The Laval Rocket, American Hockey League affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, has unveiled the list of players invited to its training camp.
Among them is a record-setting group of seven players under contract with the Kelly Cup Champion Trois-Rivières Lions: Cedric Desruisseaux, Logan Nijhoff, Jacob Paquette, Wyatt McLeod, Emmett Serensits, Jacob Dion, and Vincent Duplessis.
Back in North America, Desruisseaux will be attending his third American Hockey League camp. He previously participated in the Rocket’s camp in 2021, in addition to receiving an invitation to the Montreal Canadiens’ camp that same year. The following season, he joined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ camp.
The forward from Warwick also suited up for the Lions in 39 games during the 2021-22 season.
Nijhoff will be taking part in his second camp with the Rocket. This will mark his fifth consecutive AHL camp, after previous stops with San Diego in 2021 and 2022, Rockford in 2023, and Laval in 2024.
Nijhoff signed a new contract with the Lions at the end of the summer. He finished last season tied for first in team goals with 25, alongside Jakov Novak and Anthony Beauregard.
This will also be Paquette’s second camp with Laval. Over the course of his career, the defenseman from Ottawa has also attended Nashville Predators’ camps in 2017 and 2018, as well as the Columbus Blue Jackets’ rookie camp in 2019.
Paquette is set to begin his second full season with the Lions after finishing sixth in the ECHL last year in plus/minus with an impressive +32 rating.
For McLeod, this marks his second AHL camp. In 2024, he was invited by the Chicago Wolves, affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, before joining the Lions at the start of their training camp.
The 6-foot-3 blueliner signed a new deal with Trois-Rivières at the beginning of September.
Serensits, Dion and Duplessis will all be attending their first AHL camps. Emmett signed with the Lions at the end of last season and suited up for 10 regular-season games under head coach Ron Choules, while Dion is preparing to make his professional debut with the Lions.
Duplessis, meanwhile, spent last season with the Utah Grizzlies, affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche.
The Trois-Rivières training camp will follow the Rocket’s and will get underway next Tuesday, Oct. 7, at Colisée Vidéotron.
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