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Rookie match: Lane Hutson is a man among children

 Matthew Garcia
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Rookie match: Lane Hutson is a man among children
Credit: Getty Images

This afternoon, the Canadiens’ hopefuls were in action at the Bell Centre. For the occasion, they crossed swords with the Maple Leafs.

Here’s what the Habs line-up looked like for the match.

For the occasion, here are the 10 points to remember from this first hockey game played at the Bell Centre in 2024-25 :

1. If anyone impressed today, it was Lane Hutson. On the ice, Hutson looked like a man among children.

He didn’t belong in this game… because he was too good for a rookie camp game.

And even though he couldn’t score on that first sequence, Hutson still found a way to blacken the score sheet later in the game. A terrific sequence on his part set the table for the Habs’ second goal, scored by Tyler Thorpe.

He didn’t look like a guy who wanted to play in Laval to start the year.

And in overtime, he added another layer: an exceptional sequence that almost gave the Habs the win.

The youngster is (truly) spectacular.

2. Another name we’ve been keeping an eye on is Florian Xhekaj. Obviously, his surname makes him popular around town… but beyond the surname, he has a similar style to his brother in that he’s not afraid to play physical.

More importantly, he’s not afraid to throw down the gloves. Chaz Sharpe understood this, after less than two minutes of play.

3. The Habs’ first goal of the game was scored by Adam Engström. The defenseman, who many see as an underrated kid, showed his confidence on the ice.

The sight of him going forward and calling for the puck before unleashing a magnificent shot was proof enough.

Late in the second, Owen Beck (who played a good game) scored the Habs’ third goal.

He tied the score at 3-3… and let’s talk about that.

4. Indiscipline really hurt the Habs in this match. The club took three penalties in the first two periods… and paid for all three.

The Maple Leafs scored three power-play goals.

5. Note that Logan Mailloux wore the C on his jersey for the game. Not necessarily a surprise considering he’s already had a season in the pros behind the tie, but it was a nice vote of confidence in the kid nonetheless.

Incidentally, Mailloux gave Marc Denis an interview in French during the first intermission. Bravo for the effort.

Owen Beck and Sean Farrell were Mailloux’s two assistants. I can’t wait to see if the letters are distributed to the same players tomorrow.

6. David Reinbacher was a little more self-effacing in this match. Obviously, it’s not a quieter game in a rookie camp that should set alarm bells ringing (especially since he needs to be focused on the real camp), but we didn’t really see it today.

We’ll see if he’s up to a better game tomorrow.

7. For a rookie camp game, the atmosphere at the Bell Centre was absolutely crazy. The stands were packed and the fans were really invested in a game where the stakes (score-wise) could hardly be more insignificant.

It’s not exactly the same reality as in Buffalo, let’s say. Good for the players who got to experience the Bell Centre.

8. Hired on Thursday, Roger Grillo was (already) at the Bell Centre this afternoon to see the Habs’ youngsters in action.

He didn’t waste any time.

Martin St-Louis, Stéphane Robidas and Trevor Letowski were also on hand.

9. I’d be surprised to see him get a contract, but Justin Larose had a good game today. He wasn’t spectacular, but he was effective.

Maybe another good performance tomorrow will make the Habs want to keep him around a little longer…

10. We finally needed the shootout in this game. Sean Farrell and Filip Mesar were frustrated by Dennis Hildeby, whileEaston Cowan scored.

Logan Mailloux was not happy to see Cowan celebrating his goal.

Lane Hutson had to score to keep the Habs alive… and he did.

But Fraser Minten gave the Leafs the win seconds later.

A 4-3 victory for the Maple Leafs in the first game of rookie camp. The two teams will face off again tomorrow at 1pm.


Extension

– Former Habs prospect Hayden Verbeek was a referee today.

– Tyler Thorpe is another guy who earned points today. However, he injured his nose late in the game, forcing him to retreat to the locker room.

– I hardly saw Filip Mesar in this game. He’s going to have to give more if he wants to prove he belongs in the Canadiens’ future plans.

– Seeing a team (the Habs) in their real uniforms against a team (the Maple Leafs) in their practice uniforms is… special. It’s very “rookie camp”, in fact.

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