Player Discussion Charles Hudon Part III

[McGuires Corndog]

It's funny all the support Hudon gets.

Pretty sure 2 years ago when i complained Brian Flynn was playing over him when Patch was injured i did not get much support. A lot more people were pumping Flynn's tires saying he was solid at faceoffs and on the pk. Surprise surprise the great Brian Flynn is playing in the AHL this season. No it's not a surprise at all.

Pretty sure last summer when i said if i was Vegas i would claim Hudon way before Benn more people laughed at me than agreed with me.

I'm happy for the kid. He's definitely a NHLer.

We (Hudon fans) were hard to come by before this season. There was a small minority who thought he was NHL material, some optimists, but mostly detractors.

I was completely flabbergasted that Vegas didn't draft Hudon. But hey? These are professionals and they have all the information, right?

 

[McGuires Corndog]

50% cap retained Plekanec would be a very solid 3rd line addition to a good team looking to improve bottom 6. I think he'd fetch a 2nd easily (maybe a mediocre prospect too) if he maintains 30-35 point pace.

Hudon is one of those rare players in this organization I think can complement anyone. He makes Plekanec look better than he is right now offensively when matched together.

Right? It's hard to put Charles on a line and say "hmmm, nah that won't work". He's kinda like Gallagher, a little less grit but a little more skill.

Love the kid.

 

[WinterLion]

I've always been a big Hudon fan, but I am glad that he got to spend time in the AHL. He is way more consistent now and has had a chance to really work on the small things and develope his creative side without too much pressure.

Gotta give the organization some credit on this one.

 

[QuebecPride]

I've always been a big Hudon fan, but I am glad that he got to spend time in the AHL. He is way more consistent now and has had a chance to really work on the small things and develope his creative side without too much pressure.

Gotta give the organization some credit on this one.

He could have done the same last year. He was called up a year too late. Bergevin is right to say no players will be messed up by getting the call too late, but the team could have benefitted from his offensive acumen and hockey IQ last year, without his callup being a nuisance in his development.

I was a doubter when it comes to his skating speed, but he has adapted really well.

 

[WinterLion]

He could have done the same last year. He was called up a year too late. Bergevin is right to say no players will be messed up by getting the call too late, but the team could have benefitted from his offensive acumen and hockey IQ last year, without his callup being a nuisance in his development.

I was a doubter when it comes to his skating speed, but he has adapted really well.

Perhaps, but I'm not convinced. I watched Hudon a lot in the A last year and I think it really helped him with his consistency. It's really quite amazing how consistent he has been this year.

 

[FloJack]

He really just seems to be "getting it" lately for a lack of a better term, his pace for the NHL timing has gotten better with every game and you can see it now in his decision making. You can also see how Pleks and Gallagher are rubbing off on him, he's picking up their good qualities which I'm sure he already had, but seeing other vets do it night in and night out must be a help. I've noticed he agitates more like Pleks does than Gallagher for example, Pleks is a subtle agitator that does so many annoying, yet amusing things to me as a fan. Hudon seems to be similar that way. Coupled with his skills he's been a lot of fun to watch develop.

No subtleties to how Gallagher agitates.

 

[Runner77]

Tried to find info on Hudon playing center in the minors but came up empty.

Does anyone know how many games he played at the position and when?

We know he played some center in the AHL:

He’s played almost every conceivable role in the AHL, from being the top-line centre for a short period, to handling tougher defensive minutes.

Canadiens 2017 Top 25 Under 25: At #5, Charles Hudon is poised to challenge for an NHL roster spot

Prior to his AHL time, how extensive was his experience as a centre in the juniors?

 

[VAN-HAB]

Right? It's hard to put Charles on a line and say "hmmm, nah that won't work". He's kinda like Gallagher, a little less grit but a little more skill.

Love the kid.

this post says it all. Personality, humbled, hard work, talent. Love the kid too.Can't agree more, he and Galchy are now my favorite Habs. P

 

[Non Player Canadiens]

i love this kid too. a bright spot in an otherwise busted season.

 

[Runner77]

In July 2014, Martin Lapointe said that he saw Hudon as a centre given his excellent peripheral vision:

Martin (Lapointe, directeur du développement des joueurs) me dit qu'il me voit davantage au centre avec l'excellente vision périphérique que je possède. Une position ou l'autre, ça ne me dérange pas. Mais j'aurai besoin de plus d'encadrement au centre.»

L'avenir de Charles Hudon passe-t-il par le centre? | Robert Laflamme | Hockey

In December 2016, he mentions how he played RW with Team Canada, but says he's more comfortable at LW and C:

Muté du centre à l’aile gauche, Charles Hudon assure qu’il n’attache aucune importance à la position qu’on lui décernera. « J’ai déjà joué à droite avec Équipe Canada. Je suis plus à l’aise à gauche ou au centre ...

Hudon reviendra en force

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

It's funny all the support Hudon gets.

Pretty sure 2 years ago when i complained Brian Flynn was playing over him when Patch was injured i did not get much support. A lot more people were pumping Flynn's tires saying he was solid at faceoffs and on the pk. Surprise surprise the great Brian Flynn is playing in the AHL this season. No it's not a surprise at all.

Pretty sure last summer when i said if i was Vegas i would claim Hudon way before Benn more people laughed at me than agreed with me.

I'm happy for the kid. He's definitely a NHLer.

Pretty sure the Hudon of 2 years was nowhere near as good as he is now...
He improved a lot in all facets of his game.

Also it makes a lot of sense to think that Vegas would've picked Benn over Hudon since Hudon was still just a prospect, and Vegas wanted to pick up veteran players to then trade them for draft picks. It wasn't about who was going to end up the better player between those two.
Pretty sure most people would have rather had Hudon over Benn considering he was one of our top prospect.
Also the debate wasn't about Hudon vs Benn, it was Hudon vs Shaw.

We (Hudon fans) were hard to come by before this season. There was a small minority who thought he was NHL material, some optimists, but mostly detractors.

I was completely flabbergasted that Vegas didn't draft Hudon. But hey? These are professionals and they have all the information, right?

That's not true. Most people liked Hudon... He had 4 pts in 6 nhl games while playing on the 4th line after all.
I don't remember anyone hating on Hudon. If fact, most people on this board were pissed that we protected Shaw over hudon.

 

[montreal]

Tried to find info on Hudon playing center in the minors but came up empty.

Does anyone know how many games he played at the position and when?

We know he played some center in the AHL:

Prior to his AHL time, how extensive was his experience as a centre in the juniors?

I can't recall how much center he played in juniors. I can't say how many games he played at center in the AHL, what I can say is that it was his first year that they moved him to center, and if I recall it was after his great start where he was among the league leaders in scoring as a 20 year old. He was at LW then but I believe at some point they moved him to center. What I can say for sure, is that the next season with the Ice Caps he was at center to start the year. The line was Ghetto Hudon Holloway and they looked great but for whatever reason Lefevbre broke them up just a few games into the season and he never went back to center again other then some odd face-offs here and there.

try looking through this thread for info or the Hamilton thread from '14-'15,

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/charles-hudon-recalled.1905957/

Pretty sure the Hudon of 2 years was nowhere near as good as he is now...
He improved a lot in all facets of his game.


That's not true. Most people liked Hudon... He had 4 pts in 6 nhl games while playing on the 4th line after all.
I don't remember anyone hating on Hudon. If fact, most people on this board were pissed that we protected Shaw over hudon.

no unless you are just talking about skating/speed. Hudon killed it his rookie year and didn't have a lot of help as only Hensick had more pts. But he was on fire to start the season as he was in the top 5 in scoring in the AHL but of course he couldn't keep up that pace. If he had 1 more assist only Hensick, Dumont and Ghetto would have had more points then Hudon had assists as a 20 year old rookie.

But there were a few posters that did not like Hudon at all, if you go back and read through the threads you'll see,

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/charles-hudon-part-ii.2152701/

 

[CristianoRonaldo]

I really like Hudon. Potential to be a top 6 player no doubt.

In beginning of the season, i missed Radulov, but without Radulov, it’s more time for kids like Hudon and Lehkonen. Both have great potential.

Drouin, Galchenyuk, Gallagher, Hudon, Lehkonen... i really like that. Trade Pacioretty.

Byron and Danault play another good season too.

I love Hudon and Lehk, but Radulov is miles better, their almost no chance that Hudon/Lehk end up as good as Radulov.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

I'm very content keeping Hudon on the wing. Let him focus on being an offensive player. Centers these days need to have an above average combo of size and speed. Hudon doesn't have that, it's his skill that makes him an exciting prospect.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Curious... What do people think of Hudon at this point in the season? Future Top 6 winger or Top 9? How much better can he get from where he is at today?

AHL Stats:
- 207 games
- 75 goals (0.36 goals/game)
- 162 pts (0.78 pts/game)

NHL Stats:
- 34 games
- 4 goals (0.11 goals/game)
- 16 pts (0.47 pts/game)

 

[MXD]

Curious... What do people think of Hudon at this point in the season? Future Top 6 winger or Top 9? How much better can he get from where he is at today?

AHL Stats:
- 207 games
- 75 goals (0.36 goals/game)
- 162 pts (0.78 pts/game)

NHL Stats:
- 34 games
- 4 goals (0.11 goals/game)
- 16 pts (0.47 pts/game)

Ideally would be a Top-9, because a player should ideally be played in the lowest role he could instead of the highest.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Ideally would be a Top-9, because a player should ideally be played in the lowest role he could instead of the highest.

I'm curious to see where he stands at the end of the year. He does seem to be gaining confidence but I am always worried about the small and soft forwards we have on our roster. At this stage, I tend to agree, he's a fringe top 9 forward in his first full NHL season.

 

[montreal]

I think he's better then his production has shown so far but I also think he lack speed is a major concern still. He's got the smarts and skills to be a top 6 winger but he's got to produce more and work on getting quicker.

 

[montreal]

What a strange season for Hudon so far. He's got 6 goals and 4 of them came in 2 games. He's had a lot of good chances but just seems to come up short. Can he be a 40 pt NHLer or is his lack of foot speed going to hold him back, as I think he has the skill and smarts to get there. He'll be 24 next season so it will be a big year for him, hopefully he doesn't regress ala Lehkonen in production.

 

[jfm133]

He is already on a 34 points pace. With a good finish he could already get 40 points this season. This foot speed thing is a bit of a myth. He is not the fastest, he is not Byron, but it is not a problem. Proof of that he got a good number of scoring opportunities this year but his conversion rate was low. He needs more confidence and stop believing goals come as a gift of god or help from a dead friend. Nothing against faith and remembrance, but he needs to be more down to earth about what happens on the ice. He will get results or not by what he does on the ice, not from some outer force.

 

[Adam Michaels]

He is already on a 34 points pace. With a good finish he could already get 40 points this season. This foot speed thing is a bit of a myth. He is not the fastest, he is not Byron, but it is not a problem. Proof of that he got a good number of scoring opportunities this year but his conversion rate was low. He needs more confidence and stop believing goals come as a gift of god or help from a dead friend. Nothing against faith and remembrance, but he needs to be more down to earth about what happens on the ice. He will get results or not by what he does on the ice, not from some outer force.

What are you talking about?

 

[jfm133]

You did not see him making the sign of the cross and pointing to heaven after his goals?

 

[Adam Michaels]

You did not see him making the sign of the cross and pointing to heaven after his goals?

Yes I have. But what does it have to do with ANYTHING?

 

[jfm133]

It's obvious.

 

[David Suzuki]

He is already on a 34 points pace. With a good finish he could already get 40 points this season. This foot speed thing is a bit of a myth. He is not the fastest, he is not Byron, but it is not a problem. Proof of that he got a good number of scoring opportunities this year but his conversion rate was low. He needs more confidence and stop believing goals come as a gift of god or help from a dead friend. Nothing against faith and remembrance, but he needs to be more down to earth about what happens on the ice. He will get results or not by what he does on the ice, not from some outer force.

just when you think you've seen it all on this forum