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Habs Wrap: Demidov’s Scoring, Training Camp Highlights, Xhekaj

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MONTREAL — There’s always Montreal Canadiens content to absorb, but there are only so many hours in a day. On Sundays, we recap the most exciting and relevant NHL news stories that you may have missed throughout the week so that you can stay in the Canadiens loop.

Monday

Having two Xhekajs in the organization ensures maximum entertainment, and that includes stories from what was probably a fairly rowdy childhood. To make things even more fun, thanks to social media we get to see the reaction from the very person who had to deal with the fallout of Arber and Florian’s mischievous adventures.

Aatos Koivu played his second game of the season for TPS, marking the second time I had a chance to watch him play an entire game in a live setting. I’ll need a few more viewings before I feel comfortable writing up an official Habs prospect report, but seeing as he discussed his father prior to the game, it’s worth mentioning they do share some of the same strengths. I’m not sure if I agree that he’s better than Saku was at 18 years old, or that his shot is already better than his father’s in his prime, but that’s fine. He’s his own player and should be treated as such.  Despite playing limited time on the fourth line as a winger, Aatos certainly has a penchant for making the most of his shifts. Against Lukko he was given less than three minutes of ice time in the first period, and yet he managed to lead both teams with four shots on net. He also did a very good job earning the final few feet of precious real estate around the net. His defensive play is still a mystery to me, as he’s been held to roughly eight minutes of ice time per game, but to make a long story short, all signs at this early stage point to Koivu being a potential draft steal.

Tuesday

The Montreal Canadiens announced their official training camp roster, which includes 59 players. Camp opens on Wednesday with physicals, before it moves to on-ice sessions on Thursday, through to Sunday. Camp will shift to preseason games on September 23, when the Habs will face the Philadelphia Flyers. [Click Here To Open The Montreal Canadiens Training Camp Roster]

Prospect Bogdan Konyushkov is developing well in the KHL with Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo, however, he also signed a contract extension recently, which means the communication with the Canadiens is limited compared to other top young players.


Former Canadiens defenceman Chris Wideman has announced his retirement following six seasons in the NHL, including two years with the Habs. [Canadiens]

The 48th edition of the golf tournament raised over $800,000 for the team’s charity, the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation

Wednesday

Now that the Montreal Canadiens training camp has officially opened, we can take a look at the upcoming battle for the one or two spots that will be available on the blue line. Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, David Reinbacher, and Adam Engstrom will be among the young defensive prospects who will attempt to earn a permanent NHL job in the upcoming weeks. A lot of the decisions will also depend on where the Habs will use Kaiden Guhle. If he’s played on his offside, things will become much more complicated for the prospects, but ideally, the Habs can find him a spot on the left side of the blue line.[Canadiens Defensive Situation Should Lead To Exciting Training Camp Battles]

The Habs were among the teams who briefly discussed a potential trade with the Nashville Predators centred on disgruntled goaltender Yaroslav Askarov, but given what we know about the situation, it was closer to Kent Hughes performing due diligence as a general manager than a serious discussion about acquiring another goaltender. The Predators did bring up one of the top Canadiens prospects in those negotiations, goalie Jacob Fowler, but that was a non-starter for the Habs. NHL goaltenders rarely carry much value on the trade market, and given that Fowler has already proven he’s one of the best goaltender prospects in the hockey landscape, there would be very little potential value added by paying a king’s ransom to acquire a goalie such as Askarov. [Trade Talk: The Canadiens, Jacob Fowler, and Yaroslav Askarov]

It was the Canadiens media day yesterday, which involves most players making their way to Brossard in small groups so that the team can record a short video to be used at a later date. This means the videos you see on the big screen during Canadiens games are indeed recorded in mid-September. It’s a fairly relaxed atmosphere, especially when things go slightly wrong.

 

Thursday

The Canadiens invited 59 players to camp this year, much fewer than the 74 invites the Canadiens handed out during Martin St-Louis’ first training camp as the new head coach. I know there are various reasons why teams invite a lot of players to camp, but it’s rather refreshing to see the Canadiens shorten their list from the very get-go. It allows the team to focus on players who have a legitimate chance to make the NHL, and as a secondary bonus, it should lead to much more entertaining pre-season games.  [TVA Sports]

Speaking of players who have a legitimate chance to make the NHL, Owen Beck is one of the few forwards who did not play in the NHL last season but will still be given an opportunity to win a job at camp. If Rob Ramage’s media availability on Wednesday is any indication, the Canadiens also view Beck as the cream of the crop when it comes to forward prospects.

Friday

One of the most encouraging aspects of rookie camp was the level of talent present in the lineup, despite the fact that several of the team’s top prospects were not in attendance. One of those top prospects, Ivan Demidov, is busy playing in the KHL, where he just produced the first four-point night of his professional hockey career, but certainly not the last. [Canadiens Prospect Highlights: Ivan Demidov’s Four-Point Night]

With the four-point night in the books, Demidov now leads SKA Saint Petersburg with six points in six games.

Take a look at three storylines worth monitoring at the team’s main training camp, including where newcomer Patrik Laine will be used in the Canadiens lineup. [Top 3 Storylines To Watch At Montreal Canadiens Training Camp]

Given that he has the wingspan of a condor, it’s easy to forget Juraj Slafkovsky is just 20 years old, which means confidence plays a big part in his results.

Saturday

With preseason games on the docket, it’s always a good time to remember Joshua Roy is one of the best-value picks the Montreal Canadiens have made in a while. His audition in the NHL last season went incredibly well, connoting top-six usage may be in order for the 21-year-old forward.  [Canadiens Prospect Rankings: Joshua Roy Deserves More Credit]

While we’re on the subject of player cards, Ivan Demidov’s draft year comparables tend to be pretty decent. Some guy named Wayne Gretzky is among them. [Ivan Demidov’s Big Night]

Adam Engstrom’s silky-smooth skating is always a treat to watch. He’ll have a hard time carving out a roster spot in the NHL this season due to the logjam among defencemen, but there’s no doubt he’s been turning heads at training camp.

Hard-working prospect Vinzenz Rohrer put together a two-goal effort for Zurich in just the second game of the season.

Filip Mesar didn’t necessarily stand out during the rookie camp, but there’s still a lot of time for the skilled forward to impress Martin St-Louis and Pascal Vincent.

It’s much too early to start analyzing lines, but Patrik Laine and Kirby Dach enjoyed some instant chemistry during Friday’s scrimmage. It’s far from surprising, as Dach has a history of playing well regardless of his linemates. Again, it’s early, but Laine’s shooting skills combined with Dach’s ability to facilitate the transition game could end up paying off.

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