|
New Canadiens Writer Ryan Snow on Habs Development Camp |
|
|
|
|
|
The Habs held their development camp from July 1-3 and there were some interesting stories to follow during those three days.
L.J. Mooney
Admittedly, I haven’t watched him play a lot of hockey during his two years in the US National Development Program, but looking at his stats he has 51 pts in 58 games, which is not too shabby. I was able to watch most of the mini games between Red and White and Mooney really stood out to me. He controls the puck extremely well, plays fast and has excellent vision and patience. The ongoing talk about him throughout camp was his size at 5 '7 and this is something he will deal with throughout his career, but so far this is not an issue, and with the NHL being a speed game, it should not hinder him should all other parts of his game continue to trend upwards. A really exciting player to watch.
Aatos Koivu
Saku Koivu, along with Ryan Smyth, was my favorite player growing up. When I got a Saku jersey from Christmas I was over the moon. Needless to say I was eager to see what Aatos Koivu could do during camp. Overall he had an ok game. He did not really stand during the game and it was noticeable he needed seasoning in regards to his decision making, but overall he was ok. During the shootout however, he pulled off the classic Saku shootout move which was fun to see.
Michael Hage
There is already some amount of pressure on Hage becoming a top centre for the habs in the future. Obviously he is a great prospect but I hope all of the talk around him does not hinder his focus. Just by watching him speak during the media scrum this does not seem to be the case. He looked calm and collected and spoke about putting on some size in order to be a more effective player. During the games he seemed quite comfortable out there and was able to effectively use his body to control the puck and make plays. There is a lot to like here and I’m eager to see how he does this year in the NCAA.
Have a good Saturday!
Join the Discussion:
»