Montreal Canadiens prospect Mattias Norlinder is having a much different season than anyone expected.
He played well at Canadiens training camp, but it was expected he would head back to Sweden this season before making a more permanent trip to North America next fall.
However, he was injured in training camp and stuck around Montreal to allow the Canadiens medical team to monitor him and help him with his rehab. When he finally became healthy, the Canadiens season was already spiralling out of control, so they elected to keep him around.
He had a three game stint with the Laval Rocket last month as part of a conditioning trip to get into game shape. He then played six games with the Canadiens, though his minutes were limited and he sat on the bench watching Ben Chiarot run the top power play after a series of injuries knocked out more capable quarterback options.
That still doesn’t make sense as running the power play is exactly what Norlinder does best. If the Canadiens were going to use him at all they should have put him in situations he excels and that would include running a power play.
They chose not to, and earlier this week they decided to move him back down to the Laval Rocket. He didn’t take long showing off what he can do with the man advantage.
The 21 year old has played two pro seasons in Sweden, but he is playing just his fourth AHL game tonight for the Rocket. He is quarterbacking the top power play and he did exactly what was expected of him to give his team a second period lead tonight.
Un but classique en avantage numérique 🚀
— Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) December 9, 2021
Classic power play goal for Norlinder 🚀#GoRocket pic.twitter.com/o21EZzNcp8
You can see in the video that Norlinder starts the play with the puck on his stick. He passes it down low and then moves over tight to the boards to open a lane for a pass back to him.
He gets the puck back and quickly moves to the middle of the ice where he has a better shooting lane. His head up the whole way, he sees an opening and quickly fires a wrist shot through traffic the the goaltender can not see. The puck eludes the netminder and finds the back of the net for Norlinder’s first pro goal in North America.
It is just one play, but it shows Norlinder’s offensive instincts and ability to run a power play. The lateral movement to get to the middle of the ice is something Chiarot would have a hard time with and shows the value that Norlinder will soon bring to the Canadiens, whenever he is called back up.