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Rookie Showcase: Lane Hutson and Logan Mailloux to represent the Habs
Credit: Getty Images

We’re getting closer and closer to the start of the NHL season. In the coming weeks, the camps will open and we’ll see some great battles for positions across the league.

This will be a great opportunity for certain players to prove their worth.

Obviously, this will be the case for many rookie players. In Montreal, for example, guys like Lane Hutson and Logan Mailloux will want to prove that they’re ready to play full-time in the NHL.

But before camp, both youngsters have something on the agenda: Hutson and Mailloux will represent the Canadiens at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase in Virginia.

This is an event where rookies from all over the NHL get together to take to the ice, but also to pose for a few photos.

Usually, the players in the Rookie Showcase are youngsters who have at least one chance to play in the NHL this season. That doesn’t mean they’ll definitely be there (last year, for example, the Habs’ representatives were Filip Mesar, Owen Beck and Sean Farrell), but they do have a chance.

Hutson and Mailloux have a better chance than the other three last year, we agree, but the point remains.

Obviously, Ivan Demidov isn’t among the guests, as he’ll be busy fighting for a position in Russia. He’ll probably be there next year, though.

We also note the absence of David Reinbacher, who wasn’t there last year either. On the one hand, it’s possible that this is because he’s busy finding the back of the net with Austria…

But on the other hand, it does raise a few questions when you consider that qualifying for the Olympics ends on September 1.

Did Reinbacher skip his turn because the event comes too soon after the end of the tournament? Maybe… but maybe he just wasn’t invited because his chances of playing in the NHL this season aren’t very high.

Remember, he’ll be fighting for a spot in the camp… but many see him spending (at least) a good part of the year in Laval.

We’ll have to keep an eye on him, but at least the Habs will have two representatives at the Showcase. And maybe it’ll be an opportunity to get a photo of Lane Hutson alongside a giant like Matt Rempe or Ivan Fedotov (who will be a 28-year-old rookie).

Overtime

– Maybe Lane Hutson will take advantage of the Showcase to throw down the gloves against Matt Rempe, hehe.

– Which version of Tage Thompson will show up in 2024-25?

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