Make no mistake, the Montreal Canadiens stole the show on the first day of the 2022 NHL Draft.
From making the first overall selection to making two significant changes, it was a lesson to involve the local audience.
Here are some impressions of being at the Bell Center on both days.
- I was initially confused when I saw people talking on social media (and EOTP comments) about Juraj Slafkovsky being booed after being selected. I knew there was a mixed reaction on the red carpet, but from the Bell Center media seats, it looked like there was a shock, but no booing. It wasn’t until I saw the draft broadcast again that I heard that part of the reaction.
- I will probably never forget the moments before the two transactions announced by Gary Bettman. He was already in the media room, with most of the Montreal media, waiting for Slafkovsky to be interviewed. Then, they started whispering that the Canadians switched to Alexander Romanov, then Bettman was about to announce two changes with the Canadians. He led a short sprint from the media room to the bowl entrance to hear what the trades were.
- One of the reactions from the audience I heard was when Slafkovsky went to the TVA Sports studio / elevator. He had to walk through the crowd to get there, and he came across a WWE-style crowd cheering and cheering. It was so strong at one point that they had to interrupt the selection on the ground.
Then the Ole started in the crowd surrounding the TVA elevator, and Louis Jean stopped the interview so Slafkovsky could take it all. Considering it all happened essentially on top of me, it was a fantastic “welcome to Montreal” moment for the first overall selection.
- Day 2 of the draft is incredibly fast. I don’t know if it was the lack of exchanges, the fact that the previous two drafts were virtual, or just if they had more work to do, but the fast pace combined with 10 Canadian elections made the day fly by.
- After Owen Beck was selected in the 33rd, I learned that I wanted to wait as long as possible before going down to the work area because I wanted to try to see Jack Hughes, son of the GM of the Kent Canadians. He did not disappoint. After saying Hughes ’name, the father quickly moved from the Canadians’ draft table to the stairs where his son would enter the draft floor and meet the Los Angeles Kings. The two had a long hug as he hit the ground, and although the cameras didn’t capture it, they did catch Martin St. Louis greeting Jack.
Photo by Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
“He found me on the stairs where I was going down, hugged me and congratulated me and all that,” Jack said. “It was really cool.”
Hughes was told he was selected by the team that employs Marc Bergevin, the person his father held in Montreal. “Crazy coincidence,” Jack said, laughing. “It’s weird to be here and have him working there.”
Jack was also asked if the fact that his father was GM meant that he could not have normal discussions about the draft as a father and son would.
“Even if it wasn’t GM, it wouldn’t be normal conversations about the draft,” Jack said. “He prepared me for that, not to wait for them to pick me as high as I would have thought. He just said I enjoyed it, let’s see what happens. We had different talks about the draft the previous weeks or months, explaining how it works and how it could be crazy. “
Kent was jokingly asked after the first day of the draft if he would choose his son in the 33rd overall and quickly said no. Jack was also not expected to be told his name by Canadians.
“I think he wanted to avoid it as best he could. He made it pretty clear before that he would avoid it at any cost,” he said.
- Nick Bobrov and Martin Lapointe, co-directors of amateur scouting for Canadians, said they were looking for players to play the game the right way. Not only did they want successful players, or skilled players, but players with the right skills to translate their success to the next level.
Speaking to the players attending during the two days, their personalities stood out. They were all motivated, confident, but aware of their shortcomings and had perspective.
Whether it was Owen Beck talking about balance studies on time management and hockey, Vinzenz Rohrer talking about what he learned from tennis or Filip Mesar answering a question to describe his game with weaknesses and strengths minutes after being a first-round pick, it was obvious. that Canadians valued not only what was on the ice, but also what was inside the player.
- We stayed with Rohrer for a second. Rarely have I seen a player so young capture a room like him. He had an incredible awareness and perspective. What really surprised me, as I mentioned earlier, is what he learned from tennis.
He played tennis until the age of 11 or 12, and his father was a professional tennis player. He said the team aspect of hockey is what pushed him towards this sport.
“Tennis is an individual sport, so you can’t hide behind other people. In hockey, if you have a bad game, maybe an explorer can tell you, but if you mentally fight in tennis it’s obvious. Everyone sees it. This is something you can relate to, not just in hockey, but in life. You can really learn from other sports, not just hockey. “
Rohrer used his tennis background to score 5-0 in five ping-pong games against Canadians staff members after their meeting at the combined. I wouldn’t say who won, but both Bobrov and Lapointe joked about it, so maybe you can assume they were two of Rohrer’s victims.
“He basically excels at everything he plays, including hockey,” Bobrov said, before Lapointe intervened with ping-pong. Lapointe also mentioned that his success with everything he plays also happens with musical instruments.
“We tried to beat him, but he didn’t come out too well,” Bobrov continued.
“He sealed the deal, now I know why I’m here,” Rohrer joked.
- Lane Hutson is aware that he is a smaller player. The 5’8 “player joked that he hoped to fill the Canadians’ shirt that he wore best over time.
“I know I can be bigger, faster, stronger, even taller,” Hutson said. “That’s something that will come as I get older. Either way, it’s how you play the game, not how big or strong you are. When you get on the ice, everyone is the same size.”
The Canadians are also not an organization to avoid smaller players, with Brendan Gallagher, Cole Caufield and Sean Farrell being part of the organization even before hiring Martin St. Louis as head coach.
“It definitely helps because I’m looking to learn from these guys,” Hutson said. “They’re all super talented.”
- Owen Beck and Cédrick Guindon also had some very interesting things to say. Beck mentioned how upset he was that he couldn’t be there for Luca Del Bel Belluz, his OHL teammate, when they told him the name because he had already been selected before. Moments later, Del Bel Belluz entered the press room where Beck was and was able to congratulate him and give him the hug he wanted. It was a good time for two players to achieve their dream within minutes of each other.
Guindon said, almost timidly, that he grew up a fan of Senators in the Ottawa area, but said that once he understood the importance of French culture and its connection to Canadians, he gave it another understanding the franchise and got excited. to be chosen by them.
- Bobrov also said that while you want all teams to have skill and substance, combining the two was something Canadians wanted. Several times, on several of the perspectives, Bobrov and Lapointe mentioned how the players were people who attracted people to them and that people wanted to be close to. First impressions matched this very well.