Montreal Canadiens Season Preview: Joel Teasdale

During the month of August, we are taking a deeper look at 31 Habs players as they get set for next season. Today, we preview what the 2019-20 season will look like for Joel Teasdale.

The Montreal Canadiens invited Joel Teasdale to their development camp in 2018 and were quite impressed by his performance. They signed the Quebec native to an entry-level contract last September before he headed back to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Teasdale had gone undrafted in the 2017 and 2018 NHL Drafts, but caught the eye of the Canadiens management team during a strong 2017-18 campaign with the Armada. The big left winger had 32 goals and 65 points in 65 games that season.

It was not enough to get him drafted as an overager, but it was enough to earn an invite to the Canadiens training camp. A strong showing there led a three-year deal with a cap hit of $763,333.

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Teasdale headed back to the Armada for a fourth QMJHL season, and was dominant from the first puck drop. He had 19 goals and 19 assists for 38 points in 38 games, basically continuing his pace from the year previous. However, things really took off when Teasdale was dealt to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies at the trade deadline.

The Huskies were already among the best Junior teams in Canada, and were even better after acquiring the Habs prospect. He would go on to score 24 goals and 42 points in just 29 regular season games with the Huskies.

The 20-year-old left winger was just getting started with his new club. Teasdale led the Huskies in playoff scoring with 14 goals and 34 points in 20 contests and won Memorial Cup MVP for scoring four goals and one assist in five games as Rouyn-Noranda was crowned the top Junior team in Canada.

At 6’0″ and just over 200 pounds, Teasdale isn’t the biggest player on the ice but he plays like it. He is the definition of a power forward as he likes to take the body on the forecheck, wins battles for pucks along the boards, can protect the puck well when he has it, drives the net hard and causes havoc around the goal crease.

Mix together his size, style of play and obvious ability to put up points and you have an intriguing prospect. Technically, Teasdale could go back to the QMJHL for one more season as an overager, but his days of playing Junior hockey are over. He will certainly be playing for the Laval Rocket next season.

2019-20 Role

The Rocket have a fairly deep lineup heading into next season. The one weak spot in their lineup happens to be left wing which should be music to Joel Teasdale’s ears. There is a massive opportunity for him to step in and play a huge role for the Rocket as a rookie.

Unless Charles Hudon passes through waivers in September and makes his way back to the minors, the competition for playing time on left wing starts and ends with Phil Varone. Varone won an AHL MVP in 2017-18 so that is tough competition for a first line role. Teasdale could find himself on the second line if he has a strong training camp which he already did a year ago.

That puts him in line to play with some talented linemates on what should be a good Laval team. Their top six should consist of some combination of Nick Suzuki, Varone, Teasdale, Riley Barber, Alex Belzile, Michael McCarron or maybe Matthew Peca or Hudon, depending on whether they make the Canadiens lineup or not.

It is a bit early to start penciling lines together. We won’t be able to do that until we see who plays well at camp and makes the NHL roster. No matter who gets sent down, Teasdale has a chance to take on a big role.

Also playing in the Rocket rookie’s favour is his comfort level with his head coach. Joel Bouchard will be behind the Rocket bench for the second year. Before being hired by Laval, he was head coach and general manager of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

That means Bouchard drafted Teasdale in the first round of the 2015 QMJHL Entry Draft. Bouchard was the top decision-maker when Teasdale made a QMJHL roster as a 16 year old. Bouchard was also there steering the ship as Teasdale developed into a point-per-game physical force as an 18 year old. After the Rocket missed the playoffs, I’m sure Bouchard was also watching the QMJHL postseason and Memorial Cup as Teasdale dominated the play.

With his size, scoring touch, physicality and trust from his coach, I would expect Teasdale to start the year as a second line winger in Laval. He could easily move his way up to a big role on the power play once he gets a little pro experience under his belt.

If there are a few injuries at the NHL level, or players like Nick Cousins, Nate Thompson and Charles Hudon don’t grab onto a full-time NHL role, I could even see Teasdale make his NHL debut as a fourth line winger with the Montreal Canadiens. I don’t see him playing there full time, but in a pinch he could be a trusted winger to play a few games when the injury bug bites.