The Laval Rocket Are A Top AHL Team Thanks To Key Changes

There’s something very interesting happening in the Montreal Canadiens organization, as evidenced by the fact that their AHL team, the Laval Rocket, has started the season with a SpaceX-type approach to soaring as high as possible.

The team dropped a 2-1 game on Wednesday night against the Rochester Americans, but the overtime loss is but a tiny blemish on what is otherwise an incredibly impressive record, to the tune of 12-2-1-0 good for 25 points in 15 games, not to mention the top spot in the Eastern Conference, as well as the best winning percentage in the league (.833).

The yin and yang of a hockey rebuild dictates that while an NHL team struggles, their AHL affiliate should be thriving, as the influx of prospects afforded by finishing among the worst teams in the NHL is the easiest way to improve a farm team.

That’s certainly the case for the Rocket, but their red-hot start to the season has to do with more than just filling the team with eventual NHLers.

Laval Rocket Management Change

Having spent half a decade covering the Rocket, I have the utmost respect for any head coach that manages to find a little consistency in the chaos that invariably casts a shadow over the complicated logistics involved in running an AHL team.

It’s not just a matter of placing the best players on the top line, and then following suit with the rest of the lineup. There are veterans that will insist on prime ice time, prospects who are beginning their professional careers in earnest, full-time AHLers who want to carve permanent spot on the team, NHL-calls ups to work around, injuries, a hectic travel schedule, not to mention the regular coaching duties that take up most of their time.

I’ve said it before, and I’m likely to repeat it another hundred times by the end of the season: AHL coaches must have an effective approach to human relations if they’re to find any semblance of success.

Pascal Vincent has done a fantastic job walking the line between mentor and instructor, all the while providing the Canadiens with a potential suitor for a coaching job in the NHL should the team feel they want to move on from Martin St-Louis. It’s important to note that’s not the case at the moment, and that Vincent’s strong work in the NHL should not be seen as a threat for St-Louis, however, we’d also be foolish to ignore that he’s a solid contingency plan, which is always a good thing in the professional sports setting.

We also have to give credit to Canadiens assistant general manager John Sedgwick. He took over as general manager of the Rocket this offseason, shoring up the team by signing veteran goaltender Connor Hughes, as well as a few key veterans in Tyler Wotherspoon and Laurent Dauphin. The addition of a half dozen veterans to the squad bolstered the team’s depth without harming the ice time available for key prospects.

In other words, Sedgwick added an insurance policy without undercutting the most important part of the AHL process: developing players.

Heading into Wednesday’s game against the Syracuse Crunch, the Rocket’s lineup was littered with players who are expected to one day make an impact in the NHL. More importantly, unlike many prospects from the previous regime, they have the potential to do so.

Owen Beck with a shorthanded game-winning goal tonight 👀

The Laval Rocket are absolutely buzzing right now after winning 6 games in a row 🔥

pic.twitter.com/GmPht1E3oD

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) November 2, 2024

Owen Beck anchored the second line, alongside fellow Canadiens draft picks Riley Kidney and Jared Davidson. Both Beck and Davidson have enjoyed a very solid start to the season, and have done a great job taking advantage of the opportunities offered by Vincent. We must give credit to the players, as they’re the ones making the decisions on the ice, however, there’s something to be said about Vincent’s ability to instruct his players in a manner that’s easy to understand, while providing constructive instructions, and defusing any potential chemistry issues in the locker room.

Adam Engstrom played a lot of professional hockey in Sweden, whereas Logan Mailloux and Jakub Dobes are currently playing their second full season in the league, which means previous coaches and experience cannot be overlooked, but it’s worth noting all three of these key prospects are playing important roles on a team that happens to own the best win percentage in the league.

To put a fine point on their success this season, the Rocket aren’t just one of the best teams in the league, they’re the best AHL team the organization has had in over 50 years.

I don’t want to alarm you, but 24 points after 14 games is the best result for the Montreal Canadiens AHL team since, at least, 1969-70 when their primary farm team joined the AHL.

On parle ici de tout record confondu entre les Voyageurs de Montréal et de la Nouvelle-Écosse, le… pic.twitter.com/AMDChilaiO

— Andrew Zadarnowski (@AZadarski) November 20, 2024

Keeping The Laval Rocket Momentum Up

The most important mandate for an AHL team will always be preparing players for their eventual ascension to the NHL, and if the Canadiens do come calling, the Rocket are duty-bound to gut their roster if necessary.

We all know Joshua Roy will eventually make his way back to the NHL, and he’s far from the only one in the lineup who aspires to greater things. He’d also be the first person to tell me that I need to shut up about maintaining chemistry in the AHL, as he’ll make more in two weeks with the Canadiens than he would in an entire season with the Rocket.

And yet, given how well the team is playing right now, not to mention the importance of learning how to win at a professional level, Kent Hughes and Co. would be wise to give the Rocket a wide berth.

There’s something special brewing.

Prospects are thriving, veterans are happy, attendance is fantastic, and the coach can’t seem to make a mistake.

That’s the epitome of a near-perfect situation, at least as far as the AHL goes, where perfection is impossible, but improvements, such as the ones we’ve seen in Laval this season, are necessary.