Laval opened the season on the road in Providence on Friday 11 October taking on the Bruins. Saturday was game two which saw the Rocket in Springfield to take on the Thunderbirds.
Final Lineups
Almost as if it were a reset or to shake off the bad luck from last season, the Rocket made some minor alterations to their uniforms for 2024-25. Not a drastic difference, but maybe just enough to give the hockey gods appeasement.
Nouvelle année, nouveau look
New year, new lookPour la huitième saison, on a apporté quelques modifications à nos chandails de match 🎥
For the eighth season, we’ve made a few changes to our game jerseys 👀#GoRocket @TheAHL @CCMHockey @TricoloreSports pic.twitter.com/BtuCTxOTMj— Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) October 2, 2024
This past week, the Canadiens signed right-handed defenseman Gustav Lindstrom to a one-year, two-way deal and then placed him on waivers to assign him to Laval. His addition adds depth the team requires, not just as a veteran call-up, but also as a steadying presence in Laval. Especially now as David Reinbacher, who was supposed to play a very large role with the Rocket this season, is now out for the next six months due to a knee injury sustained in a pre-season game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After the weekend, the Canadiens proceeded to waive Andre Barre-Boulet adding him to Laval’s roster. The Rocket now have an additional veteran and top 6 scorer. Better yet, they add a better than point per game (PPG) player in the AHL who has scored 302 points in 294 games played. This adds more internal competition, yet more than that, it helps Laval get one piece closer to a playoff team. Leading this team will be Lucas Condotta who was named as the fifth captain in franchise history while Brandon Gignac and Tyler Wotherspoon will serve as assistant captains. While these players may be used as call ups occasionally to Montreal throughout the year, they should be mainstays in the room for Laval.
The Opening Weekend
The countdown to the launch of the season is over and Laval opened their season with an impressive win in Providence, led by some very young Habs prospects. Adam Engstrom made his AHL debut on the top pairing with Logan Mailloux. Owen Beck’s debut came as third line center paired with Jared Davidson and Filip Mesar. Fourth line center duties frell to rookie Florian Xhekaj centering Luke Tuch with veteran AHLer Vincent Arseneau. Finally, in net as the starter was Jakub Dobes, a name we’ll see at least 50 times this season in that role.
The opening game finished with a 5-2 victory and this win vs the Bruins affiliate was led in no small part by Mailloux, who had a 4-point night while also shutting the door defensively. The youngster is playing like someone that wants the world to think they belong in the NHL, but it is very early in the season.
WOW! Logan Mailloux revient à la charge avec un but SPECTACULAIRE! 🤩
Son 4e point du match! 🔥@RocketLaval | @TheAHL pic.twitter.com/JUOiaGVmR1
— RDS (@RDSca) October 12, 2024
Mailloux was able to attack the net at will, but also cover on defense as he used his speed and mobility to shut down the opposition. Mesar shone as well with a 3-point evening. After two years in the OHL, he finally seems ready for professional hockey in North America, flashing the offensive skills fans saw from him in the 2024 World Junior Championships where he led the Slovakian club offensively, creating offense with his vision and playmaking abilities.
Laval left Rhode Island and travelled to Springfield, Massachusetts to take on the Thunderbirds the next night. Whether it was the travel, the back-to-back nights or the adrenaline drop off, game two had a different energy which ended with a 3-1 loss. Just as they did in Providence, Laval controlled the first period in shots and zone time, but unlike vs the Bruins, where Laval continued that level of play for a full 60 minutes, there was a let down and clear change in energy from the second period onward. While it was a loss, there was some good news as Beck got his first (of many) professional point with an AHL assist
Davidson en échappée 🚀
Davidson on the breakaway 🚨 https://t.co/qSG4PfLb9a pic.twitter.com/v8DrFxzHEu— Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) October 13, 2024
Laval faces similar issues to the Canadiens; they need to improve their power play (PP). It wasn’t good vs Springfield as it generated few opportunities, and even fewer scoring chances, all leading to zero goals. The penalty kill (PK) will also be important as the Rocket are averaging 5 penalties per game. That’s 10 minutes, one sixth of the game where they are shorthanded. If Laval can’t kill penalties, they will have a deep hole to climb out of to just remain in the game. Special teams will play a major role in Laval’s bid for a playoff spot.
Finishing the weekend 1-1 is still a good start to the season, and they will get a chance to improve their standings when they have their home opener on October 19th when they host Barre-Boulet’s former team, the Syracuse Crunch.
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