Montreal Canadiens: 4 Laval Rocket Players to Keep an Eye On

Arsen Khisamutdinov

Arsen Khisamutdinov was a really obscure selection by Marc Bergevin at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, and he has remained an obscure player to North American Habs fans, but that is set to change, as he received an ELC this spring and will debut with the Laval Rocket this offseason. He was so obscure, in fact, that our image database is void of any pictures of the player, though a handful can be found on Google Images.

The 6’3″, 203 lbs left-winger is unlikely to play a huge role on the Rocket this season (he didn’t even make the cut for the Canadiens’ training camp) but I have the sense that he is going to be really fun to watch. Khisamutdinov averaged 10:50 in 41 career KHL games, scoring 3 goals and 8 points. He also played 14 VHL games last season, which is the KHL’s equivalent to the AHL, and he put up 9 goals and 13 total points, so he knows how to score.

The big Russian winger is already 22 years old, having been selected in his final year of draft eligibility, so he is more cut out for the pro game than many younger and smaller players, but he is unlikely to play in Laval’s top-six this season, with Poehling, Laurent Dauphin, Cam Hillis, Lukas Vejdemo, Jesse Ylonen, Alex Belzile, Joel Teasdale and Joseph Blandisi almost certainly ahead of him on the depth chart and a near handful of other players that likely start ahead of him.

However, injuries occur in the NHL and the AHL, so he might get a shot higher up in the lineup; whether this does or doesn’t occur, Khisamutdinov will add size and scoring touch to the Rocket and, as I stated previously, should be really fun to watch.