6. Joel Teasdale
Joel Teasdale had an interesting week. He had a phenomenal professional debut. He notched a great assist on Laval’s first goal of the season: he outworked a Belleville defenceman along the boards and powered his way behind the net before teeing up Xavier Ouellet at the point, who scored. Teasdale followed that up with a nice goal later in the game; he brought the puck to the slot and fired home a screened shot.
Teadale’s second game was good if unspectacular, while his third was “tough” according to his coach, Joel Bouchard. Bouchard also mentioned that Teasdale had said that the pace of the game was getting to him, which is fully understandable since Teasdale had not played in almost two years; his last competitive games were during the Memorial Cup he won alongside Harvey-Pinard, beating out Prince Albert, Halifax and a Guelph Storm led by a certain Nick Suzuki.
With time, Teasdale will get his fitness level back up to the necessary standard. He is also a player with a very interesting toolkit. He plays a gritty and physical style and is an effective net-front presence, something the Canadiens don’t have in abundance. If Teasdale progresses as many think he will, he will eventually forge a spot on an NHL lineup. It may take time, however, he still is just 21 years old, five months older than Nick Suzuki.
As Teasdale and the Rocket have had a few days off since their previous game, I have a feeling the Repentigny native will play a high-energy and physical game tonight against Belleville.