Montreal Canadiens: Full rosters released for the Rookie Showdown
The Rookie Showdown is right around the corner, and the Montreal Canadiens have released their rosters for the battle between prospects.
Hockey is in the air, and one of the events to start it all off is set to take place next week. The NHL Rookie Showdown will feature prospects from the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ottawa Senators square off against each other at Place Bell from September 7-8. Many have looked forward to this tournament in particular thanks to 2018 third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi, especially after what he’s been doing this summer in Europe.
The Habs have released their full rosters for the Showdown which include 30 players. Nearly half of the team are made up of drafted prospects including the likes of Kotkaniemi, Jake Evans, and Lukas Vejdemo. 2017 third-round pick Cale Fleury is also expected to appear in an interesting year that could see him make his professional debut based on how he performs at the tournament.
The remaining 16 players are made up of camp invites and free agent signings. Alexandre Alain and Czech free agents Michael Moracvik and David Sklenicka lead the charge there. There is also a familiar face in Joël Teasdale taking part who was the Montreal Canadiens development camp in July. Samuel Harvey is also making a return after suiting up at camp.
Things will be betting underway on Thursday for practice led by the Laval Rocket coaching staff. Therefore, it’s going to be another set of debuts on that front as well with Joël Bouchard stepping behind the bench for Montreal as well as recently retired forward Alex Burrows.
Every team is going to play two games starting with the Montreal Canadiens against the Ottawa Senators on the Friday followed by their Toronto match on Sunday.
Next. Robitaille Clears the Air on Pacioretty. dark
Similarly to last year, a set of players are expected to make a significant impact and impress some people ahead of the main camp. Fleury was already a player mentioned who will have that mindset, but the same goes for Kotkaniemi. It’s still unclear what the plan is for him. However, with an entry-level contract in hand, anything could happen.