Montreal Canadiens: Olivier Galipeau will be at development camp
By Omar L
The Montreal Canadiens development camp is set to begin on Thursday, and coveted QMJHL defenceman Olivier Galipeau will be there.
When the Montreal Canadiens were going on a spree of adding young talent to the organization, Olivier Galipeau was a name brought up. The 21-year-old finished his final season in the QMJHL winning both the President Trophy and Memorial Cup with Acadie-Bathurst Titan. However, he remains without a destination to play next season.
That may change as the Habs development camp is around the corner. Mikaël Lalancette of TVA Sports revealed that Galipeau would be one of the defencemen taking part this week.
Galipeau fits in the new mould of prospects Montreal have been adding. He’s a smart defenceman who generates a lot of offence and skates well. The Titan acquired him in a deal with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, where he was captain, and it seemed to work out well.
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In 67 games this entire seasons, Galipeau put up 25 goals and 49 assists. He also added 5 goals and 15 assists in the QMJHL playoffs as well as 3 helpers during the Memorial Cup.
You’d expect totals from a player much older than everyone else, but there is a good deal of talent there. Galipeau could very well be another option on defence for the Laval Rocket. Both Dominique Ducharme and Jöel Bouchard should know him well as they’ve been coaching against the Montreal native for years.
Additionally, he can obtain further guidance by playing under Bouchard if he doesn’t knock it out of the park here.
Galipeau will be a name to watch and pay attention to ahead of the team’s development camp. It could carry on into training camp if the Montreal Canadiens choose to keep him around a little bit longer.
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The internal competition for spots on the blue line in Laval is already thick with T.J. Melancon, Adam Plant, as well as new European signings Michal Moravčík and David Sklenička. Galipeau being in the thick of things will add another layer. But, that all depends on whether he does enough to stand out at development camp.