The Montreal Canadiens drafted Joshua Roy with a fifth round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.
He was a highly skilled player who was taken first overall in the QMJHL Draft just two years earlier, but he also had lots of untapped potential. Though he was scoring at about a point per game pace and was always a skilled and smart player, he was not 100% committed off the ice to being the best player possible.
That all changed the day the Canadiens drafted him as the St Georges de Beauce native became fully committed to making the team he grew up cheering for one day. Since then, he was one of the best players in the QMJHL and among the league’s top scorers over the past two seasons.
He did lead the league in scoring as an 18 year old and then had 99 points in 55 games last season while missing some time to represent Canada at the World Juniors. He quickly developed into a terrific prospect after being selected late in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Roy made his pro debut in the 2022 playoffs when he played one game with the Laval Rocket. He made his AHL regular season debut tonight, and scored an absolutely beautiful goal against the Abbotsford Canucks.
Emil Heineman found Roy high in the offensive zone with a pass and Roy made a terrific fake and stickhandle around a Canucks defender to get plenty of open ice in the attacking zone. He ripped a wrist shot that beat the Canucks goalie on the short side and gave Roy his first career pro goal.
Son premier chez les pros
— Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) October 14, 2023
First one with the pros #GoRocket https://t.co/DggeTXcK7h pic.twitter.com/m1VfxkKmTk
Roy has proven to be one of the Habs top prospects and made his presence felt early in his first AHL game of the season. He is the type of player who is always in the right spot and doesn’t make many mistakes. He has shown a defensive presence but also an ability to rip a puck past a goalie as a prospect and did the same in his first game of the season with the Rocket.
It really won’t be long before we start to see him competing and making a difference for the Canadiens at the highest level.
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