Stu Cowan: Bright Montreal spotlight can be tough on Canadiens prospects

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“Simply be extra assured than I used to be and simply belief your self,” is Juraj Slafkovsky’s greatest recommendation to defenceman David Reinbacher.

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Stu Cowan • Montreal Gazette

Revealed Sep 25, 2024 • Final up to date 18 hours in the past • 4 minute learn

Canadiens head coach Martin St Louis holds onto defenceman David Reinbacher earlier than releasing him for a drill throughout coaching camp on the CN Sports activities Complicated in Brossard final week. Photograph by John Mahoney /Montreal Gazette

Throughout this Canadiens rebuilding course of, it may be straightforward for followers to typically overlook simply how younger a few of the group’s high prospects are.

It will also be laborious to grasp the stress younger gamers are below within the brilliant Montreal hockey highlight.

Juraj Slafkovsky made the bounce on to the NHL at age 18 after being the No. 1 total decide on the 2022 NHL Draft. It wasn’t straightforward and the Slovakian winger typically seemed misplaced on the ice as a rookie, posting 4-6-10 totals in 39 video games earlier than struggling a season-ending knee damage. Slafkovsky additionally had a tough begin final season earlier than discovering his sport within the second half and ending with 20-30-50 totals whereas taking part in in all 82 video games.

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David Reinbacher has already skilled the stress from Montreal followers with out taking part in a single sport within the NHL. There have been followers who weren’t pleased with the Canadiens’ resolution to pick out the Austrian defenceman with the No. 5 total decide on the 2023 NHL Draft as an alternative of Russian ahead Matvei Michkov and let Reinbacher know on social media.

One Canadiens fan, Patricia Néron, was so upset on the vitriol directed at Reinbacher that she took to Twitter (now X) asking followers to share some optimistic messages for the defenceman. Néron acquired greater than 200 feedback inside 24 hours, put these messages in a scrapbook and offered it to Reinbacher eventually yr’s growth camp.

“I wished to offer visibility to the nice Habs followers and present that we’re not all like that,” Néron stated on the time.

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Reinbacher is now attending his second Canadiens coaching camp and is coming off a tough season with Kloten HC within the Swiss Nationwide League, posting 1-10-11 totals in 35 video games to go together with a minus-15 ranking. He was within the Canadiens’ lineup — partnered with veteran Mike Matheson — for Tuesday night time’s 3-0 pre-season win over the New Jersey Devils on the Bell Centre and had a strong sport, logging 19:39 of ice time.

After Tuesday’s morning skate in Brossard, I requested Slafkovsky what’s the most effective recommendation he may give Reinbacher.

“I’d say be assured as a result of I don’t assume I used to be assured sufficient once I got here right here,” the 20-year-old Slafkovsky stated. “It wasn’t good. Simply be extra assured than I used to be and simply belief your self. Make these performs you probably did on the European ice regardless that it’s smaller right here.

“He’s an excellent participant already,” Slafkovsky added, “Simply be assured and play your sport.”

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Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis was by no means chosen on the NHL Draft, so he confronted a special kind of stress at coaching camps earlier than lastly breaking into the NHL with the Calgary Flames at age 23.

What’s his greatest recommendation for Reinbacher?

“I’d inform him to concentrate on himself and never examine himself to anyone,” St. Louis stated after Tuesday’s sport. “Comparability is a thief of pleasure.”

Mark that one down as one in all St. Louis’s many good traces since changing into head coach — regardless that he borrowed it from former U.S president Theodore Roosevelt.

“For me, it’s simply to maintain engaged on himself,” St. Louis added about Reinbacher. “I’m certain he in all probability desires to play within the NHL as quick as he can, however there’s a course of to get there and everyone will get there at their very own tempo and I believe we’ve completed a fairly good job with a few of these younger guys and I’m assured that we’re going to execute the identical factor with him.”

Whereas Reinbacher had a impolite welcome into Montreal’s hockey highlight final yr, he has realized methods to deal with the surface noise.

“Straightforward,” he stated about tuning out social media. “Not wanting into it. Simply delete all these apps. It’s simply hypothesis on the market. Simply attempt to concentrate on my day, what I can affect.”

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Good transfer.

Defenceman Logan Mailloux was thrust into the intense Montreal highlight after the Canadiens’ controversial resolution to pick out him within the first spherical (thirty first total) of the 2021 NHL Draft. Mailloux, 21, spent final season with the AHL’s Laval Rocket and in hindsight stated it was the most effective factor for his growth.

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“I went there and I had a sluggish begin,” stated Mailloux, who ended up with 14-33-47 totals in 72 video games with the Rocket. “However I used to be being put in all conditions, taking part in a ton of minutes and taking part in some powerful hockey down there. We had ups and downs as a group and me, personally. I believe it type of helped me be taught to undergo a complete professional season, day in, time out.”

Mailloux made his NHL debut within the Canadiens’ remaining sport final season and has an excellent likelihood of constructing the group this yr. Reinbacher might be headed to Laval.

That’s the good transfer.

“It’s a course of,” Reinbacher stated. “I’m nonetheless 19. I’m turning 20 in October. So there’s nonetheless loads of time. It’s simply go in on daily basis and get higher and if it’s Laval, it’s Laval. (Canadiens administration) have a plan and simply attempt to concentrate on myself each day and never specializing in what’s tomorrow or if I make the group.”

scowan@postmedia.com

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