Canadiens: In Other News… 0-5, First Win, 21-22 Debut for Rocket, Lions

Daniel Audette Sits Third in KHL Scoring Race

Now for a bit of ancillary, and I do mean ancillary, content, Daniel Audette is a name mostly forgotten by Canadiens fans in the grand scheme of things. A former fifth round pick of the Habs in the 2014 NHL draft, the son of former Canadiens forward and long-time NHL star Donald Audette managed little but the occasional flash of promise in his three seasons with the Rocket and St. John’s IceCaps. After managing career highs of 14-25-39 totals in the 2018-19 season, Audette was on pace to eclipse those numbers with the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2019-20, further showcasing the offensive abilities he’s since fully realized on the other side of the pond.

After deciding to make the jump overseas going into 2020-21, Audette caught on fire early and hasn’t looked back. Signing with Lukko Rauma of the SM-Liiga, Audette finished second in league scoring with 13-37-50 totals over 60 games, leading his squad of mostly homegrown talent to the league playoffs, posting 0-4-4 totals over 11 games. After migrating to KHL club Podolsk Vityaz for 2021-22, Audette has only shone brighter with 12-12-24 totals over his first 20 games. To say Audette’s resurgence as a legitimate overseas scoring threat has been a surprise would be a gross understatement, but regardless, the Blainville native has taken his chance and ran with it, and thus far has shown no signs of slowing down.

While long-time top scorer and one-time Vegas Golden Knight Vadim Shipachyov largely has a chokehold on the KHL scoring title, Audette and fellow Canadian Phillipe Maillet are right there with him, with Audette being one point behind for second in league scoring. Considering the recent trend of Canadian KHL talent, with Oshawa native Justin Danforth playing his way into an NHL contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets this season, it remains to be seen whether Audette will see another North American opportunity in the future, though it’s highly unlikely. In either case, the former Canadiens farmhand has found new life overseas, and its one he looks to continue building upon as the KHL reaches the mid-point of it’s 21-22 season.