our season.”