Advanced camp: Lane Hutson and David Reinbacher form a pair

The Canadiens’ development camp got underway today. This was the first opportunity to see David Reinbacher in action.

The new acquisition wears number 36 (not Bob Gainey’s 23).

Did we tell you that in Montreal, fans are different bugs? Stu Cowan posted a photo and fans are already there 30 minutes before the players arrive on the ice.

This is a development camp…

With the start of camp, as it does every year, the Habs submitted a list of invited players to reporters, including their height and weight.

What jumped out at me was the fact that Lane Hutson has indeed gained weight, having made it his number one priority this summer. The defender is now 158 pounds. And for those interested, he’s 5’9″.

The Canadiens distribute a list of players at camp with updated measurements. Key changes

F. Eriksson: 161 to 179 lb ⬆️
V. Rohrer: from 173 to 161 lb ⬇️
L. Tuch: from 6’1, 215 lb to 6’3, 209 lb ⬆️ ⬇️
L. Hutson: from 151 to 158 lb ⬆️
J. Dobes: 199 lb to 218 lb ⬆️

– Guillaume Lefrançois 🟦🇨🇿 (@glefrancoisLP) July 2, 2023

Hutson has gained seven pounds since last year and will continue to put on muscle mass in the off-season. He and Reinbacher took advantage of the training session to get to know each other a little.

In fact, the two do most of the exercises together. Is this a glimpse of the future? It remains to be seen whether the two will be paired throughout camp.

What’s also interesting to note: Luke Tuch has lost a few pounds, but he’s grown two inches. So here he is at 6 feet 3 inches, 209 pounds!

Here’s the complete list of players in attendance:

Among the defensemen, we can see that they’re big and fat (except maybe Lane Hutson). Reinbacher, at 18, is 6 feet 2 inches (wonder if he can get any bigger) and 194 pounds, Adam Engstrom, an intriguing defenseman we talk about a little less often, is 6 feet 1 inch 193 pounds. Mailloux and Guhle are also big guys.

It’s a cliché, I know, but good defenders win championships. And that’s even truer if that defense is strong. The CH 2021 edition is proof of that with Shea Weber, Ben Chiarot, Jeff Petry and Joel Edmundson. The Lightning always had/a big defense, the Avalanche (apart from Cale Makar) had a heavy defense. In short, this seems to be the meta in 2023, big mobile defensemen.

News from Juraj Slafkovsky, the Slovak is not in Canada right now. He’s in the Czech Republic, but not on vacation. In fact, he’s working hard with conditioning coach Michal Bretenar.

In the photos below, Slafkovsky is wearing a mask to help him breathe. Bretenar is a coach who specializes in breathing rhythm, a very important, even underestimated, aspect of a top-level athlete’s game.

Finally, on the goaltending front, the Habs invited goaltenders Jacob Fowler and Quentin Miller to their development camp. Both goalies were drafted in the last draft.

Samuel Urban (undrafted), Jakub Dobes and Emmett Croteau are the other three goaltenders on this number-one day of activity.

Bunch of news

– Techno news.

– Alex Newhook retweeted this message.

– Signing in Detroit.

– Not to be missed.

David Reinbacher will join us on Twitch today around 1:30 p.m. and you could win an official Canadiens jersey signed by the fifth-overall pick! #GoHabsGo | @RBC

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) July 2, 2023

– Nice pact.

– A big day.