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Post by NWTHabsFan on Jul 30, 2021 15:50:00 GMT -5
Time to start a new thread for the revamped AHL squad and the brand new ECHL team. Quite a year of change for the Rocket, with changes in the coaching staff and quite a number of roster moves.
The new head coach is Jean-Francois Houle and assistant Kelly Buchberger. Marco Marciano stays on as goalie coach. I expect they will name another assistant soon.
Here is a list of possible players for the team, including their contract status. There are tons of new players, so I will do a separate post on getting to know the new Rocket. A lot of the guys on AHL two way deals will likely be playing with the Lions. They have also signed a few guys too to ECHL deals.
Forwards
Jesse Ylönen
Cameron Hillis
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard
Arsen Khisamutdinov
Joël Teasdale
Jean-Sébastian Dea
Laurent Dauphin
Lukas Vejdemo
Brandon Baddock
Alex Belzile
Ryan Poehling
Michael Pezzetta
Peter Abbandonato (AHL/ECHL)
Gabriel Bourque (AHL)
Cédric Desruisseaux (AHL/ECHL)
Justin Ducharme (AHL/ECHL)
Alexandre Fortin (AHL/ECHL)
Jake Lucchini (AHL) - was on an NHL two way deal last year
Danick Martel (AHL)
Shawn St-Armant (AHL/ECHL)
Brandon Gignac (AHL)
Jean-Christophe Beaudin (AHL)
Defense
Gianni Fairbrother
Josh Brook
Louis Belpedio
Corey Schueneman
Xavier Ouellet
Tobie Bison (AHL)
Tony Dello (AHL)
Charles-David Beaudoin (AHL/ECHL)
Terrance Amorosa (AHL/ECHL)
Carl Neill (AHL/ECHL)
Goalies
Cayden Primeau
Michael McNiven
Kevin Poulin (AHL)
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Jul 30, 2021 16:10:52 GMT -5
Getting to know the new Rocket forwards:
Jean-Sébastian Dea - the 27 year old has played 33 NHL games over a number of seasons with the Penguins, Devils and Sabres. He was a point per game guy in Rochester this past season.
Peter Abbandonato - the 23 forward was the 2018-19 QMJHL leading points getter and won the 2019 Memorial Cup. He had 15 points in 28 games with Syracuse in the AHL last season.
Gabriel Bourque - the 30 year old did not play this last season, but played for the Jets and Avs for the previous 3+ seasons. He has 413 games of NHL experience.
Cédric Desruisseaux - the 21 year old is coming of a season where he lead the QMJHL in scoring with 78 points in 40 games with the powerhouse Charlottetown Islanders.
Justin Ducharme - the 21 year old is coming off a 29 points in 28 games season with Val D’Or in the Q.
Alexandre Fortin - the 24 has been playing n the AHL but played 24 games with the Blackhawks in 2018-19.
Danick Martel - the 26 year old has 13 games played in the NHL and had 14 points in 24 AHL games last year.
Shawn St-Amant - the 24 year old split his season last year in those hockey hotbeds of Hungary and Romania. Strange but true.
Brandon Gignac - the 23 year old has played 1 NHL game with the Devils, 2 AHL games, and had 27 points in 35 games in the ECHL.
Jean-Christophe Beaudin - the 24 year old had 16 points in 34 games with the Belleville Sens last year and has played 22 games with Ottawa in the NHL.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Jul 30, 2021 16:19:23 GMT -5
Getting to know the new Rocket defenders and goalies:
Terrance Amorosa - the 27 year old had 11 points in 16 regular season and playoff games in the ECHL after the AHL season ended. He made his AHL debut with the Rocket late in the season getting 5 games in.
Charles-David Beaudoin - the 27 year old played in Austria last season.
Tobie Bisson - the 24 year old had 7 points in 28 games with the Rocket last year. He played a safe and steady game with some nice physicality.
Tony Dello - the 24 year old comes off a season with Grand Rapids in the AHL.
Carl Neill - the 25 year we LD played in Denmark this past season, before which he played at Concordia University.
Kevin Poulin - the 31 year old veteran played in the Allsvenskan last season in Sweden. He has 50 games of NHL experience.
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Post by Tankdriver on Jul 31, 2021 20:18:31 GMT -5
Èechhhh. Not much offensive talent there ready for the big team...
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 1, 2021 8:04:24 GMT -5
Èechhhh. Not much offensive talent there ready for the big team... Yeah, Ylönen has the best shot and offensive instincts of the bunch, and then there is a drop off. That is why I had hoped to see the Habs add some offensive minded forwards this past draft, starting with pick 31!! |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 2, 2021 12:10:14 GMT -5
The Rocket round out their coaching staff with another coach with lots of experience, although this will be Lappy’s first venture into pro hockey. Last worked as the Associate Coach with the Quebec Remparts. In addition to the Q, he worked in AAA midget, Team Canada U17s and lead Quebec to gold at the 2019 Canada Winter Games.
Son of Jacques.
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Post by Cranky on Aug 2, 2021 14:31:49 GMT -5
Other then draft choices, there seems to be an effort to get Francophones.
Great for locals, not so much for finding rough gems.
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Post by Cranky on Aug 2, 2021 14:36:26 GMT -5
Èechhhh. Not much offensive talent there ready for the big team... Yeah, Ylönen has the best shot and offensive instincts of the bunch, and then there is a drop off. That is why I had hoped to see the Habs add some offensive minded forwards this past draft, starting with pick 31!! Ylonen is what? At best dreaming of a 2nd liner? Then plugs... They seem to be drafting on how many defenseman they can take and playing the odds. That's all well and good, but our forward prospects are lacking....ummm...how about almost non existent? |
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Post by seventeen on Aug 2, 2021 18:21:15 GMT -5
I’m sure there’s a plan there somewhere. It’s usually based on the volume of complaints.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Aug 6, 2021 12:47:29 GMT -5
Habs re-sign two of their RFAs for Laval. Only Poehling left (and KK for the Habs).
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Sept 20, 2021 9:34:05 GMT -5
The Rocket continue to add local talent to their lineup. They have added a lot of experience and talent, and almost all are from Quebec. It will be interesting to see how Coach Houle balances his ice time between vets and the prospects like Vejdemo, Teasdale, RHP and Hillis.
An interesting factoid about Roy. He is the only other player to record more than 100 points in the USHL (in their current iteration) other than Sean Farrell.
The Rocket should be a very good team, but still look a wee bit weak on defensive depth over a long season.
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Post by jkr on Sept 20, 2021 20:17:56 GMT -5
Yeah, Ylönen has the best shot and offensive instincts of the bunch, and then there is a drop off. That is why I had hoped to see the Habs add some offensive minded forwards this past draft, starting with pick 31!! Ylonen is what? At best dreaming of a 2nd liner? Then plugs... They seem to be drafting on how many defenseman they can take and playing the odds. That's all well and good, but our forward prospects are lacking....ummm...how about almost non existent? Don't know how Ylonen fits now. He is refusing to get vaccinated.  www.journaldemontreal.com/2021/09/19/ch--jesse-ylonen-a-renonce-a-la-vaccination |
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Post by Cranky on Sept 20, 2021 22:46:52 GMT -5
WTF?? He's on the fence and has an outside chance...but he has to take a shotgun to his foot...MORON |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Sept 20, 2021 23:05:41 GMT -5
Bad news for Brook. I guess the Goloubef PTO makes even more sense now.
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Post by seventeen on Sept 20, 2021 23:48:41 GMT -5
WTF?? He's on the fence and has an outside chance...but he has to take a shotgun to his foot...MORON Really dumb. Makes one wonder about his hockey sense. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Sept 21, 2021 14:56:54 GMT -5
WTF?? He's on the fence and has an outside chance...but he has to take a shotgun to his foot...MORON Really dumb. Makes one wonder about his hockey sense. He is in the lineup today for the final rookie game against the USports all stars, so they have not excluded him from activities yet. I imagine this will prevent him from participating in the main camp though. We shall see shortly as they will announce the roster with medical and weigh ins tomorrow. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Sept 22, 2021 16:33:15 GMT -5
Jesse-gate comes to a happy conclusion.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Sept 22, 2021 17:13:29 GMT -5
It also was reported in the media today that Jesse’s reason for initially not getting the jab was due to a family member having a traumatic reaction to another vaccine a number of years ago (pre-Covid). He has since talked to his family, the medical team, and management and will get vaccinated by his own choice.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Sept 29, 2021 12:27:32 GMT -5
The new 3R arena is looking good. The new jersey reveal for les Lions de 3R is this Friday.
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Post by seventeen on Sept 29, 2021 14:03:18 GMT -5
Great logo.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 2, 2021 8:02:24 GMT -5
New Lions jerseys. Very clean and simple. Habs logo on the pants, like the Rocket. Nice jerseys!
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Post by Tankdriver on Oct 3, 2021 8:10:06 GMT -5
Sorry. Don't like them. Too plain. Needs something.
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Post by frozone on Oct 3, 2021 10:27:05 GMT -5
I like the outfit in the sense that it's simple yet it all comes together pretty well, but I might never come around to liking the vertical stripes on the arms and side torso. Odd choice there imo.
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Post by Gogie on Oct 3, 2021 11:03:45 GMT -5
Sorry. Don't like them. Too plain. Needs something. Like some decent prospects to fill them out?  |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 3, 2021 14:21:19 GMT -5
Rocket initial camp roster announced. The Habs also put Dauphin, Dea, Baddock and McNiven on waivers today, do they will join if they clear tomorrow. There is also one guy left at the Habs camp, Bourque, on an AHL deal who will likely join Laval soon. And who knows what they plan on doing with Xhekaj. I expect with him still at main camp, he might get a deal of some sort and be sent to Laval.
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Post by seventeen on Oct 3, 2021 22:49:12 GMT -5
Not a single guy on there that I'd count on to make the Hags in the next 3 years. Maybe Vejdemo. One guy. Who's still to be cut from camp who might get added to that list? R-H-P? Ylonen? Teasdale? Short list and no one near being a difference maker.
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Post by frozone on Oct 4, 2021 10:27:05 GMT -5
Not a single guy on there that I'd count on to make the Hags in the next 3 years. Maybe Vejdemo. One guy. Who's still to be cut from camp who might get added to that list? R-H-P? Ylonen? Teasdale? Short list and no one near being a difference maker. It will be a little bare on the farm this year in terms of prospects that may one day move the needle on the big club. It's not all bad, though. It just so happens that our most intriguing 22 yo and under players will likely be on the Habs roster instead of in the AHL. If you make a combined list of the AHL+NHL prospects and players 22 yo and under: Caufield Suzuki Romanov Poehling Ylonen Brook Primeau In 2009-10 (imo the last time the Habs were rich in prospects "on the cusp" and with a realistic shot of making an impact in the NHL) the main prospects 22 yo and under were: Subban Pacioretty Desharnais Sergei Kostitsyn Pouliot/Latendresse Ben Maxwell Yannik Weber Surprisingly comparable imo, and would have looked even better if KK was still in the mix. Mind you, what matters most is that our group young prospects is better than that of the other NHL teams (that's a whole other discussion)... But I do think that our group of young prospects and players is way better than the Laval roster would suggest. |
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Post by seventeen on Oct 4, 2021 10:59:27 GMT -5
There are prospects other than in Laval of course. I was commenting just on that farm team. In the past, I'd look forward to checking out the box score to see who put up any points, but maybe not so much this year.
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Post by Tankdriver on Oct 4, 2021 12:04:13 GMT -5
I think our better prospects are all playing defence in the US.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 6, 2021 17:07:29 GMT -5
The Rocket have trimmed their training camp roster as well, moving a number of guys to the Trois-Rivières camp. The benefit of a three tiered system. The Rocket only play two pre season games, both this weekend. The are getting down to brass tacks and going with a much closer to kick off rosters for those games.
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