Will forward Joshua Roy play his first game in the professional ranks tonight at Place Bell?
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The Quebecer had a red jersey on his back on Tuesday during Rocket training. This is a first since his arrival in the fold of the team. This means that he is now part of the regulars of the Laval training.
On Tuesday, in training, he played in a trio with Cédric Paquette and Joël Teasdale. Paquette, who did not play the second game of the series in Springfield, has a good chance of making a comeback on Wednesday at Place Bell. He is bothered by a lower body injury.
To return to Roy, the head coach of the Rocket did not want to confirm his presence for the third meeting against the Thunderbirds.
“He had a very good practice, underlined Jean-François Houle. We are not sure what will happen tomorrow. It will depend on our injuries.
“We don’t know if Bourque (upper body) and Paquette will be able to play. If we are to insert it, I am sure that it will be ready. He seems confident and I’m sure he’ll play well if we use him.”
A big step
Roy had a great season in the QMJHL with the Sherbrooke Phoenix. The left winger finished first in scoring on the Courteau circuit with 119 points, including 51 goals, in 66 games.
In the playoffs, the Canadiens’ fifth-round pick in 2021 added eight goals and 15 assists in 11 games with the Phoenix. Very interesting statistics.
However, he will need to adapt to American League playoff play.
“It’s a big step,” said Houle. It’s physical hockey right now. We know that Springfield has a lot of experience and they don’t have a lot of young players. He proved he could play at a high level.
“If he gets in the lineup, I think he could help us.”
