The Montreal Canadiens will have some of the youth on defence take a step forward including 2015 first-round pick Noah Juulsen.
When it was obvious the Montreal Canadiens season was over, some of the youth in the organization gave fans a reason to stay tuned. One of them was Noah Juulsen.
The 20-year-old had a lower-body injury sustained in the preseason that delayed his professional debut with the Laval Rocket. But he looked steady and confident beyond his years adding stability to an already shaky blueline. Injuries continued to be a main thing on the Montreal Canadiens, and after Jakub Jerabek was traded to the Washington Capitals, Marc Bergevin called for reinforcements.
Juulsen made his NHL debut against the New York Rangers after playing 31 goals in the AHL. Claude Julien chose to have the rookie with Karl Alzner that proved to be a good decision for both sides.
He gained the coaching staff’s trust fairly quick playing in the final minutes of games as well as time on the penalty kill. Juulsen continued to prove that he could handle the grind of the NHL as Julien’s TOI hovered around 19 minutes for the rest of the season. His first NHL goal and point came in against the New York Islanders after a slap shot beat Jaroslav Halak.
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Many have already pencilled Juulsen into the top four on the Montreal Canadiens for the 2018-19 season, most likely with Alzner as his partner.
Consistency and growth are what the Habs will be looking for from Juulsen. Having Luke Richardson behind the bench who emphasizes communication will be big for him moving forward. But that’s on the defensive side of things. It’s still up in the air whether Juulsen can bring some of the offence he generated in junior with the Everett Silvertips.
Juulsen is a smart defender who skates smoothly and is aware of what is going on in front of him. That alone could lead to helpers on the score sheet, especially when he’s on the ice with those who can make a pretty play such as Jonathan Drouin and Max Domi. Additionally, his shot can’t be forgotten.
The BC native doesn’t shoot the puck that much (33 in 23 NHL games and 41 in 31 AHL games), but when he does, it generally hits the target. That could lead to some deflected goals by those who have displayed the skill to do it like Brendan Gallagher who had five tipped-in goals this past season.
The Habs knew they had a future top-four option in Juulsen when they drafted him in 2015. Now is his chance to show what he can do over the course of an entire NHL season. His point totals aren’t too important, but how reliable he can be as a defenceman for the Montreal Canadiens will be.