The Montreal Canadiens have announced the roster of their 2019 training camp ahead of the season which includes Nick Suzuki on his quest to the NHL.
Rookie camp is over, and the Montreal Canadiens are ready to move on to the real deal. The event starts up on Thursday, September 12th, with the team’s media day taking place. The Habs have been getting interviewed all summer, especially Max Domi and his takes on the city of Montreal, but that day is when the majority of the promotional photos and videos will be taken. It’ll be a big day for the likes of Nick Suzuki and Ryan Poehling as they continue their journey to cracking a spot in the NHL.
Afterwards, there will be two days of practice where the players invited will be split into two groups. Those groups will then duke it out on Sunday afternoon for the Habs intrasquad game played at the Bell Centre. Last year was pretty exciting, and it was the first time fans were able to see Domi centre Jonathan Drouin and Joel Armia.
But who are the players invited? Well, the Montreal Canadiens have that answered for the fanbase as they released the roster list of those attending training camp, 57 names strong. As Marc Bergevin mentioned at the team’s golf tournament, there won’t be any professional tryouts (PTO) as the organization wants to give the youth an opportunity to play.
The Habs not wanting to bring any PTOs here is a positive sign for Suzuki and Poehling. The 2015 first-round pick has a better chance to make the team given his debut last season as well as his progression over the last few months. Suzuki is standing out as well but still has a hill to climb to prove to Claude Julien that he can handle the grind of the NHL.
Other standout names include Otto Leskinen who the Habs signed as a free agent over the offseason. He performed well at the Rookie Tournament and could be a go-to call up or even more if he stays strong in the preseason.
Said preseason kicks off September 16th against the New Jersey Devils but there’s still time to decide who that final 23-man roster will include. At least Montreal Canadiens fans know for sure now the players included in the mix.