The Montreal Canadiens wrapped up their rookie camp with a three-game tournament in Buffalo, featuring prospects from the Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators. The Habs opened the tournament with a loss to Buffalo, who were by far the most talented of the four rookie teams, but followed up the loss with two dominating wins over the Bruins and Senators. Although you can never read too much into a rookie camp, a few players stood out the most over the weekend.
William Trudeau
William Trudeau was a notable defenceman for the Charlottetown Islanders of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He scored 90 points in 166 games for the Islanders, with his best season coming in his final year in the QMJHL in 2021-22, where he scored 44 points in 68 games, with 11 points in 14 playoff games. The Canadiens drafted him in the fourth round, 113th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft; he just played his first professional season with the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL), scoring a respectable 27 points in 60 games as a rookie. Trudeau was named captain for the rookie team in the tournament and didn’t disappoint with his solid two-way defensive game.
Trudeau wasn’t perfect in the tournament, but no one was. He had a few rough spots in the game against Buffalo but never made the same mistake twice. As the tournament progressed, his play improved as he used a physical style to win board battles and clear unwanted players from in front of the net. He was very good in transition and created multiple scoring chances. He proved last season in Laval was no fluke, and if his progression continues, he could be a top-pairing defenceman there this season.
Jan Mysak
Jan Mysak was at one point a promising draft pick for the Canadiens when he was selected in the second round, 48th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. He was a point-per-game player (P/G) with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in his two seasons from 2019-2022. His professional debut last season with Laval, however, was very underwhelming. After scoring two points in a brief 22-game appearance for the Rocket in 2020-21, he had a chance to shine in his first full season with the team. That didn’t happen in 40 games. He mainly played bottom-six minutes and scored only nine points. Worse, some players, like Owen Beck and Emil Heineman, who can also make the Montreal roster this season, were starting to slide ahead of him on the depth chart.
Related: Canadiens’ Positional Battles to Watch at Training Camp
Mysak did take this rookie tournament seriously and came out with something to prove. He scored the game-winning goal (GWG) in the Ottawa game and had a goal and an assist in the Boston game. His three points were second on the team, and his two goals were tied for first. It was just a tiny sample, but Mysak played a dominant two-way game, proving that Laval is the right spot for him. The question is, can he bring the same effort to the Canadiens training camp and carry it over to Laval this upcoming season? If he can, he may keep himself from dropping further in the depth chart; otherwise, he could be on his way out of the organization.
Joshua Roy
Joshua Roy was by far the most dominant player for the Canadiens in this year’s rookie showcase. He had a point in every game and ended with four points with two goals. Every time he was on the ice, he created a scoring chance of some kind and was the main reason Mysak scored the winning goal against Ottawa after Roy did everything he could to get the puck behind the Senators’ goalie. Roy has done nothing but improve his entire career and has stepped up his game everywhere he has played. He dominated the QMJHL with the Sherbrooke Phoenix the past two seasons and was one of the top players at this year’s World Junior Hockey Championship (WJC) in Halifax, NS, scoring 11 points and five goals in seven games to help Canada win gold.
Roy will be one of the young players to watch at the Canadiens main camp: if he continues to play like he did in this tournament, he could push for a spot on Montreal’s roster. He has all the tools to be an excellent winger for the Habs as he is always trying to create a scoring chance, whether on his own or trying to set up a teammate. Roy was a fifth-round pick but could easily be a diamond in the rough. If he doesn’t make the Canadiens from the start – likely, due to the roster size as it is – he definitely will get a few games in at some point this season in Montreal.
Keep in mind this was a small tournament, and except for the Sabres, the other teams didn’t have much in terms of actual legitimate prospects playing. These three, however, played the same game throughout the showcase and stepped it up to show their skills at a point when everyone was watching. Other notable players were Logan Mailloux, who progressed some and played better after his horrific first game; Beck, who played an excellent two-way forward game; and Miguël Tourigny, who played a solid two-way defensive game. Canadiens training camp will be enjoyable, with very few spots open to fight for, but there is always that player who will make it hard for management to finalize their decision.
