Joshua Roy is certainly one of the Canadian’s best offensive prospects and even though he will start the season with the Laval Rocket, he believed he had a chance to break into the lineup in Montreal.
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“The final goal was to form the team, confuse the subject, leave a great impression and give it my all, I’m happy. I believed in it,” admitted the Beauceron, who was nevertheless clear after being in had scored a goal in two preseason games.
“You believe in it, but at the same time you look at the squad, there are a lot of contracts and the boys are excellent.” »
He’s now focused on his American League season as the Rocket’s training camp begins Monday. And Rocket head coach Jean-François Houle believes his new protégé will make the transition from junior hockey to professional hockey well.
“He is a very intelligent player, he is not only offensive, he has a good bat and he folds well defensively. He thinks before he acts on the ice, he reads the game very well and I think his adaptation should go well. »
Good comments
Before Roy took Highway 15 to Île Jésus, he had a meeting with Martin St-Louis, Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton, from which he emerged satisfied.
“They were super happy with me, they saw the same thing as many others. They noticed that my game had changed a lot between last year and this year.
“Defensively I’m definitely better, I can play on both sides of the ice, I’ve also improved on the penalty kill and I think that makes me a more complete player. »
Author of 119 and 99 points in his last two seasons with the Sherbrooke Phoenix, the 2021 fifth-round pick therefore wants to show that he is not a one-dimensional player. As a side note, note that his differential score went from +43 during his 119-point season to +69 during his 99-point season, a nice development.
Roy has also taken steps to get into shape this fall.
“After the development camp I stayed in Brossard with the boys. It really helped, I arrived at camp already comfortable with the facilities and with the staff, I felt at home. »
William Trudeau Thierry Laforce / QMI Agency
Trudeau wants to make progress
Defenseman William Trudeau will begin a second season with the Rockets. He was also pleased with his time in the Canadiens’ training camp, where he collected one assist in two games.
“I met Martin, Jeff and Kent. They told me that I did really well, that they were very happy with my camp and that they pointed out a few things to me that I should work on,” explained the defender from Varennes.
“I’m still an aggressive defender, that’s part of my identity, but when you play in the National League you have to limit the risks and balance the risk against the reward. »
Trudeau could well be one of the first defensemen called up if injuries strike in Montreal, and he knows it.
“I think I left the organization with a good impression of what I can bring to the table. I know I need to calm down a bit sometimes, but I’ll work to be one of the first to be called back. »