On day one of rookie camp, the Montreal Canadiens’ rookies underwent medical and physical testing. At the same time, coaches Pascal Vincent, Martin Laperriere, and Daniel Jacob were thrown in the deep end right away, facing the media questions on day one.
Vincent is eager to get the ball rolling and mentions that the Canadiens will have a good team for this rookie camp. Still, he does expect the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, and Ottawa Senators to ice very competitive sides for this weekend’s prospect showdown. If you were wondering if Ivan Demidov will be seeing any action this weekend, the answer seems to be yes.
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Asked what the youngster had to gain from attending rookie camp even though he’s all but guaranteed a spot on the Canadiens’ roster for the upcoming season, the bench boss said:
Playing games and measuring up against players his own age is beneficial, as is seeing the town’s frenzy for this event, even in September during training camp. I believe that even though he finished the year with the Canadiens, it’s always beneficial. We’ll be introducing a few concepts, refreshing his memory, and allowing him to play games in real situations. Practicing is one thing, but facing actual in-game action is quite another. I think he can benefit from this environment.
– Pascal Vincent on what Ivan Demidov can get out of rookie camp.
Vincent admits that expectations will be high for the Russian youngster this season because he’s so talented, but adds that, at the same time, the goal is for him to dominate in the NHL eventually; he doesn’t have to do it at training camp. What the coach wants to see is how fast he can actually master the concepts that will be taught in the couple of practices that are on schedule. He explains that to be successful in the NHL, you can’t just play on one side of the ice; you must master and play the defensive side of the game as well.
The Canadiens’ rookies will hit the ice for the first time on Thursday morning at 10:00 at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, and we should have a better idea then of what the lines and pairings are likely to be for this camp and for this weekend’s games against the Jets and Leafs.
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