Canadiens Analysis
Pascal Vincent Off To Great Start With Canadiens AHL Affiliate
Things have taken a turn for the worse for the Montreal Canadiens this season. That’s to be expected in a rebuild, there’s no avoiding ebbs and flows, though it is concerning the team is regressing rather than progressing. It’s a frustrating situation for all involved, including the fans, however, there is some solace to be found in the AHL.
The Laval Rocket are off to a great start to the season, as evidenced by their current five-game win streak. Not only are they controlling the majority of the shots during their games, they’ve only lost once, placing them among the best teams in the league. Believe it or not, their 6-0-1 record is not good enough to take the North Division lead, that honour belongs to the Toronto Marlies, a team that is yet to lose in regulation, but it does mark a significant improvement for a team that has failed to meet expectations year after year.
Bench Boss Betterment
It seems the Canadiens have finally installed a head coach in the AHL who is a good communicator, while also being adept at teaching young players how to play within a system. That’s not to say the former coaches brought nothing to the table, but Pascal Vincent’s ability to walk the line between instruction and affability is quite the boon for the organization.
Many coaches will attempt to take that approach, but few are successful.
Of course, talent plays a part in the AHL equation, and there’s no denying having players such as Alexandre Barre-Boulet and Joshua Roy in the mix makes things easier on the head coach. On that note, it’s not always easy to keep players focused when their ultimate goal is to return to the NHL.
Vincent has a wealth of experience that helps him navigate the choppy waters in Laval, as he has spent significant time in the CHL, and the AHL, not to mention three years in the NHL. Simply put, there aren’t many situations that he’s yet to encounter.
Prospect Advancement
Winning is not Vincent’s primary mandate, but it is an important aspect of player development, his ultimate goal. Losing will eventually ruin a locker room, and the stench of defeat is very difficult to air out.
But if the team’s top prospects learn to win in a professional setting before making their way to Montreal, they’ll have a leg up when it comes to adapting to the NHL.
Roy is currently on pace for a 41-goal season, which indicates he’s taking his AHL assignment seriously. He deserves most of the credit, but it must be said that Vincent is giving him every opportunity possible to prove his worth. Vincent helped Roy focus on the task at hand, exactly what the 21-year-old needed after a suboptimal training camp with the Canadiens that left him with a bitter taste in his mouth.
Joshua Roy’s goal tonight.. Can we get this kid back up in MTL please? I think It’s time to unleash Wawa.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Q494yyuUrU
— Hockey Junkie (@HockeyJunkieYT) October 26, 2024
Luke Tuch, Adam Engstrom, Owen Beck, Florian Xhekaj, and Filip Mesar have enjoyed a very solid start to their professional hockey careers in North America, and though the latter is now injured, Vincent made a point of paying special attention to Mesar’s needs, insulating him with knowledge and support while also encouraging him to give an honest effort every practice. Jared Davidson has also responded quite well to Vincent’s appointment as the team’s new head coach, with two goals and three assists in seven games, good for third overall in team scoring.
As for Barre-Boulet, his production comes as no surprise. He’s one of the best players in recent league history, and is currently on pace to score 28 goals and 84 assists in 70 games. That being said, the main concern with 27-year-old was never his skill set. There comes a point when certain veterans start to feel bitter about their AHL assignments, particularly players like Barre-Boulet, who have spent the majority of their careers in the minors. Vincent has helped him keep his eyes on the prize while encouraging him to lead the team in the meantime. He also provided a certain level of empathy, which is very important in the AHL.
“He has an exemplary attitude,” explained Vincent. “He understands the situation. He wants to return to the NHL and put himself in a position where the Canadiens cannot afford to assign him to the AHL.”
It’s much too early to plan the parade in Laval, and though he’s certainly a good candidate to take over in the NHL should a job opening arise, his current success in the AHL is not a threat to Martin St-Louis. If anything, Vincent is helping St-Louis by teaching the young players who will eventually play for the Canadiens how to act like professionals, both on and off the ice.
As it stands, thanks to Vincent, the Rocket are enjoying team success, powered by individual growth and top-notch instructions from the coaching staff, the ideal situation for the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate,
Read This Next
Recommended
Vincent sounds like a great coach, especially with young talent. I assume he’ll be a prime candidate to replace St Louis in the New Year.
It’s early in the year and he has a very solid and professional resume. He coached Cape Breton in the Q, nobody really wants to play there as Sydney is a long way from everywhere in the league, and yet he did a great job with the screaming eagles- they always played hard and you had to earn everything against them. In other words, well coached. However, I wonder why Columbus performed so poorly under him? This year they have taken a nice step forward- the kind I was hoping we would make.
As I say, very early and Laval is near the top of the league under him while near the bottom last year without him. Some of that has to be attributed to his ability to communicate and implement systems and mange players. Lot of eyes on him as he’s new to tge organization and as the parent club struggles.
This is a very good sign for the Habs. After what Marty said today, looks like certain players on the team have a short leash and Hughes may be likely to at least demote someone like he did with Armia last year.
Brain cramp giveaways to the opposition all alone in front of your net simply can’t happen. If this is a sign of career fatigue, sayonara, buddy. And you owe your goalie a steak dinner.
At least in one situation earlier in the game when Hutson was challenged he passed it up instead of trying to dipsy-doodle around the guy. He’s learned his lesson about that.
Something has to change. We understand it’s a fast game and mistakes happen but good teams- well coached teams- make less. Sometimes winning is a matter of waiting for the opposition to self destruct. Unfortunately, that’s us right now. We are young but that’s a positive attrbute not an excuse.
I’ve only seen 2 games this season, as i only get the home games on RDS. I looked into getting AHLTV, but they are charging a ludicrous $40/month for it. Given i have zero time/interest in watching any team but Laval, and i already get 40 games for nothing, that’s a hard sell, so I took a pass there. (The package also shows CHL and NCAA games, but I’m no hockey scout to need all that)
I do go to all the games they play vs the Marlies in Toronto (home), so it’s enough.
I’ve liked the game of Roy and Barre-Boulet in those 2 games, as well as several others. I’m still learning everyone’s numbers, that can be slow when there’s so much time between home games though. It is also good to see Mesar playing well there, as i was discouraged by 2 straight years where he was sent back to junior after 1 and 2 games in the past 2 years. I wasn’t thinking bust, but I was concerned about the development plan for him and several other prospects. Good to see him having early success.