Coach Pascal Vincent was asked on the first day of Canadiens rookie camp Wednesday what he was hoping to see from the young players during two weekend Prospect Showdown games at the Bell Centre against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“There’s a reason why they’re here,” said Vincent, who is heading into his first season as head coach of the AHL’s Laval Rocket. “There’s a reason why somebody at some point said: ‘Yes, we’re going to bring you to camp or we’re going to draft you,’ whatever it is. There’s a reason why you’re going to wear that jersey that day and we want to see it. We want to see what you’re good at.”
Florian Xhekaj is good at being a physical presence on the ice — just like his older brother, Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj. So it wasn’t a shock that the younger Xhekaj dropped the gloves and put a beating on Toronto’s Chas Sharpe on his first shift, less than two minutes into Saturday afternoon’s game the Canadiens would eventually lose 4-3 in a shootout to the Leafs.
“We don’t talk about fighting,” Vincent said, meaning he doesn’t tell players to fight. “But he felt at that moment he needed to do it. That was his decision. But then it set the tone. It shows to everyone, I can do that, too. I know he scored like 30-some goals last year, so he can play. He’s a player. But if he has that tool in his pocket that’s pretty good.
“I don’t know how they think,” Vincent added about the players. “Obviously, he came into that game and he had a game plan and I guess he followed his game plan.”
Xhekaj, who had 34-31-65 totals and 81 penalty minutes in 63 games last season with the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs, said he didn’t come into the game planning to fight. It just happened.
“I just kind of stopped in front of the net and then there was a little scrum,” Xhekaj said after playing centre on a line with Luke Tuch and Tyler Thorpe. “I saw his gloves come off and then it just happened. So I’m not really thinking about that too much. But when it happens, it happens. I’m always ready.”
Xhekaj has played against Sharpe in the OHL, but they had never fought before. Xhekaj said he didn’t even realize who he was fighting until they both got into the penalty box.
“Physicality is a big part of my game,” Xhekaj said. “I was just trying to finish every check I could finish. That’s a big part of my game.”
Adam Engstrom, Tyler Thorpe and Owen Beck scored for the Canadiens in front of a sellout crowd at the Bell Centre. Lane Hutson was the only Canadien to score in the shootout, while Sean Farrell and Filip Mesar were stopped.
Hutson’s play was the biggest highlight for the Canadiens as the 5-foot-10, 162-pound defenceman showed the offensive skills and outstanding vision he has on the ice that has Montreal fans excited about what he might bring to the team.
“I was thinking, let’s not do too much this time,” Hutson said when asked about the loud roar of anticipation from the crowd before his shootout goal. “Let’s score one for them.”
Hutson accomplished that with a sneaky shot that beat goalie Dennis Hildeby to the glove side.
Physicality isn’t part of Hutson’s game, but he appreciates what players like Xhekaj can bring to a team with their size and strength.
“Those guys are tough,” Hutson said about the 6-foot-3, 196-pound Xhekaj. “I always joke with guys that I can fight, but I definitely can’t do that.”
All three Toronto goals in regulation time came on the power play as the Canadiens outshot the Leafs 38-27. Samuel Richard, invited to rookie camp on an invitation tryout, was in goal for the Canadiens. He played for the University of New Brunswick last season, posting a 16-0-0 record with a 1.87 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage.
Vincent, who was head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets last season, described the atmosphere at the Bell Centre as “incredible” and “magic,” noting there’s nowhere else where there would be a sellout crowd for a rookie game on a gorgeous weekend afternoon in September.
Xhekaj’s parents were among those in the stands after making the drive from their home in Hamilton on Saturday morning in the new Mercedes-Benz the two boys recently bought their father. Arber was also in attendance and the brothers were were planning to have dinner with their parents Saturday night.
Defenceman Logan Mailloux got a surprise when he showed up in the Canadiens’ locker room and saw a “C” on his sweater as team captain.
“It’s a storied logo and franchise, so when I walked in here and I saw that it’s pretty cool, even though it’s just a rookie tournament,” Mailloux said.
Vincent didn’t want to make a big story about Mailloux wearing the “C” because he insisted it’s not a big story, adding the Canadiens had to name a captain and two assistants for the game. Beck and Farrell were the two assistants.
“We like his energy,” Vincent said about Mailloux. “He’s well-prepared physically and mentally during the practices. We had to put a captain and two assistants and we thought that he merited it.”
The two teams will face each other again at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Bell Centre as the Canadiens wrap up their rookie camp.