Roy never had doubts Bolduc wouldn't make it to NHL

Roy, who was recently named Islanders coach, also found the irony in it.

"The funny part is it's against us, but I'm happy for him," Roy said. "I had him for two years in Quebec. He was one of our key players. It's nice to see a player who played for you in junior having a chance to play at the next level. I will say this, the team we had last year, there's going to be a lot of our guys that eventually will play their first NHL game.

"What I love about Zack is we had a lot of meetings. We know he can score goals. We know he's a skill player, but I always mentioned to Zack, 'It's your d-zone coverage that will allow you to play at that next level,' and how involved you want to be physically in his battles and compete. He doesn't have to kill anyone; he needs to be involved physically. I think that's what he's been trying to do since he's gone to Springfield.

"It's not like a switch on and off. It's something you need to do when you you're in junior and you bring it to your game. There's no secret recipe to this. You have to do it early in your career and it will kind of transpire when you get to that next level."

Bolduc, who had 110 points (50 goals, 60 assists) in 60 regular-season games for the Remparts last season and helped Quebec win the OHL title and Memorial Cup.

He will play in the second Blues line with Brayden Schenn and Jake Neighbours.

"Hey at 20 and 21, it's going to be a lot of fun," Schenn said. "Both kids ... I shouldn't say kids, but both guys like to have a lot of fun and hopefully we can get it going with a little chemistry."

Bolduc said he was excited for the opportunity and understands the difference between junior hockey and the pro level.

"Guys are stronger, bigger," Bolduc said. "You've got to be smarter. You've got to play quicker. Just to learn too. Just learn the game, the pro game for me was the big part. It took me a few months to adjust to that, but the last month, I felt very comfortable on the ice there. I have a lot of confidence too. I'm really excited to join the team here. I want to help the team here to help win some games.

"My confidence was there (in Springfield). I played with good players too down there. It really helped me. I think it's all about confidence and I feel really comfortable on the ice. My skating was good. I've just got to use my strength as much as I can.

"I couldn't asked for better linemates for a first game. These guys, they are real pros. I'm pretty lucky to play with them. I'm excited to be playing with them. Looking forward to playing with them. ... I'm still a young player, a young kid. I've got to learn from these guys. A guy like [Schenn], he did crazy good things in the National [Hockey] League. For me, it's a great model to follow. Just excited to play with him (tonight)."

As for any doubts whether Roy hadin Bolduc making it to the NHL, there were zero doubts.

"Absolutely. I have no doubt in my mind," Roy said.

And the challenge for Bannister, who will not initially use Bolduc on the power play, is finding him successful areas to play in, at least to start.

"We just want to put him in positions that he can have success," Bannister said. "I think that's the plan moving forward with him would be put him in a situation whether it's offensive zone situations, where he's starting there, where he can use his ability to shoot the puck and create offense for our group.

"It's not that it's a challenge. It's just an unstanding that it's time and space and having awareness of where the puck is in certain areas of the ice and where you need to be. Zack's a smart player. He's obviously gifted offensively. When he has the puck on his stick, he can make a lot of good things happen. The one thing that stoodout to me is his willingness to learn and get better at some of the deficiencies in his game, but he had to be better at if he wants to become a full-time NHL player."