Jakob Pelletier opened his National Hockey League (NHL) goal on Saturday with a goal for the Calgary Flames. The 21-year-old is only the third Quebecer this season to break the ice at this level.
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Here are the latest representatives from Belle Province to thread the needle for the first time on the Bettman circuit:
Samuel Bolduc
A few days before Pelletier on Tuesday, defenseman Samuel Bolduc scored for the New York Islanders against the Seattle Kraken. With a shot from the blue line, the Lavallois fooled Martin Jones, one of the league’s best goalkeepers since the beginning of the year. Bolduc will become a limited free agent at the end of the season, so that success really wasn’t a rejection for the man who played six games for the big club.
Anthony Richard
On December 21st, the day after his 26th birthday, Anthony Richard saw all his hard work finally pay off. The Trifluvien had a few chances with the Nashville Predators, but it was the Montreal Canadiens who finally gave him his real chance. The center was recalled after briefly topping the American Hockey League (AHL) top scorer list. His terrific breakaway success against the Colorado Avalanche certainly felt good.
Bokondji Imama
The story of Bokondji Imama is one of resilience. The Montreal native silenced all his critics by donning the Arizona Coyotes jersey for the first time in April 2022. In his second game, the 26-year-old athlete accepted a pass from Alex Galchenyuk to score against the St. Louis Blues. Best known for his boxing skills, the former Tampa Bay Lightning sixth-round pick was justifiably rewarded for his patience.
Nicholas Meloche
Defenseman Nicolas Meloche took a job with the San Jose Sharks last season and played 50 games for the big club. After two full seasons without shaking the ropes in the AHL, the LaSalle native finally scored for the Barracuda in October 2021 and was recalled to the NHL a month later. At the Sharks, Meloche was released on January 26, 2022 in a game against the Washington Capitals.
Rafael Harvey Pinard
Before becoming a real poison for NHL goalies in January, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard made a first stint with the Canadians in late December 2021. The Habs then needed fresh legs as the infirmary was overcrowded and COVID-19 wreaked havoc. “RHP” wasted no time scoring in his first NHL game. On December 28, the four Swiss goalscorers scored for the first time of the 2021-2022 season in a 4-5 loss to the Lightning. Lukas Vejdemo, Harvey-Pinard, Kale Clague and David Savard rounded out this special evening with a net.
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Jeffrey Much
On the same day, but several thousand miles from Tampa, another Quebecer had his moment of glory in San Jose. Like Harvey-Pinard, Jeffrey Viel scored in his first duel of the season. The Sharks forward was held in check by Rimouski in 11 games last season.
2021-2022 also lit the red lantern for the first time Gabriel Fortier (December 21, 2021), Benoit-Olivier Groulx (November 7, 2021), Simon Benoit (October 28, 2021) and Hendrix Lapierre (October 13, 2021). .
Next could now be Jeremy Davies (23 games), Alex Belzile (19 games), Guillaume Brisebois (13 games) or Vincent Desharnais (11 games), for whom the shortage continues.