The Montreal Canadiens had high hopes for their AHL affiliate this season. Several prospects joined the Laval Rocket, indicating a turning point in the long-term development plan.
Rather than employing a bevy of one-year mercenaries, as has been the case since the team moved to Laval, the main players in the lineup would be legitimate Habs prospects.
Of course, a young lineup means there are healthy odds Jean-Francois Houle’s team would suffer through growing pains. With just five wins in their first 22 games, things were looking dire.
In addition to losing Jayden Struble to the NHL, the Rocket’s defensive situation was questionable, to say the least.
But things changed when defenceman Arber Xhekaj was assigned to the AHL. The rough-and-tumble blueliner immediately made a significant impact on both the team’s results as well as individual results.
Consequently, the Rocket have won eight of their last 10 games, and players like Logan Mailloux have enjoyed a significant uptick in scoring.
Mailloux had a very respectable scoreline prior to Xhekaj’s arrival, with 10 points in 20 games. However, since being paired with Xhekaj, Mailloux has produced 10 points in 12 games.
On Wednesday morning, Mailloux was announced as the Rocket’s representative at the AHL’s All-Star Game, set to take place on February 4, in San Jose, California.
It’s a well-deserved honour for a player who has shown considerable growth since making the jump to professional hockey.
You’d be hard-pressed to argue Mailloux did not deserve an invite to the festivities, but there are a couple of Montreal Canadiens prospects in the lineup who also deserve to be added to the All-Star roster.
Rookie Joshua Roy has scored 10 goals and 17 assists in 32 games, and sits fourth in scoring among all rookie skaters. Brandon Gignac currently leads the Rocket in scoring with 11 goals and 19 assists and is tied for 10th overall in AHL scoring.
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