Marc Dumont
While the Montreal Canadiens continue to enjoy steady improvements in the NHL, their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, has become a beacon of success in some of the most important roles of a farm team: player development and establishing a winning culture.
Laval has already qualified for the playoffs and currently sits in a very familiar position in the standings — first overall in the North Division.
Let’s take a look at some of the key factors powering the Rocket’s continued impressive performance.
Timely Reinforcements
One of the most frustrating realities for any AHL team is the very nature of the arrangement. If a player finds success in the minors, he’s quickly moved to the front of the call-up line and eventually promoted to the NHL.
In other words, developing prospects for future success is often directly detrimental to a team’s present performance.
Such is life in the AHL. No one said it would be easy.
Every team must deal with this challenge, and only the best-assembled clubs rise to the occasion — clubs like the Laval Rocket.
The Rocket have managed to mitigate significant roster losses, including the departure of starting goaltender Jacob Fowler and several other players who have earned time in Montreal. One of the main driving forces behind this resilience has been the work of general manager John Sedgwick.
Montreal’s salary-cap guru has done a fantastic job keeping a close eye on the next generation of Habs players, and has been proactive when it comes to solving some of the most pressing issues on the farm.
For example, when it was clear the Canadiens were intent on keeping Fowler in the NHL, Sedgwick quickly made a trade to reinforce Laval’s goaltending situation, acquiring two-time Calder Cup champion Hunter Shepard from the Belleville Senators to help Kaapo Kahkonen hold the fort.
The Canadiens also decided to assign Samuel Blais to the AHL to alleviate the logjam of healthy forwards in the NHL. By doing so, they provided the Rocket with the spark they needed, as Blais has quickly become one of Laval’s most important players. He’s maintained a point-per-game pace, scoring 11 goals and 16 assists in 27 games. You could make an argument that he should be playing in the NHL, but for once, the roster construction has worked in favour of the farm team, making criticism of his usage the equivalent to looking a gift horse in the mouth.
Defensive Impact
When the Canadiens opted to trade Logan Mailloux to the St-Louis Blues in exchange for Zachary Bolduc, not only did they add depth to the NHL lineup, they liberated precious ice time in the AHL for their top defensive prospects.
All things considered, it’s fair to say that Adam Engstrom and David Reinbacher have seized their opportunities with the Laval Rocket this season.
Reinbacher did have to deal with a few injury setbacks, a recurring issue, but there’s no denying he’s in the midst of putting together one of the most encouraging stretches since he was drafted fifth overall by the Canadiens in 2023.
Reinbacher is on pace to produce six goals and 21 assists in 59 prorated games, which has led to calls from NHL pundits that he must be promoted to the Canadiens lineup at some point this season. While I disagree with this assessment, as there’s no rush to remove him from a situation that guarantees crucial developmental ice time, it must be said that Reinbacher has improved his experience level significantly, exactly what the doctor ordered for a prospect who missed many games in his D+1 and D+2 seasons.
It should also be noted Reinbacher looked quite comfortable when Engstrom was unavailable due to his promotion to the NHL, or the injury that forced him to miss almost a month of action in late February.
With that in mind, it’s still clear that Engstrom is the most NHL-ready prospect in the mix. He’s on pace to score 12 goals and 28 assists in 51 prorated games, making him one of the most productive defencemen in the league despite having played fewer games than most of his counterparts.
The best way to look at it is not to compare Reinbacher and Engstrom as if they’re competing for the same job, even if that may be the case.
Rather, the Canadiens and their fans should be very happy that their top defensive prospects are starting to thrive in a very difficult league.
It guarantees a certain continuity from a prospect growth standpoint, which is very important for an NHL team on the rise.
Veteran Support
We already discussed the importance of having a quality netminding option such as Kahkonen in the mix, though he’s far from the only veteran providing leadership on and off the ice.
From top to bottom, the Rocket are fortunate to have a very strong leadership group, starting with captain Lucas Condotta, who is not afraid to drop the gloves when it’s time to stand up for his younger teammates.
Laurent Dauphin and Alex Belzile serve as Condotta’s alternate captains, though it must be said they do most of their damage on the scoreboard, as evidenced by the fact that they’re currently ranked first and second, respectively, among the Rocket’s top scorers.
It’s a fine balancing act, as not every good AHL player is a good AHL leader.
Many are looking to renew their NHL aspirations, which is perfectly normal, but doesn’t always align with the team’s most pressing needs.
Both Dauphin and Belzile are still working towards earning a job in the NHL, but they’re conscious that they must also serve as examples to their current AHL teammates when it comes to keeping their eyes on the immediate prize.
This, in turn, makes earning a job in the NHL a little more difficult, which goes to show the type of character needed to become a leader in the AHL.
Moving Forward
While most of the attention in the AHL has been given to the defensive prospects, we should not lose sight of the fact that several of the forwards drafted by the Canadiens have also played a crucial role in ensuring the Laval Rocket have maintained their standard of excellence.
Joshua Roy, Sean Farrell, Owen Beck, Jared Davidson, and Florian Xhekaj, among others, have provided pivotal primary or secondary scoring on most nights.
Keep in mind, the Rocket tend to play two, or even three games on the weekend, making consistency a crucial factor in team success. Thanks to many of their forward prospects, Laval has done a great job when it comes to scoring goals, to the tune of 207, the most in the North Division.
Bench Boss
It’s a little too easy to blame a coach for a team’s failures, and the same can be said when it comes to their impact on success.
However, there’s a reason Laval Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent is the reigning coach of the year in the AHL.
He does a great job maintaining a healthy locker room, while navigating the inevitable hurdles that complicate his two most important roles, which are preparing prospects for the NHL, while simultaneously ensuring a certain level of success in the AHL.
Vincent has been a veritable godsend to the Rocket, along with Sedgwick’s appointment as the team’s general manager.
Having talented players in the AHL is one thing, but elevating them to the next level is a much harder task, one that can only be accomplished with strong management in place.
