Montreal Canadiens: Continuing the search for talent at Brossard combine
By Omar L
The Montreal Canadiens are holding one of their two own combines at Bell Sports Complex in Brossard which will have 13 QMJHL players.
As the days leading up to the NHL Draft and free agency draws near, the Montreal Canadiens are proving they will leave no stone untouched in adding young talent to the organization. The team’s own combine will have 28 players taking part who did not take part in the league’s main combine last week. It’s safe to say that Trevor Timmins is going for the diamond in the rough approach this year.
Another thing to keep in mind via the Habs NHL site is that some of the players attending may not be drafted this year. However, that doesn’t diminish their potential value. Every wave of talent in the NHL has a name step up among the ranks who were passed by all 30 teams (before the age of the Vegas Golden Knights). If that happens to any of these players, Montreal is free to circle back on them and have them signed.
Alexandre Alain and Hayden Verbeek are the more recent examples of undrafted talent signed by the Montreal Canadiens. Their contributions in junior are well-noted, but the next step is to prove they can remain as effective in the pros.
The Laval Rocket is far from being a locked system. With new management in place, there will be several spots to fill, and one of these combine participants could meet the standards. The same goes for the Habs and the ECHL level who will want to make it more of a two-way partnership.
Additionally, it’s moments like these that make the Dominique Ducharme and Jöel Bouchard hirings that more important. Both have spent significant time in the junior system in the QMJHL and Hockey Canada. Seeing as how 13 of the invited players are from the ‘Q,’ the Montreal Canadiens may already have some insight on who can become a player.
Who knows, Ducharme and Bouchard may have suggested a few names themselves to get the invite.
Next: Off the board picks can work
It’ll be interesting to see how many the invited players join the Montreal Canadiens in some capacity. Alain spent some time at development camps and last year’s Rookie Tournament before getting signed. If not this one, there’s still their second combine in Stockholm, Sweden to look at some European prospects.