It was a frustrating game for the Laval Rocket as they squandered a lead, but the Montreal Canadiens must be happy with the performance of Jeremiah Addison.
There were a lot of positives going into last night’s AHL match between the Laval Rocket and Charlotte Checkers. At the top of the list was Montreal Canadiens prospect Jeremiah Addison making his long-awaited debut with the team. Additionally, it was nice to see more youth in the lineup with tryouts Nikita Korostelev, Anthony Beauregard, and Johnny Austin getting a look with Laval.
There was some mystery around Beauregard despite leading USports in scoring this year, but there was more interest surrounding Korostelev and Austin and what they could do in the AHL. It was also a return for Charlie Lindgren who was up with the Montreal Canadiens doing Lindgren like things. Seeing as it was an emergency recall, the 24-year-old had to be sent back down as soon as Carey Price, who was recovering from a concussion, was ready to go.
Despite all the good things at the start of the night, the Laval Rocket walked away with steady levels of frustration. Laval went into the third period with a 2-0 lead over Charlotte but had that erased thanks to goals from Aleksi Saarela and Lucas Wallmark. The game went into overtime where Wallmark finished what he started in the third to get the final tally for the Checkers.
Now that the dark things are all covered, let’s get into the lighter happy parts of the night, shall we? Addison looked great. His goal in the second was a nifty backhand from the slot after some solid work by Beauregard, Korostelev, and Austin to get possession of the puck after the faceoff.
Here is Jeremiah Addison's first AHL goal. Out of all the players on the ice for the #Rocket, Matt Petgrave has been with the club the longest. Everyone else joined the team in the last few days. pic.twitter.com/vtZhxEHQpY
— Andrew Zadarnowski (@AZadarski) March 24, 2018
Although the seventh-round pick scored at that moment, he easily could’ve gotten one in the opening period. Again, that would be thanks to Beauregard who found Addison early in the game.
The former Concordia centre’s playmaking ability was one the things that generated a lot of offence. Although it’s only one game, it doesn’t look like Beauregard has lost that vision despite playing at the quicker pace of the AHL. Korostelev, on the other hand, looked dialled into the competition recording his first professional point alongside Addison and Austin.
Next: Four Things Left For The Season
Even though the Rocket lost, the youth movement made it an acceptable one. Raphaël Doucet of 91.9 sports said afterwards that Addison would not be in Laval’s lineup for Saturday’s game to avoid overplaying him. However, there’s a chance the other three standouts get back into action. If Korostelev, Beauregard, and Austin continue this level of play, they’ll have a contract waiting for them soon enough.