Joshua Roy
Joshua Roy is a very interesting player and could end up being the best of the three players listed here, which speaks to his ascension to the top of the Canadiens prospects pool, after being selected in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL Draft. Reportedly, Roy’s diet, work ethic and drive to improve and be better were neglected until the Habs selected him. After that, there was a noticeable shift in the player, and it was a kickstart to some big things to come.
Roy’s skating has been a large question mark and seen as an area to improve, and while he has gotten faster, he will never be a guy who can burn defenders with his speed. But that should be no problem for the St-Georges-de-Beauce, QC native because he is so smart out on the ice, and his anticipation allows him to keep pace with the play. His offence is very good, because he is a multi-dimensional threat, leveraging his brilliant shot to freeze goalies, before making a great pass or firing a shot.
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey Leagues Sherbrooke Phoenix product, split time between the Phoenix and Saint John’s Sea Dogs during his four-year junior career. His 2021-22 season was his best season to date at the time, Roy exploded for 119 points (51 goals and 68 assists) in 66 games. He then scored 23 points (11 goals and 12 assists) in 11 playoff games.
He was one point shy of posting back-to-back 100-point campaigns in his final year of junior hockey, with his 46 goals and 53 assists for 99 points in 55 games before he posted 24 points (12 goals & 12 assists) through 14 postseason contests. He was dynamite at the 2022-23 World Junior Championships and a strong contributor to Team Canada’s gold medal.
Through training Canadiens training camp, Roy has been a standout, playing poised in all three zones, and consistently making smart plays, which translated to a nice goal during the preseason opener. Roy opened the scoring for the Canadiens using his patented quick release to put the Canadiens on the board early.
With the preseason begun, there will be ample opportunity for each of the three players mentioned above to prove themselves ready for an NHL role, and they each have made strong cases so far.
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