Joshua Roy handled the puck with the skill and ease we’ve come to expect from him on the power play in the second period of the Laval Rocket game hosting the Utica Comets at Place Bell on Wednesday night. In the press gallery we heard the astonishment of a European recruiter.
“Roy, he really has these quick hands [soft mitts]hmm?” he whispered to his colleague.
As the season begins, shall we say…complicated for the Rocket, Roy’s team has something that can comfort the Montreal Canadiens squad. Even on Wednesday, the Beauceron was a step ahead of the others in good French. He could have scored several points in the first third alone.
“I think Roy had three good chances in the first period,” noted Rocket head coach Jean-François Houle, who praised the work of Comets goaltender Isaac Poulter. The Rocket lost 4-1 but fought well, firing 36 shots.
Roy’s development is not a finished affair, but his learning remains less rigorous than that of the Rocket’s other recruits.
Sean Farrell, five points in eight games (just one goal), has yet to come out of his shell since arriving in the pros.
Logan Mailloux, two goals in eight games and a margin of -9, sometimes surprises us and sometimes shows signs of immaturity with errant and rushed passes.
Jakub Dobes has a 1-3-0 record, a 5.17 goals-against average and a save percentage of .849 after four games. In other words: welcome to the professionals. However, Dobes, like the Rocket as a whole, deserved a better fate than a 4-1 loss on Wednesday night.
“He was excellent, he made some very big saves. Some of the goals allowed were the result of poor jumps. The puck isn’t rolling for us and I feel bad for him,” defenseman Jayden Struble said.
“Dobes really played his game,” praised striker Brandon Gignac. If we manage to score more goals, victory is ours.”
Towards the click?
The hockey gods can be merciless and that’s part of the learning process for young Rocket players looking to get comfortable with the professional level.
Despite a record of 1-6-1, the games are anything but made for the Rocket.
“It’s a long season, I think we’ll continue to stay positive no matter what happens,” said Gignac, who formed a dangerous trio with Roy and Lias Andersson on Wednesday. We’re going to help the young guys learn… the hard way in hockey.”
Lucas Condotta gave himself some courage in the dressing room after the encounter: he assured that the club would get going in the coming weeks. “We have a young group here and everyone is learning. We only played eight games. We have a lot of talent and character. Things will just suddenly fall into place. We still have a lot more to prove. You will see in the coming weeks, we will change that.”
Fragile trust
On paper, the Rocket were heralded as a powerhouse at the start of the season. He was full of talent. This is still the case, but this young group clearly needs more time than expected to develop cohesion in a relentless cycle.
A clear example of the Rocket’s immaturity: too often the Laval team conceded goals in quick succession, a sign of wavering self-confidence.
“We’re a bit of a fragile team at the moment,” admitted Houle. Narrow goals come with the maturity to learn to forget what just happened. It’s part of learning.”
Young players also have to get used to a more muscular game.
“We train hard to make sure they win the battles on the ramps,” Houle said. We’re not a big team. It’s important that young players find a way to win their battles.”
A click can happen quickly. Against the Comets, the Rockets can boast of having practiced a style of play solid enough to earn American League victories – provided the puck is willing to cooperate.
“If we play like this for the rest of the year, we will definitely win,” argued Gignac. I think we deserved it tonight, we put pucks in the net. The leaps of happiness will arrive soon.”