Montreal Canadiens: Standouts from the 2018 Rookie Tournament

Lukas Vejdemo

Definitely a top performer for the Montreal Canadiens over the weekend. Vejdemo really stood out as being a two-way option for the team and quickly gained the trust of the coaching staff early on. He was reliable defensively and did his best to suppress the scoring chances of those he was set to play against. The score of those games would suggest otherwise, but he did a good job on both fronts.

Another thing was his ability to create scoring chances for his linemates. A lot of that came in the game against the Leafs starting with the 4-on-4 chance he got going for Melancon. Vejdemo kept it going getting a few looks after a stint on the penalty kill in the second period and he and invite Joël Teasdale put in some hard work at the end of the game to get the tying goal.

We’ve all been focused on Kotkaniemi being getting a shot to make the team, and for good reason, but Vejdemo did a good job in showing the Montreal Canadiens that when he said he wants to play in North America, the NHL was a possibility as well.

Honourable Mentions

Melancon’s name has appeared a few times here. Despite being set up by others, he did do a good job on getting in on those scoring chances. He truly does have a nose for the offence even as a defenceman and seeing the way he plays puts context behind his 44 and 53-point seasons in the QMJHL (16-17) and ECHL (17-18) respectively. There’s definitely talent there, and that activation from the blueline could prove to be an asset for Laval.

Michael McNiven deserves to get a shoutout as well. Although three goals went past him, there was little he could do about them. Maybe the first one, but the second tally was from a scrum in front of him while the third went off Michal Moracvik’s skate. There was that ridiculous save he made in the latter half of the third period which is pretty redeemable in my books.