Laval Rocket: Laval Rocket at Cleveland Monsters 7:00 pm

[JeffreyLFC]

I think he's talking about the older guys drafted elsewhere;

Gorton drafted Lias 7th overall

Perreault late 1st rounder, Stephens and Heinemen are high 2nd picks

Yes, the whole team compared to the other AHL teams. Many of other clubs have no where the drafted players that the Rocket have and they are flying in the AHL.

Other than Heineman, the others are all castaways with the teams that drafted them and are now pure AHLers.

Compare it to your average AHL playoff team like Syracuse or Cleveland or Toronto and there are no excuses. Very few teams have high drafted players on their team. If anything the habs have significantly more supposed high pick than your average team.

Mailloux (1st), Kidney (2nd), Mysak/Perreault(2nd or 1st), Barron (1st), Andersson (1st), Mitchell (2nd), Heineman (2nd), Struble (2nd)

There are issue with the coaching or player recruitment, it is very obvious

 

[Schooner Guy]

Yes, the whole team compared to the other AHL teams. Many of other clubs have no where the drafted players that the Rocket have and they are flying in the AHL.


Compare it to your average AHL playoff team and there are no excuses. Very few teams have high drafted players on their team.

High draft picks doesn't mean much in the AHL because it usually either means they are very young (Reinbacher, Mailloux) or have become career AHLers (Perreault, Andersson). Syracuse is in 1st place but have very few 1st round picks as TB never owns a 1st pick. TB and the Habs are in two different places and have different priorities for both their big club and their AHL farm team.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

To give the benefit of the doubt to Hughes and co, next year is the year 2022 draftees (except overager Davidson) will start making their way to the AHL.

Might get up to 8 of them next year (Mesar, Beck, Hutson, Engstrom, Rohrer, Guindon, Nurmi and Tourigny). Of course some of them still have time to sign later (Engstrom, Rohrer) or might not get signed (Guindon, Nurmi), but we should get a good look at the first crop of Hughes draftees going AHL pro.

100%.

I'm hoping they can get a good mix of good vets and help the young guys, but don't bury them, maybe just cover them a bit.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

High draft picks doesn't mean much in the AHL because it usually either means they are very young (Reinbacher, Mailloux) or have become career AHLers (Perreault, Andersson). Syracuse is in 1st place but have very few 1st round picks as TB never owns a 1st pick. TB and the Habs are in two different places and have different priorities for both their big club and their AHL farm team.

Then the player recruitment or coaching is POOR, I don't care if your are a career AHLer or young drafted player, you need to perform and when a team does not perform and I hear people claim, it's because they don't have enough talent... I simply can't accept that excuse. Every AHL teams are filled with free agents and career AHLer, no top team is build with NHL talent and top draft picks. The reality is based on the player profile available they underperformed significantly. Heck the best performer was IMO the kid goalkeeper Dobes when the team is facing elimination games which is unacceptable. Either the coaching team is putrid or the recruitment side is putrid, Laval is one of best place for players to play so they should not have any issue in getting decent AHL player based on the location.

If anything, I feel it is an horrible environment to develop our players. If they cannot even make the playoff it means they are not developing and having bad pro habits which does not bode well for the future.

 

[schwang26]

I can’t believe how invisible some guys were last night. Farrel had great chemistry with Roy, but has all but disappeared. Mailloux has cooled off a lot. Reinbacher jumped in the first couple games and has barely crossed the blue line since then. Anderson invisible last night. After Stephens scored 11 seconds in, he did nothing. Bourque brings nothing if he’s not hitting which he wasn’t. I think Bison was the only guy trying last night. Just a terrible effort in a must win game. And Cleveland was missing so many good players! Crappy game winner for Dobes to give up too.

 

[Mrb1p]

Safe to say they're not making it now ? JFH should probably get canned IDK. It's also time we inject some talent in there. The Rockets/ahl affiliates have been so bad for so long, it's crazy.

 

[Treb]

Safe to say they're not making it now ? JFH should probably get canned IDK. It's also time we inject some talent in there. The Rockets/ahl affiliates have been so bad for so long, it's crazy.

They need to be within 4 points of both Utica/Belleville for the final weekend.

Still doable right now, but it mostly depend on what both other teams do this weekend more than what Laval does in their final game before the b2b.

 

[Bobby Holik agent]

Shoutout to Reinbacher swimming to the board to get out of the pool on the gwg.
He does remind me of a swimmer with how large his shoulder are.

 

[JT3]

The Xhekaj stint and hot streak masked what is otherwise not a very good team. Time to move on from Houle and get some of their own guys in there next season.

 

[OldCraig71]

The Xhekaj stint and hot streak masked what is otherwise not a very good team. Time to move on from Houle and get some of their own guys in there next season.

Losing Roy didn't help the situation either.

 

[Tyson]

I can’t believe how invisible some guys were last night. Farrel had great chemistry with Roy, but has all but disappeared. Mailloux has cooled off a lot. Reinbacher jumped in the first couple games and has barely crossed the blue line since then. Anderson invisible last night. After Stephens scored 11 seconds in, he did nothing. Bourque brings nothing if he’s not hitting which he wasn’t. I think Bison was the only guy trying last night. Just a terrible effort in a must win game. And Cleveland was missing so many good players! Crappy game winner for Dobes to give up too.

Great review of the Laval season, not just last night's loss

 

[Runner77]

Great review of the Laval season, not just last night's loss

There is a slew of prospects coming up and Laval has a captive audience, playing to capacity crowds repeatedly in one of the league’s best facilities.

They can both develop and win. They’d be fools not to have the best staff in there, to maximize their chances of success on both counts.

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

So much doom and gloom here. The goal line isn't making the AHL playoffs. It's developing NHL talent. No sense worrying too much about Laval's record. Laval had horrific goaltending the first half of the season. They'll be fine moving forward. Lots of success stories down in the farm this year.

 

[1909]

I am done with this version of the Rocket. There are some good pieces with Mailloux, Dobes, Reinbacher but nothing else. They need a different group of managers.

Roy and Struble (even Barron) should all have played with Laval the whole season. Even RHP.

 

[OldCraig71]

There is a slew of prospects coming up and Laval has a captive audience, playing to capacity crowds repeatedly in one of the league’s best facilities.

They can both develop and win. They’d be fools not to have the best staff in there, to maximize their chances of success on both counts.

They should hire you to get things whipped into shape, I think you could do it. I am looking for a job once you get established. I will be in charge of the pre-game prep talks and occasional stints behind the bench lol.

 

[Runner77]

So much doom and gloom here. The goal line isn't making the AHL playoffs. It's developing NHL talent. No sense worrying too much about Laval's record. Laval had horrific goaltending the first half of the season. They'll be fine moving forward. Lots of success stories down in the farm this year.

Depends on the posters. Knowing how to win and being part of a winning environment, it could be argued, is a contributory factor to development.

 

[1909]

I understand why the AHL calendar is made like it is. Mainly to cut travel costs. But how can we judge the real value of a team when such team is not playing against half of the league's teams ? It is like two leagues wrapped in one.

 

[Runner77]

They should hire you to get things whipped into shape, I think you could do it. I am looking for a job once you get established. I will be in charge of the pre-game prep talks and occasional stints behind the bench lol.

I was this close to becoming a player agent with Jandec, which used to be Pierre Lacroix’s outfit. They were looking for staff at the time, after Lacroix took on the GM job with Quebec. Wish I’d have stuck it out.

 

[Treb]

So much doom and gloom here. The goal line isn't making the AHL playoffs. It's developing NHL talent. No sense worrying too much about Laval's record. Laval had horrific goaltending the first half of the season. They'll be fine moving forward. Lots of success stories down in the farm this year.

Wouldn't NHL talent make a good AHL team?

I think blaming the goaltending is hiding the total wreck that has been the defensive effort of this team. It keeps breaking down.

 

[schwang26]

Great review of the Laval season, not just last night's loss

Gignac and Simmoneau are missed.

 

[montreal]

If you can't build an AHL team, I'll have trouble believing you can build an NHL team...

that doesn't really make a lot of sense though because the AHL is a much different beast, in a development league that every year has lots of roster turnover, that's just the life of the AHL so you are at the mercy of your NHL clubs injury woes.

The more important thing is having the right approach to development and coaching, helping your young players improve on their weaknesses so they will be ready for the AHL in time while having some vets their to help show them the way, how to train as a pro, etc..

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Having a good NHL team is the key to having a good AHL team.

A deep NHL team can afford to let their young guys simmer all season in the AHL. If the Habs were better, this Laval team would have kept Roy, Struble, Stephens, and Gignac all season. And RHP, Pezzetta, or Ylonen probably get waived as well.