BROSSARD — The Montreal Canadiens made room for their young defensive talent this summer by moving two established players.
But blue-line prospects Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher are trying not to look too far ahead, even though they all dream of seizing this opportunity to make the NHL roster.
The Canadiens traded Johnathan Kovacevic to the New Jersey Devils and sent Jordan Harris to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the deal that brought forward Patrik Laine to Montreal.
David Savard and Mike Matheson are the only defencemen on the team with more than 115 games of NHL experience. Third-year Kaiden Guhle is also guaranteed a spot on the blue line.
Beyond that, the picture isn’t as clear.
Jayden Struble, Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron will likely have an edge over Hutson, Reinbacher and Mailloux at training camp. But the three highly touted rookies have profiles that suggest they could become top players in the NHL, whereas the other three are more likely to remain in supporting roles.
Hutson, Reinbacher and Mailloux took to the ice at the CN Sports Complex on the second day of rookie camp Thursday — a physical session with players well aware of what’s at stake.
“I wouldn’t say I’m surprised,” said the 21-year-old Mailloux, an American Hockey League all-star last season. “There’s a lot of guys trying to make a couple different teams here. It’s kind of what’s expected, it’s an NHL training camp, I think it’s fun for sure.
“It’s great being able to get some hard practices, some battles and then some games on the weekend under our belt … we’re pushing each other out here”
The Canadiens haven’t had a positional battle gather this much attention in years, especially from rookie camp onward.
All three players said they feel ready for the NHL this fall, and they hope to give the Canadiens’ management some tough roster decisions at the end of training camp.
“My game is more complete. I think it’s the most complete it’s ever been,” Mailloux, of Belle River, Ont., said. “I think I can still play my offensive game, but I think that I can play against anyone defensively and bring a physical side to the game, and be able to transition pucks, and do that on a nightly basis.
“That’s what’s gonna keep me here, I just gotta try and be consistent.”
Mailloux, who played one game with the Canadiens late last season, said he worked on refining certain aspects of his game over the summer.
Hutson focused on preparing for his first full season in the professional ranks and adjusting to the busy schedule at this level.
“I think just playing my game, and playing it hard,” Hutson, 20, said of his approach at camp. “One thing here stressing here is don’t get away from who you are as a player and really just compete. That’s the biggest thing they want to see — they want to see that you compete, that you’re hard on pucks and you make it hard on the other team.”
The five-foot-10, 162-pound Hutson played the last two games of the season for the Canadiens last spring after finishing his college career at Boston University.
Meanwhile, Reinbacher didn’t play with the Canadiens last season. The 19-year-old Austrian did, however, play 11 games with the American Hockey League’s Laval Rocket after arriving in North America following his season with Swiss club HC Kloten.
“Those 11 games were hard games and really meaningful games, I learned a lot,” said Reinbacher, the fifth overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft. Now I had a great summer and now I’m here trying to make a good impression.”
Swedish defenceman Adam Engström — a 2022 third-round pick — will also have his first opportunity to showcase his skills in North America this season and could shake things up with a strong camp.
They’ll get their first chance to stand out in pre-season games this weekend when the Canadiens prospects take on the Toronto Maple Leafs prospects at the Bell Centre on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Alexis Bélanger-Champagne, The Canadian Press
