The Montreal Canadiens have had a few injuries to start the season, meaning a spot opened up for a call-up to the NHL.
With that, Habs fans were calling for Joshua Roy to get the nod and make his NHL debut over the next couple of games. Many were disappointed when Joel Armia got the promotion instead because Roy has been playing so well. While I agree he has been playing well, I still think a full season in the American Hockey League will allow him to adapt to the faster pace, and bigger, better players.
I recently wrote about Roy’s first career hat trick, in a game in which he also scored five points. The offensive burst skyrocketed him to the top of the AHL point-scoring race. He had another solid game against the Belleville Senators, pushing his totals to 11 points through the first five games of the season.
His start has been impressive, and I think the fear with calling him up, is that he won’t likely play top six minutes because of the level of competition. However, with the Rocket he will play on one of the team’s top two lines. Not only that, but he will get time on the powerplay and penalty-killing units, allowing him to round out his two-way game.
It’s not so much that he isn’t ready, because I felt he should have made the team out of camp. But at the time, I felt he would be a perfect addition to the team’s top nine. Now, albeit a small sample size, Roy looks like a perfect addition to the Canadiens’ top six for the future.
To me, he is the forward prospect with the most potential to play in the top six, and also both special teams units. While Artturi Lehkonen focused more on the defensive side of things in Montreal, he did have a great shot, much like Roy. And Roy is great on the defensive side of the puck, utilizing a smart stick and great anticipation to intercept passes.
Personally, and I am not general manager, not armchair GM, I think Roy should play the whole year in the AHL. In doing so, when he shows up to NHL training camp for the 2024-25 season, he will be ready to take a spot and look even more comfortable than he did this year at camp. I believe he could play in the NHL right now, but the patient approach with one of the club’s best prospects will prove very important for his development.
The experience and reps against professional players on a nightly basis will keep things in perspective for Roy, allowing him to learn what he needs to improve. Rocket head coach JF Houle and director of player development Adam Nicholas are in charge of giving each prospect the best plan to become the best player that they can be. With that, Roy will benefit from all of the teaching and video work, and putting all of the lessons he learned into play will be huge for his development.
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