Prospect Info: Michael McNiven

[montreal]

Fair enough if there were injury concerns, it's not that I think Lindgren is (or could have reasonably been predicted to be) a great backup or anything, but I don't think there was any reason to think of Kinkaid as appreciably better than a healthy Lindgren or a generic replacement-level goalie. I feel like you could have just gone into the year with Lindgren penciled in as the backup and grabbed any arbitrary replacement scrub if he doesn't work.

I guess what I'm saying is I just don't think there should have been any reason to think a 30 year old coming off an .891 was going to be a "premium" backup and solidify that role. If Kinkaid is the veteran you're bringing in you may as well just pencil in Lindgren as the backup to start the year and get a waiver guy if he isn't ready. If they went out and got a premium backup like McElhinney or somebody like that with recent success it would be one thing, but I don't think Kinkaid should have been expected to offer much insurance of being better than any arbitrary waiver guy or 5th rounder goalie trade target.

for sure they could have looked for someone better then Kinkaid but who knows what their thinking was since he was coming off a bad year.

 

[Habano]

How the mighty have fallen. It's frustrating and downright embarrassing to be a Habs fan these days...

 

[canadiensnation]

Kind of a waste to just let McNiven rot, he's only 22 years old and seems like the last two seasons have completely wasted his experience and development. A product of poor asset management by the Habs and again not having an ECHl affiliate has put them in tough situations.

 

[canadiensnation]

The last time they re-assigned McNiven to another ECHL team was in November when they removed him from Adirondack and sent him to Jacksonville. That took about two days to put together.

This time, I think they were planning for it to be about the same thing. But my guess is it took longer to find him a new team to assign him to, as evidenced by the fact it's been a week and half instead of a day or two.

And this is where it is embarassing for the organization. They forgot to take care of McNiven in the meantime. To make sure the kid has what he needs to train and stay in shape.

Furthermore, the goalie coach in Laval didn't know he was still there. And neither did Bouchard. They were under the impression that McNiven was already sent to another ECHL team. But good on Bouchard to tell McNiven to come train with the team as soon as he found out. Hopefully Bouchard will let upper management know how they dropped the ball here.

It's understandable that Montreal has bigger fish to fry, but you can't just ignore a player under contract.

And this goes back to Montreal needing their own ECHL affiliate. And where I cross my fingers that it will all work out in Trois-Rivières.

Bergevin and his old boy's crew sipping on whiskey in the press box pissing away all of Molson's cash.

 

[montreal]

Wasn't smart of him to talk to the media though, would think that puts a nail in his coffin as it makes the Habs look bad (and rightly so)

i moved the other posts here to keep the discussion to one thread.

 

[Hfbsux]

Always like McNiven. I don't get this at all. For Kinkaid??

 

[canadiensnation]

Wasn't smart of him to talk to the media though, would think that puts a nail in his coffin as it makes the Habs look bad (and rightly so)

i moved the other posts here to keep the discussion to one thread.

I agree.

 

[CristianoRonaldo]

Incredible. Way to develop a prospect...

'I just want to play': Michael McNiven on frustration, lack...
"Even following his call-up to the Rocket, McNiven was left to his own devices, working out in his girlfriend’s parents’ gym prior to getting an invite to practice in Laval on Monday.

“I texted (goaltending coach Marco Marciano) and said, ‘I’ve been home for four days now, without ice, can you get me ice?'” said McNiven. “He didn’t know where I went, he just knew I wasn’t in Laval.”

“Is there any way I can rent ice?” he asked.

The Rocket arranged to get him ice time, rent-free, prior to the start of practice, but once Marciano discussed the subject with Bouchard, McNiven was invited to practice with the rest of the team. Whether it was a communication breakdown, or an attempt to shield McNiven from the press, is unclear, but McNiven was left to work out in a garage for almost an entire week without hearing from the Rocket."

This is disgusting... What is wrong with our management ?

 

[montreal]

This is disgusting... What is wrong with our management ?

it's possible that they just made a mistake in an oversight but they kind of gave this treatment to Fucale in his RFA year when they clearly knew they weren't bringing him back so perhaps they already decided that McNiven was done with us. In no way am I saying what they did was right as it very clearly was a bull shit way to treat any prospect even if you think he's got no future with you (if that's the case as I don't that to be true or not)

I'm ok with it if it's just a mix up, everyone makes mistakes, but if it was done because they know he's not going to be re-signed then that's f***ed.

 

[CoopersFalls]

This is disgusting... What is wrong with our management ?

Right? It’s like we’re being run by amateurs. How does that even happen?

 

[ahmedou]

There's some serious lack of communication between them. What McNiven wants to be? Starter? Backup? Does he or the direction talked about it? We got to take on consideration this point. It musn't end like that.

 

[Adam Michaels]

I had a feeling it would have been Norfolk. They are the only team in the ECHL without an affiliation. So if there was any team where the Habs could avoid another situation like in Adirondack and Jacksonville, where the NHL/AHL affiliations of those teams would send their own goalies down and McNiven would be forced out, it would be Norfolk.

 

[ahmedou]

Unbeaten until now since his return. Respect for him because he remained and stayed pro despite injustice on his behalf. As I say he's seeing finally the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[DAChampion]

I had no idea how revolting the management had been to him.

 

[justafan22]

He should be given a chance in camp unless they sign Halak/Dell/Talbot

 

[Le Barron de HF]

Dumont posted an article on him.

Important bits:
- His parents have had their personal struggles so his grandparents raised him mostly. Mom left when he was 4 and his dad came and went.
“He’s around somewhere,” said McNiven. “But not around me. I told him this year, ‘If you want to be a dad, buckle up and be one.'”
McNiven never received an answer.

He eventually struck up a conversation. At first, the communication lines seemed relatively stable, but as the days turned into months, the replies from his mother were few and far between. They did make plans to meet, but those plans, predictably, fell through.
“She would pop up for an hour,” said McNiven. “And then she wouldn’t answer for two weeks. Then she’d pop on for two hours and disappear.” (She passed away two years later after he stopped answering to her sporadic messages).

- Praises how determined he is and his perserverance. Hockey has always been his escape. He played for a crappy team when he was 16 years old and carried them to the playoffs. Talks about how on the day his grandfathers health to a bad turn, he wasn't supposed to play but then his back-up crapped the bed and he came in and didn't allow any goals to win the game (his coach asked him if it was okay beforehand).

- Credit his grandparents who were hard workers for his work ethic.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

Dumont posted an article on him.

Important bits:
- His parents have had their personal struggles so his grandparents raised him mostly. Mom left when he was 4 and his dad came and went.
“He’s around somewhere,” said McNiven. “But not around me. I told him this year, ‘If you want to be a dad, buckle up and be one.'”
McNiven never received an answer.

He eventually struck up a conversation. At first, the communication lines seemed relatively stable, but as the days turned into months, the replies from his mother were few and far between. They did make plans to meet, but those plans, predictably, fell through.
“She would pop up for an hour,” said McNiven. “And then she wouldn’t answer for two weeks. Then she’d pop on for two hours and disappear.” (She passed away two years later after he stopped answering to her sporadic messages).

- Praises how determined he is and his perserverance. Hockey has always been his escape. He played for a crappy team when he was 16 years old and carried them to the playoffs. Talks about how on the day his grandfather passed away as a result of illness, he wasn't supposed to play but then his back-up crapped the bed and he came in and didn't allow any goals to win the game (his coach asked him if it was okay beforehand).

- Credit his grandparents who were hard workers for his work ethic.

From everything I've heard about him over the years he's a pretty solid guy. Didn't know about his backstory, it all makes me like him even more and wish to see him carve a pro career for himself.

 

[Tim Wallach]

Talks about how on the day his grandfather passed away as a result of illness, he wasn't supposed to play but then his back-up crapped the bed and he came in and didn't allow any goals to win the game (his coach asked him if it was okay beforehand).

Just a quick nit-picky correction. The game you're referring to happened on the day he got word his grandfather's illness was very bad. He didn't pass away until a bit later that year when McNiven went on to play great hockey immediately after as well.

He has always been dynamite. I know he is borderline size-wise for an NHL goalie, but I really wish they'd give him a serious shot. He has done nothing but play great hockey everywhere he has gone.

 

[MasterD]

wish to see him carve a pro career for himself.

Yes. We've prioritized Lindgren and Fucale over him, even played Kinkaid ahead of him.... Just saw on hockeydb he changed teams 7 times this year??? Disgusting. He should have gotten a legit chance at #1 in Laval before Primeau got there. He should be #2 to Primeau next year, or let him go. He'd have a great career in Europe if anything.

 

[Adam Michaels]

Congrats to McNiven and his girl.

 

[ahmedou]

In his goal crease, Canadiens prospect Michael McNiven found...

 

[ahmedou]

 

[ahmedou]

Ep 35 Lads in Lawnchairs: Michael McNiven (13:26 to 27:17)

“Even if it looks tough I still make sure that I've a positive attitude (being a journeyman). I had fun with the three teams I played at the ECHL. Great group of guys, very professional. I really enjoyed. Jacksonville was really nice. Good team, good coaches. Even if we weren’t winning many games it was still a good experience. The East Coast League is a hard league and the players are well cared there.”

“I definitely try to spend my game as much of possible on the off-season. Me and my goalie coach we still work throughoutthe summer (couple time a week). Me and my goalie coach work on twelve months a year. So we kept that up. I'm always going on ice with him.”

“It was definelty a hard time to be undrafted. That draft was in Florida. Actually my agent had a few others clients at that time in that draft. And he only told me to come in that draft. He knew for sure I was going to be drafted, he thought it, anyway... My whole family and my buddies were in the stand with me. I went undrafted but I think I persevered after that.”

“Montreal invited a certain amount of guys in the camp (me included). I went to the development camp and they told me to lose 10 pounds and come back to make camp and to see where we at. I lost my 10 pounds and I did good at the rookie tournament. It was a great experience and I signed with them after that ( probably a week after). The Habs wasn't my family favorite team and they weren’t typically Montreal Canadiens fans. It was weird when I was young I liked that team at the time with Carey Price a great goalie. I was a fan of the Montreal Canadiens. They were really good at that time.”

 

[ahmedou]

 

[Treb]

View attachment 350309

That is only his stats in jacksonville. His full stat line is:

2019-20	Laval Rocket	AHL	3	2.33	.919			|
	Adirondack Thunder	ECHL	4	1.75	.941			|
	Jacksonville IceMen	ECHL	10	2.79	.915			|
	Norfolk Admirals	ECHL	8	4.16	.889

[TBODY] [/TBODY]