That, however, is about to change in the city of Montreal.
Tomorrow morning the Montreal Canadiens open their annual player development camp, kicking off a two-month push towards the new NHL season.
The Habs' Brossard-based practice facility will be filled with bright-eyed, bushy tailed NHL hopefuls who will be learning a little more about what it takes to become an NHL player.
While there will be a ton of talent on the ice, there are four players in particular that should stand out and not just because of their skills.
Jarred Tinordi, Lars Eller, Aaron Palushaj, and Alexander Avtsin are all big kids—the shortest being 6'0" and the tallest 6'6"—with tons of talent to boot.
These four prospects represent a step in a new direction for a franchise that has been undersized for far too long. So let's take a look:
Jarred Tinordi - Drafted first round, 22nd overall, 2010 NHL draft
Hockey's Future profile of Jarred Tinordi:
http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/jarred_tinordi
During this year's NHL entry draft, many people thought the Canadiens would make a big splash by trading for an impact roster player. This was not to be.
What they did do, however, was trade up five spots to select hulking defensemen, Jarred Tinordi—a player who was highly coveted by many organizations picking in the twenties.
At 18 years of age Tinordi already stands at 6'6" and 205 lbs, with a projected NHL playing weight of around 240 lbs.
In addition to his size, this stay-at-home defenseman plays an aggressive in your face brand of hockey, possesses a good skating stirde, and great first pass.
As if that weren't enough, Tinordi has leadership skills up the yingyang, and has future captain written all over him.
If you're looking for a comparison, he is something of a Mike Komisarek-plus. Bigger, stronger and a better skater than Komisarek, it will be a treat to watch this kid develop into the top-4 defenseman that he is projected to become.
Lars Eller - Drafted first round, 13th overall, 2007 NHL Draft
Hockey's Future profile of Lars Eller:
http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/lars_eller
Lars Eller represents a different kind of prospect altogether, than Tinordi, and more because of how he got here than his skillset.
Being the lynchpin in the trade that sent Jaroslav Halak to the Blues, Eller is sure to attract a lot of attention come training camp.
At 6'0" and 198 lbs, Eller is projected to be a second line center in the NHL. In addition, his stature will provide the Canadiens with an element of skilled-size down the middle that they have not had since Kirk Muller was wearing a Habs uniform.
Described as a natural playmaker, Eller displays great on-ice vision and has a knack for finding the open man.
Eller is pretty solid at both ends of the ice—which should make Jacques Martin happy—but, like most young players, could use some more work on his game without the puck.
Of all the prospects at camp, Eller is the one that people will be watching the closest because if he does not pan out as projected, the Halak trade will end up looking like a bust.
Aaron Palushaj - Drafted second round, 44th overall, 2007 NHL Draft
Hockey's Future profile of Aaron Palushaj:
http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/aaron_palushaj
Aaron Palushaj is an interesting prospect for the Canadiens because he was at one time very highly regarded in the St. Louis Blues organization.
Palushaj's development hit a snag over the last 12 months and he started to fall out of favour in St. Louis. As a result, he was his traded to Montreal, last season, for Matt D'Agostini.
Checking in at 6'0" and 185 lbs, Palushaj is projected to be a top-6, goal scoring winger who is not afraid to play with a physical edge.
Palushaj is not that disimilar to Max Paccoriety expect that Paccoriety is more of a pure power forward, where physicality is a much smaller element of Palushaj's game.
At 21 years of age, Palushaj seems destined to start the year in Hamilton.
Can he continue to develop and become a top-6 winger? Will he continue to fall and become a third or fourth liner? No one knows, but this development camp will go a long way towards determining Palushaj's future in the Canadiens organization.
Alexander Avtsin - Drafted fourth round, 109th overall, 2009 NHL draft
Hockey's Future profile on Alexander Avtsin
http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/alexander_avtsin
At 6'2" and 198 lbs, Avtsin is the type of big scoring winger that the Habs have coveted for years and out of all of the prospects at camp, perhaps none has as high a ceiling as he does.
Look him up on the Internet and you will see that Avtsin is a human highlight reel. Displaying quick skating and soft hands, he attacks defenders at speed, cutting to the net to finish with a rifling wrister in a style that has some calling him him "mini-Ovechkin".
Avtsin's combination of size, speed, and skill make him the ideally suited for success in the NHL, but he remains a project as he has not yet played a lot of hockey against high-level competition.
While he has the raw talent to be a top-6 forward he needs seasoning in the North American game.
Fortunately for Habs fans, Avtsin just opted out of his contract with Moscow Dynamo and is sticking to his commitment to come to North America this season.
This is great news for an organization that has had a ton of problems getting Russian prospects to come overseas—See Alexi Emelin and Pavel Valentenko for exhibit A and B.
Making the Habs out of camp is a long shot, but Avtsin has options with the Montreal Juniors hold his junior rights and the Hamilton Bulldogs warming up a spot for him.
A season or two of aggressive North American-style hockey is exactly what Avtsin needs in order to learn how to use his size to his advantage.
Tomorrow's development camp is a first step in that direction for him.
Whatever becomes of these four prospects, the Canadiens look like they are starting to restock the cupboards that were starting to look a little bare.
Given the cap constrains that the Canadiens face going forward, an injection of young, skilled, and inexpensive talent should help the them remain competitive for years to come.
8 comments:
The only one I really expect to make the big team is Eller, and I hope he holds up under the heavy expectations. Considering what Halak is requesting in terms of $, the Habs had little choice. Still doesn't mean I like it tho, but the claws will retract if Eller doesn't turn out to be a total bust. That's all I ask.
You think Patches will make the big team this year? I think the other 3 need seasoning in Hamilton before they jump to the big time - at least a year.
Hey Tyg and thanks, as always, for you comment!
I agree that Eller is the only one with a shot at making the team out of camp. To be honest, I think he is going to turn out to be a can't-miss prospect for the Habs.
You have to remember that he has already played almost one full season in the AHL, and the Blues have done a great job of developing him.
At the end of last season he was on the cusp of being an NHL player. I think that experience will put him in position to steal a spot as perhaps the third line center.
As for MaxPac, I really have heard very little about his progression. I think that he also has a shot at making the team out of camp, and could look REAL good lined up next to Eller in the third line.
But, if he's not ready, I would not hesitate to send him back down to Hamilton for another half to full season.
Excellent overview of some great prospects! Very excited about Avtsin coming over here. I think Palushaj and Eller will be great for the Bulldogs, and really looking forward to Tinordi filling out and getting better. The future is bright for the Habs!!
Hi there Mandy and thanks for the comment!
There's no question that the Habs have an exciting crop of prospects here that could help the team immensely, IF they are developed properly.
I think that out of those four, Eller has the best chance of making the team out of camp. Palushaj will play in the AHL, and can use the seasoning, Tinordi will go back to university, and Avtsin will also likely start in Hamilton.
Out of the four, Avtsin is the one dark horse to be playing in the NHL this year. I highly doubt it since he doesn't have much experience playing the rugged North American game, but you never know!
Lars Eller and Aaron Palushaj were both drafted at slots that the Toronto Maple Leafs trraded to San Jose who then traded both to St.Louis. Both then were chosen by St. Louis exactly one pick after the Habs pick in each of the 1st and 2nd rounds of 2007. Ryan McDonough and PK Subban.
Note- Pouliot in 2005 was drafted one pick before Price.
Hi there anon and thanks for your comments!
Yep, there is a strange connection there to the Habs players.
It seems like PG and gang have tried to grabs players that they wished they could have drafted themselves.
It will be interesting to see how these players pan out and if they can make the Habs a better team.
Hey Kamal, it is inaccurate for you to say that the Canadiens had a ton of problems as an organization to get prospects to come over from Russia to play for them. Valentenko played for the Canadiens farm team the year before last, and was progressing very nicely. He wanted to stay and play in North America. The Habs refused to give him a guaranteed contract, and he needed money for his family back in Russia, who are very poor. That is why Valentenko went back to play in Russia last year -- because he was offered a contract and was actually PAID. On top of that, the Habs then traded away his rights to the Rangers, which was another mistake, as he is currently in New York City, at the Rangers Camp.
From what I've heard, Valentenko is around 6'2", 215 lbs, is a good skater and plays with an edge -- exactly the kind of player the Canadiens need desperately. The Habs blew it with this kid, they were simply too damm cheap to sign him. For a long-time Canadien fan like me, this was tough to take. Giving up McDonagh was stupid enough, but then also throwing Valentenko into the deal because they were too cheap to sign him, well, that goes beyond stupid. It gets into the area of gross mismanagement of one of the great franchises in the history of professional sports.
Anon: Thanks for your comment! Very well said and I agree with you.
The Canadiens have had problems getting Russian prospects to come over and stay in MTL and, as you stated, they own a part of that blame.
Valentenko is exactly the type of player the Habs need and I know that he went back home for money and to take care of his family.
My point was that regardless of the reason, he did not stay in N.A. and the Habs lost him.
Him, Perezhogin and Emelin and three examples of players who should have become key players on the team but who instead either skipped out back to Europe, or still haven't come over to N.A.
I am still hoping that the Habs can get Emelin to come over and play but I'm not holding my breath.
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