NHL: Habs Camp Review Part II

The Montreal Canadiens have done a great job drafting and developing players during the past few years with many playing important roles in the current lineup and many more on their way in the coming years. McKeen's contributor Rick Springhetti has been spending time at the Montreal Canadiens training camp and reports on the progress of some of their current prospects. In part two of his report, we have notes and quotes on Ryan White, Mathieu Carle, David Fischer, Ryan McDonagh, Pavel Valentenko and P.K. Subban.

Ryan White (Mtl), C/W, Hamilton

While practices are an opportunity for some players to show off their abilities to the coaching staff, some players are just not able to do themselves justice in these situations. That is the case with Ryan White. During the major part of camp, he looked like a player who had some trouble with different areas of the game and some were questioning what the scouting staff saw in him. Once the scrimmages began though, the questions were answered. White is a physical player, who works very hard at both sides of the ice, and his underrated smarts make him a difficult player to play against, as he seems to constantly be in the opponents faces before they have a chance to make a play. In offensive situations, he knows where to place himself to get rebounds or make some rooms for a teammate who may be in a better scoring position. He will spend the season in the AHL and be a player that will bring some grit to the Hamilton Bulldogs.. No matter where he plays, White is excited about the upcoming year.

"Last year, I had a foot problem that really affected my game at camp and that has been taken care of. Also, I tried to work hard off the ice this season and lost a little bit of weight, so I am really getting a chance to show what I can do. I really want to show the organisation some improvement during this season and help whatever team I play for win hockey games."

Mathieu Carle (Mtl), D, Hamilton

Second round pick in 2006, Mathieu said in a recent interview that his goal is to make it to the big club this year, or, at least, be the first defenseman called-up in case of injuries. This is a very realistic goal for him, as he had a very solid camp last season until a sprained knee ligament put him on the shelf and this year, he suffered a concussion when hit by Detroit's Tomas Kopecky. During this seasons camp, he showed a very fluid skating stride and an underrated wristshot that he manages to get off very quickly. He is prone to some mistakes on his reads on the defensive side, but he is quick enough to get back into the play. His slapshot is a weakness though, having a hard time hitting the net. He seemed aware of this, showing some visible signs of frustration at times during camp.

David Fischer (Mtl), D, Minnesota Golden Gophers

When you are this young, it's always surprising to see what kind of difference a year of physical development makes. First round pick in 2006, Fischer is beginning to grow into his 6-foot-3 frame. During camp, his skating was fluid and his shot was getting better, although there is room for improvement, especially with his windup. He has the ability to think the game well, although he falls into the trap of hesitating at times. This season, he will need to continue to get bigger, as he is still a little frail at 185 pounds. Still seems a few years away, but we are starting to see some of the reasons why the Habs drafted him in the first round in 2006.

Ryan McDonagh (Mtl), D, Wisconsin Badgers

Drafted in the first round in 2007, Trevor Timmins said at the time that they were ecstatic to get him with the 12th pick, as they felt he was a top-five player. McDonagh displayed very solid footwork when moving side to side and his overall skating style looked fluid. His shot needs a lot of work though because his slapshot is not very accurate, as he has a tendency to drop his right shoulder a little. He can play the physical game when covering a player, although he does not show a nasty streak. He is expected to play one more year at Wisconsin and then move to the pros. Physically, he is ready now, he just needs to perfect parts of his game.

P.K. Subban (Mtl), D, Belleville

Like last years camp, he seemed to be the player that was having the most fun, often kidding around with his teammates and the coaching staff. His physical skills were obvious, as he looked a lot stronger than most players there, especially compared to some of the players who were at their first camp. Subban possesses a very heavy shot that he gets to the net on a consistent basis. His skating is solid, as he is surprisingly agile for such a big man and he is not intimated by anyone. He uses his superior physical abilities to defend but will need to learn how to read the play better before he is ready to move up to the next level, although he is showing some solid improvement in this area.. Subban has big plans for the upcoming season in Belleville and at the International stage.

"It's my fourth season in the OHL and I want to be a team leader, not only with Belleville but for the Canadian junior team. Last season, I was happy to be a support player, this year. I want to be a go-to-guy on and off the ice."

Pavel Valentenko (Mtl), D, Hamilton

Montreal has many good young prospects on defence that can skate and move the puck around effectively. This is not Valentenko's game. Able to move around reasonably well and possessing a very hard slapshot, his game is mostly about being a hard, physically punishing rearguard that will make life miserable for opponents. At 6-foot-2 and 218 pounds, Valentenko is physically ready for the NHL but there is still some parts of his game that need to improve. For now, he will continue to work on his skating and positional play, as he tends to run around looking to hit opponents. Valentenko feels that the fans will see a very improved player this season.

"Last season, I had trouble getting used to the large surface, this season I want to continue improving my defence and use my shot more. It should go well."