Montreal Canadiens: Looking into new Laval Rocket defenceman Adam Plant

DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 26: Denver University defenseman Adam Plant September 26, 2017. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 26: Denver University defenseman Adam Plant September 26, 2017. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

The Montreal Canadiens continue to add young talent via the Laval Rocket in defenceman Adam Plant who signed a one-year deal with the team.

The list of new players added to the Montreal Canadiens organization grows by a single name after the Laval Rocket signed Adam Plant to a one-year deal. It seems like an everyday occurrence with these signings after Bailey Webster was brought into the fold on Tuesday. Plant’s contract is for the 2018/19 season but will be joining the Laval Rocket on a try out for the remainder of the season.

Who is Plant exactly? The 22-year-old just finished his fourth and final year at the University of Denver. He has an interesting story growing up in the sport of hockey as he was initially a goaltender until the age of 10 but later switched to playing on the backend. Plant doesn’t scare many with his size standing at five-foot-ten and 173 pounds, but he overwhelms opponents with his speed and skating.

It’s also interesting to note that he is a defensive-minded defenceman. If you were to take note of his stats, you’d assume him to be an underwhelming player as he put up six goals and five assists in 36 games. Over his four years at Denver, Plant has only 42 points in 154 games. It goes beyond there as he was never one to put up points. That being said, his reliability in all areas of the ice have made him an important member of his team.

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He’s an excellent skater and he’s always going at people with really good angles, taking away time and space, and angling through people’s arms. That’s how he separates the man from the puck. That allows him to not only create the turnover, but he picks up the turnover a lot of times. I think the most underrated part of his game is how fiercely competitive he is. He hates to lose any battle. (Quote from Pioneers coach Jim Montgomery last season).

Plant’s play as a defensive player got him recognized last year as he shared the Keith Magnuson Award which goes to Denver’s best away from the puck. It makes you wonder whether the BC native will be able to play his style at the next level, but the game has transitioned to speed which he obviously has.

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It’ll be interesting to see how well Plant fairs with the Laval Rocket. He has plenty of experience playing on top-pairings and against top players, but the AHL is a different animal. The best thing for Plant to do is to make an impression for next season. However, seeing as how the organization reached out and signed him, it looks like he already has.