Montreal Canadiens: Is Cale Fleury ready to turn pro?

The Montreal Canadiens will have a decent number of their prospects turning pro this upcoming season, and Cale Fleury may be one of them.

The Laval Rocket may draw more interest than the Montreal Canadiens this season. The focus will always be on the Habs, but considering the new direction pointed towards youth, you can’t help but wonder how Laval is going to perform. Especially with the number of prospects set to make their debut in the professional realm of hockey.

Jake Evans, Lukas Vejdemo, and Alexandre Alain are at the top of the interest list but continues to players such as Will Bitten and newcomers in Michal Moravcik, David Sklenicka, and more recently, Hunter Shinkaruk. There’s a chance the Montreal Canadiens have another prospect joining the Laval Rocket this year. But this one may take more time to get a final answer.

Talk around Cale Fleury has picked up since finishing his fourth year in the WHL. He put up 12 goals and 39 assists for 51 points in 68 games split between the Kootenay Ice and Regina Pats.

Fleury has shown the potential of being a prospect within the Habs system to catch people off guard as his play in the offensive zone as far as execution and awareness were at it’s best this year. Additionally, he brings an effective physical element to his play separating opponents from the play in those dangerous areas of the ice.

With a late birthday in November, Fleury is eligible to play in the AHL this season. Nevertheless, the question is and always has been, is he ready and will the Montreal Canadiens give him the platform to do it?

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Laval may already be a focus for Calgary native as he isn’t at the Pats’ training camp which started on Saturday. Fleury is most likely going to be at the Rookie Showdown in September, so the plan could be to track how he plays there and throughout camp. If he’s ready for the next level, the Habs send an entry-level contract his way and debuts with Laval. Otherwise, it’ll be an overage season for Fleury in Regina.

The first is the more ideal option on multiple fronts. Not only is it another prospect showing growth since being drafted, but it removes another contract headache for Marc Bergevin. Cale Fleury along with Josh Brook, Scott Walford, and Jarret Tyszka all need to be signed by this upcoming June in order for the Montreal Canadiens to retain their rights. Fleury turning pro reduces that number from four needed deals to four.

Another thing that the organization may take into account is how he would be used in Laval. With the number of players expected to be on the roster, it’ll tough to say Fleury will be playing every night as he would be in junior. However, the experience at playing in the minors, although it not being as much as he’d like, should set him up for success and a bigger role in the years to come.

Personally, I don’t have any doubts about Fleury’s ability to compete in the AHL. The only thing that may work against him is sometimes the big hits he takes, take him out of position leading to odd-man rushes. But a reliable coaching staff can help iron out those minor faults. Fleury doesn’t have any glaring weakness, and that’s something that makes him stand out amongst Habs defensive prospects.

Watching him compete for the key to elevate himself will be interesting in the next few weeks. Whether it’s this year or next, Cale Fleury is headed towards something special and has the potential to be another thumbs up selection for Trevor Timmins.