It is often said that high level hockey is a small world. This is even more true in Mauricie.
This is how Samuel Montembeault said that his parents have been smaller last week with the parents of his new teammate Zachary Bolduc.
“Our fathers played baseball together several years ago,” said Montembeault, after Sunday training in Brossard. They were happy with the exchange. »»
“It’s fun, two little guys from the same corner, who play in the same team,” added Bolduc. It’s fun for our families. This is the return of the pendulum for them to see their sons in the NHL, for the Montreal Canadian in addition. »»
Obviously, the integration of Bolduc into its new environment takes place round so far. At the end of the organized portion of day training, the number 76 participated in a game with Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, Juraj Slafkovsky and Arber Xhekaj. In other words, he stood with the cool students of the class.
An important role
And for those who do not allow themselves to be moved by family dinners and ice games, we will add only in a very concrete way, Bolduc is quickly integrated, if we trust the first clues of the camp.
Martin St-Louis organized his first real exercises of digital advantage on Sunday, and it was Bolduc who found himself in the first wave.
Waves of more digital training
Première Vague: Lane Hutson, Zachary Bolduc, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield et Juraj Slafkovsky
Second wave: Noah Dobson, Kirby Dach, Ivan Demidov, Patrik Laine and Brendan Gallagher
It also seemed to turn square for the second unit, which struggled to complete its game patterns. Wool and Demidov each hit the band with their stick as a frustration, and Dach was entitled to long explanations from St-Louis.
Photo Martin Chamberland, La Presse
Right, Ivan Demidov
Bolduc was uncomfortable when he was suggested to him that he was playing in the first wave. “There is no number yet,” he tempered. We talk about it as if the units are made, but we haven’t had a meeting still. Anyway, we have so much talent, the two units will be dangerous. »»
Whatever Bolduc said, we can assume that playing in the same wave as Suzuki and Hutson is a good sign. And his insertion into this unit is interesting. We have often talked about his successes after the confrontation of the 4 nations (13 goals in 26 games) with the Blues last winter. However, 6 of his 13 goals had been registered in digital advantage, the majority since the position of Pivot (“Bumper”). Robert Thomas obtained the assist on his six goals. However, in Montreal, another right -handed passer by the name of Suzuki could feed him there.
“Nick is among the elite of smugglers of the National League, like Thomas,” said the Trifluvian. These are similar players: centers, who gain playing, excellent defensively, who create chances of scoring. They do practically what they want with the washer. I’m sure we’re going to create chemistry. »»
The hearings continue
At 5 against 5, however, his trio is the only one that does not yet seem engraved in chisel.
Bolduc has been twinned by Alex Newhook since the start of the camp, but the identity of the third man is not clear. It was Owen Beck in the first days, but Sunday, Beck skated in another group and it was Joshua Roy who took his place.
PHOTO NICK WASS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Alex Newhook
This is a new sign of Bolduc status that changes. His position is confirmed, and it is the others who go to hearing.
“I have already been this guy to St. Louis, I wore the yellow sweater and went from one group to another,” recalled Bolduc. But nothing is guaranteed here, so you have to do your job when you jump on the ice. »»
What seems clear, however, is that this trio can generate energy and pressure in failure before, thanks to the speed of Newhook and Bolduc. “Alex has a good skate and it is a force that we have in common. We will have to play quickly, a direct and simple style, ”says the Quebecer.
It is also a unit that could inherit some defensive mandates, especially since the role of Newhook will evolve in this sense this season, with the numerical inferiority which will be added to its list of tasks.
To this end, the work killed in the company of Claude Julien, last season in St. Louis, could benefit the CH. Julien recounted last week, during his enthronement to the temple of renown of the LHJMQ, whom he had often worked on face with Bolduc. “He wanted to learn. It was enthusiastic to sit down, making video, “said the assistant coach of the Blues.
“We had a calendar, we saw each other in two, three games,” Detailed Bolduc. I came out of the sequences, things I had to focus on. »»
These things were “details on the defensive side, having a good stick, being well positioned, staying above the washer,” said the player.
The tricolor should theoretically integrate two rearior attackers this season, semi -pointed and potentially the winger who will complete the Newhook trio. St-Louis will therefore not lack work with this group. We guess that he will not be reluctant if Bolduc is already aware of some defensive notions.
In short
Hard KHL camps
Ivan Demidov’s Englishman is improving, if we hold as proof that his answers are gradually lengthening. On Sunday, he held a six -minute press scrum, during which he notably talked about his association with Patrik Laine and Kirby Dach. “The three, we have something to prove, so we will help ourselves,” he replied, when there was talk of the redemption of his two trio companions. Nevertheless, the 19 -year -old is not yet full in English, which sometimes gives fun results. For example, when he was asked how the Canadian’s training camp compared to this fall to those in which he participated in KHL. “The KHL is a bit of a gulag, you are constantly training for a full month with the team. Here, we do good skating, good training in gym. It’s similar, but it’s longer in the KHL. »»
Montembeault’s workload
Photo Graham Hughes, Canadian Press
Samuel Montembeault
Last season was the busiest of Samuel Montembeault’s career. By combining the season and the series, he played 3,686 minutes, exceeding his summit of 3,456 minutes with Armada in 2014-2015. In addition to these minutes, Montembeault participated in several training sessions with team Canada in the confrontation of the 4 nations, while the majority of its teammates were able to spin at the beach. The Quebecer does not yet know what his work volume will look like this season. “But I know what to expect if I have a big workload. I felt good in match 62 [de sa saison] Against Caroline last year, so we did that. We’re going to see. The calendar is very dense, the break [olympique] will be longer and we finish a little earlier. Montembeault also said that she had worked, for a second summer in a row, with the Neuractiv private clinic, in order to train his brain and his eyes to react well when he is in motion. “I am sitting in a seat, it spin me on the left, right, back, forward, and I have to keep my eyes on the targets,” he described. Montembeault admitted that technology gave him small heartaches at first, but that there are advantages. “I have been at the amusement park, I can do all the rides now!” »»
Three in four
The Tricolor preparatory calendar begins on the wheel hats this week with three games in four evenings at the Bell Center. Visitors will be, in order, the Penguins, the Flyers and the Maple Leafs. Martin St-Louis did not addressed the media on Sunday, so it was impossible to know more about the composition of the training for the meeting on Monday.
