Montreal Canadiens: The goal for Jesperi Kotkaniemi is to play in the NHL

The Montreal Canadiens rookies went through their first day of rookie camp on Thursday, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi shared his goals for the upcoming season.

It was far from a surprise to see Jesperi Kotkaniemi have the spotlight after the Montreal Canadiens finished off their first day of rookie camp.

The 18-year-old was lined up with his fellow prospects in Brossard sporting his brand new number 15 of splitting time wearing nine (9) and 31 for Finland and Ässät respectively. A handful of former players wore that number over the years, including Maurice Richard during the 1943-44 season, so it’s safe to say Kotkaniemi has a nicely sized shoe to fill.

The Habs prospects had their on-ice sessions led by Joël Bouchard and wrapped things up with a team stretch at centre ice. Afterwards, the media came calling, and Kotkaniemi shared some hopes and expectations for himself this upcoming season. One of which will put a smile on a large portion of the fanbase saying:

"My main goal is to play with the Canadiens. I think it’s a big point in my career and I want to get to the big stage."

Every prospect, or player for that matter, is going to have such a strong belief in themselves. No disrespect to them, but free agent signings Kenny Agostino and Michael Chaput have said the same thing over the summer.

The main difference is that Kotkaniemi is in direct control of where he plays this season. The Montreal Canadiens have already opened the door to the possibility by signing him to an entry-level contract. Management has now put the ball in Kotkaniemi’s court and his play overseas so far has earned him a hard look over the next few weeks.

Coach Bouchard had some things to say about the third-overall pick as well at camp:

"You’re not drafted third overall because you won a Cracker Jack contest. It’s because you do something well on the ice, or you have the potential to do something good on the ice, which is very exciting for the organization, the Montreal fans and even the coaching staff. He’s evasive for a big guy. He’s fun to watch. You could tell that he’s a hockey player."

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The next test for Kotkaniemi will be against the Ottawa Senators. Odds are he gets the Sunday game as well, but if not, there’s the extra game on Monday for Habs brass to evaluate his growth.

While replying to fan questions, Marc Bergevin said that a decision on Kotkaniemi will be based on what they see from him at camp. At the same time, they recognize rushing him is going to do far more harm than good despite how badly we all want him there.

If playing for the Montreal Canadiens is Kotkaniemi’s goal, he must do what all teams want to see from their young players and prove it.

In Case You Missed It

It’s time to focus on the rookies

The Montreal Canadiens 2018 Rookie Camp is open for business.

What a career year from Max Pacioretty could do

Max Pacioretty using this season to improve on his goal and overall point total could do a lot of favours for everyone involved in this interesting situation.

Storylines heading into the 2018 Rookie Camp

Looking at five storylines for fans to focus on as camp continues for the Habs prospects.

Here are some images from Day One of camp thanks to the Montreal Canadiens Twitter account.

Morning Links

Canadiens caught in storm of Pacioretty’s awkward situation (Sportsnet)

Jonathan Drouin held his own golf tournament but with Max Pacioretty, Allan Walsh, and Marc Bergevin attending, the focus for a portion was directed elsewhere.

Pronman: Most intriguing prospect to watch at camp for every NHL team (The Athletic – subscription required)

I wonder who the choice for the Montreal Canadiens was…

Jake Evans: A defining message (TVA Sports)

The Habs 2014 seventh-round pick had to overcome a lot of hurdles to get to where he is now. Including one that almost saw him cut from his NCAA team.