Canadiens: Laval Rocket Should Pursue Charles-Edouard D’Astous

ECHL records certainly are of a different breed. Especially when it comes to teams like the Montreal Canadiens and indeed, the Laval Rocket.

Simply put, the Habs haven’t had the best relationship with the old East Coast League since its founding in the 1988-89 season. Reaching a peak of 29 teams in the 2001-02 season, the ECHL has always maintained its reputation for solid, cheap, physical hockey for the numerous fans in the small cities teams reside in. Yet, in spite of all of that, the Canadiens have largely refrained from having a consistent relationship with the league, unlike teams like the Toledo Walleye, affiliates of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings since 2009.

After a rocky relationship caused their last ECHL affiliate, the Brampton Beast, to jump ship to the Ottawa Senators before eventually going under, Montreal took a break from contact with the league before rejuvenating it with the introduction of the Trois-Rivieres Lions, who surprised many by being a legitimate playoff contender in their first season, taking the former Kelly Cup champ Newfoundland Growlers to seven games in their first round series.

As the playoffs have gone on, some surprising stories have emerged, as is the norm with a lower-level league like the ECHL. However, as I said earlier, ECHL records are often of a different breed compared to the NHL or even AHL, and largely stem from interesting, unique, if not outright bizarre backgrounds. Thankfully, for 24-year-old Utah Grizzlies defenseman Charles-Edouard D’Astous, this is not the case, rather, it’s his statistics that make him an interesting case for the Laval Rocket, going into the 2022-23 season.

The Canadiens AHL affiliate has made a name for themselves over the course of these playoffs after making an improbable run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Backed by solid offensive support from guys like Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Jean-Sebastien Dea, alongside outstanding goaltending thus far from Habs prospect Cayden Primeau, and a supporting cast comprised largely of AHL contracted players, the Rocket have been the talk of the playoffs and then some, and the same can be said, for ECHL guys like D’Astous, still searching for a permanent AHL job.

Take a look through the ECHL history books and you’ll largely see a mix of bizarre stories starring equally bizarre and fascinating journeymen. Not in the Sean Pronger or Mike Sillinger variety who had regular roles in the NHL, rather guys who barely sniffed the AHL, let alone the show. Trevor Jobe holds the record for most goals and points in a single ECHL season, posting ridiculous 85-76-161 totals over 61 games in the 1992-93 season. Jobe, a former seventh round pick and brief prospect of the Toronto Maple Leafs, possessed truly NHL level skill which he demonstrated over the course of his 35-team career (yes really), yet lacked any sort of work ethic and struggled with alcoholism, which ultimately prevented him from ever seeing NHL ice.

After one of the most electrifying performances in minor league playoff history, Charles-Edouard D’Astous is a must have player for the Laval Rocket.

However, we then have guys like D’Astous. The 24-year-old Rimouski product certainly hasn’t had much fanfare over the course of his brief career but has all eyes on him now after putting together one of the most electrifying performances in minor league playoff history. An undrafted pickup from the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic, D’Astous benefited from playing alongside former No. 1 overall pick Alexis Lafreniere for most of his career, though ultimately struggled to attract much NHL interest, in spite of 14-52-66 totals over 55 games in his over-ager season. After bouncing around the Red Wings organization for parts of two seasons, D’Astous found himself in Utah where he’s taken top pairing minutes and ran with them. With ridiculous 19-11-30 totals over 16 games in this year’s playoffs, D’Astous has recorded the most goals in a single postseason, in ECHL history.

As a defenseman.

While other players have come close to matching D’Astous’ records, most, if not all ECHL defenseman don’t come close to any single season records in the history books. Most notably, brother of Hall of Fame defenseman Al MacInnis, Rob, was one of the highest scoring defenseman in the ECHL and other similar lower leagues in the mid to late 1990s, as well as brother of Chris Chelios, Steve. In relation, D’Astous is honestly cut from a similar cloth as many of the other Canadiens AHL pickups from the QMJHL over the past few seasons, from Cedric Desruisseaux to Justin Ducharme. At the moment, D’Astous is signed to a fringe AHL deal with the Colorado Eagles and is, in my mind, an absolute must have player for the Rocket a la Harvey-Pinard.

While he’s yet to see much action in the AHL with just 23 games to his name with 2-4-6 totals, D’Astous’ potential cannot be denied and he could emerge as an absolute steal for the Rocket with the right conditioning, similar to Corey Schueneman, a career AHLer who found a brief role with the Canadiens this year, posting 2-4-6 totals over 26 games. With his Utah Grizzlies eliminated by the Walleye in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, the Rocket should seriously consider D’Astous as a low risk, AHL-contracted option next year, especially with having thus far, reached peaks formerly unheard of by the Canadiens’ minor league affiliates.

The last legitimately great AHL squad the Habs had was the 2010-11 Hamilton Bulldogs, whom coach Randy Cunneyworth and crew ran to just one game shy of the Calder Cup Finals. Led by infrequent NHLer and future KHL star Nigel Dawes, and the surprise emergence of former journeyman Drew Macintyre as playoff starter, and the Bulldogs became what was, until this season, the last glimpse of true AHL success in Montreal. While the St. John’s IceCaps qualified for the AHL playoffs in 2016-17, they were swept in the qualifying round and snuck in on the final game of the regular season.

In the midst of their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Springfield Thunderbirds, the Rocket have a chance to make their first Calder Cup Final in franchise history, and the first for the Habs since the champion 2006-07 Hamilton Bulldogs. With the Canadiens fresh off their worst season in franchise history in 2021-22, the Rocket’s success has been a welcome change for hockey fans in Montreal, and going into 2022-23, I have reason to believe that Charles-Edouard D’Astous, could be another reason why.

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