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

By Sebastian High

LAVAL, QC - DECEMBER 28: Josh Brook and Cayden Primeau (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
LAVAL, QC - DECEMBER 28: Josh Brook and Cayden Primeau (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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LAVAL, QC – DECEMBER 10: Josh Brook. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
LAVAL, QC – DECEMBER 10: Josh Brook. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

Josh Brook

If Teasdale’s final year of Junior was great, Brook’s was phenomenal. In 59 games, the offensive right shot defenceman notched 16 goals and 75 points, averaging exactly 1 assist per game. Expectations were high for his debut professional season and there was even hope that he would beat out Christian Folin and Cale Fleury for the right spot on the Canadiens’ third pairing, but alas, he did not and was sent to Laval. At this point, Brook was a staple in the top-6 of most Canadiens prospect rankings. Unfortunately, Brook struggled to adapt to the professional game despite the mentorship of Karl Alzner, which has seen him fall out of most top-10 lists this season.

It should be noted though, that Brook improved significantly throughout the season, becoming increasingly comfortable on the puck; the end to end rushes that were a staple of his game in Moose Jaw in the WHL began occurring too. Brook still has a lot of refining to do on the defensive side of the puck, but he should be a whole lot of fun to watch this season; those end to end rushes really are exhilarating. Brook put up 4 goals and 13 points in 60 AHL games last season, but could surpass that total in half the games this season.

The 6’1″, 192 lbs defenceman will slot into the second pairing in Laval and will be given every opportunity to succeed by Joel Bouchard, including power-play duties. Cale Fleury will also be given the heavy defensive minutes, which could free Brook up to play his dynamic offensive style against lesser competition while he still hones his defensive skills. With the loss of Noah Juulsen through waivers to Florida, Brook has been automatically bumped up a spot on the depth chart, now slotting in as the organization’s fourth-best right-shot defenceman, behind Petry, Weber and Fleury, though Mete and Romanov who can both play on the right side are ahead of the latter two right-shots.

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All this being said, no matter where in the Laval lineup Brook plays this season, he will have an impact and be fun to watch, as he is one of the handful of players in that roster that can take the fate of a game into his own hands and make the spectacular decisive play.

All statistics sourced from EliteProspects.com.

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