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Montreal Canadiens Prospect Noah Juulsen To Make Laval Rocket Debut Today

By Ken MacMillan

MONTREAL, QC - DECEMBER 17: Montreal Canadiens defenseman Noah Juulsen (58) waits for play to begin during the first period of the NHL game between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens on December 17, 2018, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - DECEMBER 17: Montreal Canadiens defenseman Noah Juulsen (58) waits for play to begin during the first period of the NHL game between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens on December 17, 2018, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Montreal Canadiens were expecting Noah Juulsen to battle for a roster spot on opening night. He was injured once again, and will finally make his season debut today for the Laval Rocket.

The Montreal Canadiens got some good news on the injury front this morning. Noah Juulsen, who is yet to play a game this season, was cleared to play and will make his season debut tonight for the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League.

Juulsen was the team’s first round pick in 2015. He was coming off an impressive season with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League. A right-shooting defenseman, he flashed plenty of offensive promise for the Silvertips that season as well. Juulsen scored nine goals and 52 points in 68 games the year before he was drafted 26th overall by the Habs.

Since becoming a first round draft pick, Juulsen developed into a solid, defensive defender at the professional level. At 6’3″ and close to 200 pounds, it should be no surprise that Juulsen is capable of throwing a big hit and wining battles in the corners and in front of his own net. However, he can also move the puck up ice quite well with a decent breakout pass, though he is not likely to carry the puck end to end and score a highlight reel goal.

Over the past two seasons, Juulsen quietly ate up minutes on the Canadiens blue line for about a quarter of each season. In 2017-18, he made his NHL debut, scoring one goal and three points in 21 contests for the Canadiens. He played a shutdown role, mostly with Karl Alzner as his partner and was a key component on a strong penalty killing unit during his time with the Canadiens.

Last season, Juulsen made the Habs out of training camp with Shea Weber on the sidelines to start the year. He had one goal and five points in 21 games, but again, proved to be a reliable defensive player. He played mostly with Mike Reilly, and though they didn’t bring a ton of offence, they didn’t let the opposition score much either.

Unfortunately, just as the Canadiens were getting going as a team last season, Juulsen was hit in the face with two shots against the Washington Capitals in late November. He came back to play three more games in December, but would be shut down for the remainder of the season around Christmas.

Still, Juulsen was expected to battle for a roster spot to begin this season after returning healthy in time for training camp. It didn’t last long as he was once again shut down early in camp with headaches and went to see more doctor’s to get a second opinion to figure out the cause of his headaches.

It appears Juulsen is finally healthy and ready to play. He will make his season debut tonight, albeit in the American Hockey League with the Laval Rocket.

Juulsen is a rugged, two-way right-shooting defender. At just 22 years old and with 44 games of NHL experience under his belt, he is definitely a candidate to get back to the NHL in the near future. It will be interesting to see how quickly he can get his footing after not playing a game in ten months.

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When Juulsen does get back into game shape and firing on all cylinders, it will be quite the battle between him and Cale Fleury to play on the Canadiens third defence pairing.

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