Montreal Canadiens’ AHL Affiliate Are Experiencing A Busier Offseason Compared to NHL Club
The Montreal Canadiens have gone through a relatively quiet offseason. Their AHL affiliate, Laval Rocket, however, has seen numerous signings since the market opened on July 1.
The earliest signing was that of forward Jakov Novak, who signed a one-year one-way contract with the team. He spent last season with the Trois-Rivières Lions of the ECHL. He scored 30 goals and racked up 56 points in 66 games.
The Rocket then announced a slew of player signatures, six to be exact: forwards Vincent Arseneau (formerly of the Providence Bruins) and Laurent Dauphin (formerly with HC Ambrì-Piotta in Switzerland); defensemen Joshua Jacobs (formerly of the Colorado Eagles), Vincent Sévigny (formerly of the Bridgeport Islanders) and Tyler Wotherspoon (formerly of the Utica Comets); and goaltender Hunter Jones (formerly with the Iowa Heartlanders in the ECHL).
Jones signed a one-year AHL two-way contract, while the five skaters signed one-year one-way AHL contracts.
The Canadiens signed forward Alex Barré-Boulet to a one-year two-way on July 1. It is technically an NHL contract, but he will spend significant time with the Rocket next campaign.
During his media availability, Barré-Boulet spoke about how hard it was commuting between the Syracuse Crunch and the Tampa Bay Lightning last year. With the short distance between Montreal and Laval, it is less tiring and means he isn’t spending too much time away from his two young kids.
Most recently, July 9, Laval signed forward Alex Beaucage to a one-year one-way AHL contract. Last season he registered 11 goals and 14 assists with the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL. He played an additional 21 games for the Colorado Eagles in the AHL last season.
