Montreal Canadiens: Laval Rocket Sign Yet Another Local Skater

Montreal Canadiens offseason plans will have to wait as they are on a deep run into the postseason.

The Laval Rocket on the other hand have been busy bolstering their squad for next season. They just announced their fifth signing of the past two weeks.

The Rocket had a very strong season, led by young players like Ryan Poehling, Joel Teasdale, Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Cayden Primeau. They ran away with the Canadian Division, as their 23-9-4 record put them nine points ahead of their closest competition in the division. There was no playoffs this year so the Rocket were crowned Canadian Division champs.

With a few key players likely headed elsewhere next season, as Jordan Weal’s contract has expired and Poehling and Ylonen could very well find themselves promoted to the NHL, the Rocket have been busy adding players for next signed. And, they have clearly focused on adding a local flavour to the team.

Today, they announced the signing of Gabriel Bourque. The native of Rimouski, Quebec is a veteran of over 400 NHL games and scored over 100 points in the world’s best league. The 30 year old is a gritty winger who signed an AHL only contract with the Rocket and will provide leadership, experience and some scoring to the Laval roster next season.

Justin Ducharme was signed by the Rocket earlier this week. The 21 year old forward is coming off a long playoff run with the Val D’Or Foreurs of the QMJHL, losing in the final to the Victoriaville Tigres. The natives of Mirabel, Quebec scored 18 goals and 29 points in 28 regular season games this season and added another eight points in 15 postseason games. He scored 30 goals for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens two seasons ago.

The Rocket also retained Tobie Bisson for another season. The Rosemere, Quebec product played 28 games for the Rocket last season, posting seven points and an impressive plus 17 rating. The 24 year old defender will be looking for a bigger role after being mostly a depth piece on the Rocket last season.

Cedric Desruisseaux was signed by the Rocket last week. Born in Warwick, Quebec, the 21 year old just wrapped up an impressive QMJHL career. He scored 42 goals and 78 points in just 40 games last season for the Charlottetown Islanders. He played five seasons in the QMJHL, scoring 100 goals and 201 points in 229 career games for three different franchises. After leading that Junior league in goals and points, Desruisseaux will be in the bidding for a scoring role with the Rocket next season.

Two weeks ago, the Rocket also signed Terrance Amorosa to a contract. The 26 year old defender split last season between the AHL and ECHL, suiting up for five games with the Rocket. The Kirkland, Quebec native will be hoping to stick with the Rocket, but could find himself on the Canadiens new ECHL affiliate, the Trois-Rivieres Lions.

With a new affiliate franchise in the local region, it makes sense for the Habs to stock up on young players from the area. Aside from Bourque, any of these four new recruits could spend some time in Trois-Rivieres next season, but will also provide some depth for the Laval Rocket as well.