Canadiens: Trois-Rivières Expansion Marks Return to ECHL

For Montreal, this affiliation should allow the team to take more chances with their overager prospects and develop them in a much more suitable environment. While I’ve previously written about the surprise performances of players like Alexandre Alain, adjustment like that is rare, and to have a lower league to fine-tune your game a bit more will be beneficial.

One of the main issues the Rocket struggled with this year was the inconsistency of the Canadiens’ top prospects, with players like Josh Brook and Ryan Poehling struggling to adapt to the AHL game. While it is a stretch to see them being fine with an ECHL assignment, it could allow them to settle into their roles a bit more.

Current NHLers like Toronto Maple Leafs backup Jack Campbell, and former players like Blackhawks fan-favourite Scott Darling, spent their fair share of the team in the ECHL before making it back to the show, and it enabled them to reground themselves and find a love for the game that can sometimes be lost with greater expectations. The same can be said for the city of Trois-Rivières, who hasn’t seen a proper hockey team come through for years.

With a total of 12 teams having come through from 1931 to 2018, these have mainly been LNAH teams in recent years, fitting in perfectly with the quaint appeal of the Colisee. With a new stadium and a new team, however, look for this expansion team to potentially turn some heads, especially with the Canadiens great prospect pool.

As a long-time fan of the ECHL and its history, it’s exciting to see a return to the league from the team that I’ve been covering for the last long while. It earned its place as a development league and should see a steady fanbase come through. Despite not seeing much hockey for a while, I believe this little team, town, and arena, has big things planned.