dlbalr Posted July 1 Posted July 1 They've signed six players today so far: Forwards Xavier Simoneau and Vincent Arseneau, defenceman Braden Hache, and goalies Kevin Mandolese, Hunter Jones, and Francesco Lapenna. https://www.rocketlaval.com/en/press-release/agrees-terms-four-players-2026-2027/ https://www.rocketlaval.com/en/press-release/contracts-vincent-arseneau-xavier-simoneau/ Of the newcomers, Hache is a physical third-pairing defender who will probably be up with Laval for the season (next two years, actually, since his is a two-year pact). Mandolese has been serviceable in the minors before and was with the Rocket in camp last year. He could be the backup or be the starter in Trois-Rivieres. Quote
tomh009 Posted July 1 Author Posted July 1 So, four goaltenders, including Kahkonen? Two in Laval, two in TR ... and three in Montreal? Quote
dlbalr Posted July 1 Posted July 1 5 minutes ago, tomh009 said: So, four goaltenders, including Kahkonen? Two in Laval, two in TR ... and three in Montreal? I imagine Mandolese could be T-R-bound if need be (if someone goes down from the Habs). Quote
WildTurkeyXX Posted July 8 Posted July 8 Apologies if I'm just out of the loop and missed the news... but do we know who's replacing Vincent, yet? Quote
Commandant Posted July 8 Posted July 8 3 hours ago, WildTurkeyXX said: Apologies if I'm just out of the loop and missed the news... but do we know who's replacing Vincent, yet? No, we havent had an announcement yet. Quote
WildTurkeyXX Posted July 8 Posted July 8 3 hours ago, Commandant said: No, we havent had an announcement yet. Hmm.. I wonder who it'll be. Hopefully a good one... Quote
dlbalr Posted July 10 Posted July 10 I suppose technically, he could still be hired away for a head coaching job but that's unlikely now obviously. I thought he was going to be one of the front-runners, if not the front-runner. Quote
dlbalr Posted July 12 Posted July 12 Laval signs defenceman Jacob Dion and Kale McCallum along with forward Alexander Legkov to one-year, two-way deals. Dion briefly spent time with the Rocket last season but mostly played in Trois-Rivieres as did McCallum after he finished his college career. Legkov was at Montreal's development camp earlier this month. https://www.rocketlaval.com/en/press-release/rocket-signs-three-players/ Quote
Prime Minister Koivu Posted July 13 Posted July 13 I don’t know anything about this guy but I’m happy the coaching job has been filled - no distractions Quote
GHT120 Posted July 13 Posted July 13 1 hour ago, Prime Minister Koivu said: I don’t know anything about this guy but I’m happy the coaching job has been filled - no distractions But seems like something that could have happened weeks ago if he was their preferred choice Quote
tomh009 Posted July 13 Author Posted July 13 2 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said: I don’t know anything about this guy but I’m happy the coaching job has been filled - no distractions Quote
Prime Minister Koivu Posted July 13 Posted July 13 1 hour ago, GHT120 said: But seems like something that could have happened weeks ago if he was their preferred choice Perhaps the salary negotiations took a bit 48 minutes ago, tomh009 said: 2 years with Laval as assistant on top of many years elsewhere Seems promising Quote
dlbalr Posted July 13 Posted July 13 3 hours ago, GHT120 said: But seems like something that could have happened weeks ago if he was their preferred choice Given that the vacancy came close to June 30th (typically when contracts expire), they likely wanted to talk to a few people first and then went to their fallback plan. Quote
tomh009 Posted July 13 Author Posted July 13 5 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said: 2 years with Laval as assistant on top of many years elsewhere Five years--three years first, then a two-year gap, and now two more years. I expect they have a pretty good idea now of who he is and what he can do. Quote
WildTurkeyXX Posted July 14 Posted July 14 I like that he's already familiar with the system and the players. Looks like a promising hire. Quote
GHT120 Posted July 14 Posted July 14 49 minutes ago, WildTurkeyXX said: I like that he's already familiar with the system and the players. Looks like a promising hire. It lets him "hit the ground running" with those players Quote
dlbalr Posted July 23 Posted July 23 Notes on a couple of Laval UFAs: - G Hunter Shepard has signed a one-year deal in Kazakhstan (KHL). - D Josiah Didier is expected to sign next week with IF Bjorkloven (SHL). Quote
DON Posted July 28 Posted July 28 bit of trivia on new kid Canadian: 5 things to know about Sasha Pastujov, the new player | TVA Sports 3) Two-time World Juniors Pastujov first represented the U.S. at the 2022 World Junior Hockey Championship, finishing the tournament with one goal and three assists in five games. He was 18 years old at the time. Eligible to play in the tournament the following year, he played only one game before the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Quote
dlbalr Posted August 6 Posted August 6 Will Dineen signs an AHL deal with Calgary. Too bad, he was a useful depth player last season. Quote
tomh009 Posted Thursday at 06:56 PM Author Posted Thursday at 06:56 PM That looked like a surprising amount of turnover. However, I think that five of the eight players that signed elsewhere (plus Dunlap) were playing in TR last season, not Laval, so it's less worrisome than it appeared at first glance. Quote
dlbalr Posted Monday at 10:31 PM Posted Monday at 10:31 PM If Urquhart sounds familiar, it's not the second-round pick that busted but a former player who briefly played in Montreal's system back in 2010-11 with Hamilton. He's currently McGill's head coach. As for the other two, Renaud has been coaching in the QMJHL for 12 straight years, the last eight as a head coach. Jacques has a couple of QMJHL stints with Blainville-Boisbriand and was their head coach for the first time last season. Quote
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