The Canadiens’ prospects were on the ice for the second time Wednesday morning as André Savard led them through their morning workout. The mood during warm-up was low-key, but that quickly changed as Savard, along with Michel Therrien, Roland Melanson , and Éric Lavigne began the real on-ice workout.
The practice began with a 6-man neutral zone drill. Six players were given pucks and made to skate at medium/high intensity between the two bluelines. The object of the drill was to force the players to handle the puck while keeping their heads up at all times. Marc-André Thinel really excelled during this drill. It allowed him to showcase his speed and puck-handling ability.
Due to the language barrier, Andrei Markov was given some special attention. Markov showed good speed, and a quick first step. His mobility was excellent. He paid especially close attention to the on-ice direction, and seemed to respond well to suggestions.
Mike Ribeiro was definitely the best puck-handler on the ice. He was able to have his way with opposing defensemen during drills. Until they got a hand on him. This tactic would invariably result in Ribeiro being pushed off the puck. The extra 20 pounds of muscle that Ribeiro was reported to have put on during the summer didn’t seem to help in this regard. Read more»
The Canadiens have recently made many moves to bolster the front office. Bringing in solid managerial and scouting talent in Andre Savard, and Martin Madden. Both men should help Houle make the necessary choices when it comes to player movement. But the fact still remains that the Habs are an organization lacking depth; especially at the three forward positions.
Many questions are being asked by Fans and Media alike, “Are the Habs going to grab any free-agents?” And if so who?” Names such as Alexander Daigle, Stephane Richer and Claude Lemieux have been mentioned.
The fact that all 3 of these players are right wingers is no accident. The Habs’ current roster holds only 3 players with tangible NHL experience who shoot right-handed. Which creates a problem among the team’s right wingers. Why is it important for a right winger to shoot right? For 2 reasons; First, it facilitates the transition game. Especially in the defensive zone, where the transition is essential. Not only in clearing your own zone, but in creating offensive rushes. Second, it reduces the likelihood of a turnover in the defensive zone.
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Marcel and Marian Hossa were born in the town of Stara Lubovna in
Slovakia. Both have the same build at 6’1 and 200 pounds. They look like
there identical twins. The only real difference is that Marian is 2 and a
half years older. Both played there junior hockey with the Portland Winter
Hawks of the Western Hockey League. When Marian was drafted 12th overall in
the 1st round of the 1997 draft by the Ottawa Senators the happiest person
was Marcel. Then when Marcel was drafted by Montreal in the 2000 draft the first person
who was there to congratulate him was Marian. It’s fitting that
they are both so close to each other in Canada. Marian is without a doubt the
bigger scorer of the two. Marcel is a great defensive player and a good
penalty killer. The Hossa family may not be as recognized as the Howe’s or
some of the other big family names, but I promise you in 10 years (barring
injury) you will hear Marian and Marcel Hossa being talked about as one of
the greatest brother duo’s ever in the NHL, WHL or Slovakian Hockey History.
The talent is there. The desire is there. But most important, Marian and
Marcel are there for each other. And even they will tell you, that is more
important than anything else…even hockey.
With most of the hockey world expecting the Habs to choose a European with both of their first round picks, Rejean Houle again went with his infamous, “Rejean Logic.” The Habs were unable to pick up a European playing in Europe until the fourth round, passing on such players as Martin Samuelsson, Vaclav Nedorost, and Alexander Frolov. Here are the Habs first 4 picks of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. Picks 5 through 11 will follow shortly.
POS HT/WT DOB DRAFTED
Ron Hainsey (D) 6'3"/187 Lbs March 24/81 D-Mtl00 (1-13)
99-00 Stats GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH
(U-Mass Lowell) 30 3 8 11 +1 - - -
(WJHC) 7 1 1 2 +1 - - -
#1 Strength- Some offensive skill
#1 Weakness- Physical strength
Hainsey is a very good skater, and a confident puckhandler. He has all the tools necessary to become an NHL caliber defenseman; He’s poised. He has good hockey sense, and he anticipates plays very well. He has good size, but must improve his physical strength in order to compete with the big boys in the NHL. He was ranked 9th in North America by the CSS.
POS HT/WT DOB DRAFTED
Marcel Hossa (C) 6'1"/200 Lbs Oct 12/81 D-Mtl00 (1-16)
99-00 Stats GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH Read more»
Canadiens Stay Close To Home on Draft Day
In a draft which was dominated by players overseas, the Canadiens opted to stay close to home with their draft selections. Despite adding several full-time European scouts, specifically Dave King, the Habs focused on American-born players in the College and high school ranks for a second year in a row after neglecting the NCAA route for years. To continue the trend started in ’99, Montreal primarily drafted blueliners, particularly when they drafted south of the border; all five college and high school players drafted over the last two years are defensemen.
This trend surprisingly started quickly in this year’s draft. With Montreal’s first pick, they selected Ron Hainsey: a College player with offensive tools. The swift skating defenseman out of Hockey East plays with poise, intelligence and has terrific vision to make crisp outlet passes out of his own zone; something the Canadiens desperately need. However, he was pegged as a late first round draft pick, and perhaps even an early second rounder. Is this yet another foolish move by the Canadiens’ management?
Not quite.
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