montrealgazette.com
Summarize this content to 100 words:
While there were no immense expectations on the Laval Rocket last season, when the team surprised many by finishing first overall in the AHL, the club has been in the crosshairs one year later.
“This year, teams are expecting us to be good, so they’re ready for us,” head coach
Pascal Vincent
told The Gazette this week. “Last year, it took a bit of time for people to take us seriously. This year, it was from Day 1. It’s a change and a responsibility. We’ve earned that right.”
The Rocket might not be quite as strong this season, but the team is first in the North Division with a 27-14-4 record, six points clear of Syracuse and Cleveland, with 27 games remaining. Laval is sixth overall in the 32-team league and is competent at both ends of the rink. It has scored 142 goals while allowing 119.
It has done so despite injuries and regular player movement — a constant theme in the AHL — between Laval and the Canadiens. At various points this season, the Rocket has been without goaltender
Jacob Fowler
, defenceman
Adam Engstrom
and forwards Owen Beck, Joshua Roy, Jared Davidson and Florian Xhekaj.
While forward Samuel Blais cleared waivers this week and will be rejoining Laval for Friday’s Place Bell game against Cleveland, the Rocket is without injured defenceman David Reinbacher, the Canadiens’ No. 5 overall draft pick in 2023, Davidson and backup goalie
Kaapo Kahkonen
. Only three players — Sean Farrell, Luke Tuch and Filip Mesar — have yet to miss a game.
But the team also has adopted a next-man-up mentality, believing the pieces on the chessboard are interchangeable thanks to its system and sound coaching.
“We’re predictable in our approach,” said veteran forward Alex Belzile, 34, who re-signed with Laval after two seasons at Hartford. “We get to the offensive zone and let our talent talk and our skill takes over. When you play here (as a visiting team) it’s a challenge. I saw a well-structured team that was tough to play against.
“It doesn’t matter who’s in,” added Belzile, who has 19 goals and 39 points in 42 games. “The top teams defend well, check well and do things that don’t necessarily require talent. But those things annoy other teams and make it tough to play against. Do that, and we know we’re going to score goals eventually. We’re pretty consistent in the way we play and stick to our identity.”
There have been bumps on the road. Laval went four games (0-2-2) without a win last month. There were also three successive regulation defeats in December — including two games at Cleveland behind Canadiens goalie
Samuel Montembeault
, who was on a conditioning stint.
But for the most part, the Rocket has been consistent and finds ways to win. While none of its forwards would be considered potential NHL superstars,
Laurent Dauphin, 30, is the AHL’s points leader
, with 14 goals and 38 assists in 41 games.
He, along with Fowler, Engstrom and Vincent, who was named the league’s coach of the year in April, will represent Laval at next week’s AHL All-Star Challenge in Rockford, Ill.
Vincent, in his second season after being fired by the Columbus Blue Jackets, has instilled a culture of camaraderie. It’s a close-knit team, with everyone pulling for their teammates and sticking up for each other. The coach wants a group that plays quick and applies intense pressure away from the puck.
“He’s detailed; I like that,” Belzile said. “He wants us to be prepared so when you come to play, you don’t have to think. You just react.”
Laval has succeeded without being amazing on special teams. It ranks 15th overall in the league with a pedestrian power play (19.3 per cent) and penalty kill (79.3 per cent). The Rocket is also one of the AHL’s most-penalized teams, with 670 minutes. But that’s more the result of its pack mentality than undisciplined play.
Vincent trusts his players — especially the leadership group of captain Lucas Condotta, Dauphin and Belzile — to monitor the room and allows them the freedom to have their space.
“He (Vincent) has been amazing,” Condotta said. “He doesn’t take any BS, and it has worked. We play the same way. We play hard and he keeps us in line. He’s getting the best out of me. I think we’re tough to play against.”
Laval advanced to the Eastern Conference final last season before being swept by a veteran Charlotte team that was stacked with former NHL players, including goalie Kahkonen. The Rocket believes it has unfinished business.
“This year we want to win the (Calder) Cup, and we’ll do whatever it takes,” Condotta vowed.
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
Related
Surging Canadiens roll into Olympic break on high note | HI/O Show
Time running short for Canadiens’ first-round pick Filip Mesar
Time with Canadiens lights fuse for Rocket goaltender Jacob Fowler
