Rocket Weekly: A Tough Road Split
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Laval had a tough back-to-back set on the road last week. They didn’t play particularly well in either game but Kaapo Kahkonen helped steal a win in Rochester to help them split the week.
Laval had a tough back-to-back set on the road last week. They didn’t play particularly well in either game but Kaapo Kahkonen helped steal a win in Rochester to help them split the week.
The month of December was a strong one for the Habs along with several key prospects (and a couple of veteran minor leaguers). Here are our three stars for the month.
Laval wrapped up 2025 on a winning note but struggled as the calendar flipped to 2026, putting in a pair of disappointing efforts at home against Utica. However, they still managed to get a victory in one of those contests, making for a successful week in the standings.
After a tough week in Cleveland, the Rocket returned home with a tough matchup in Syracuse, a team tied with them for the division lead. While Laval started off slow, they managed to get victories in both games to move back atop the North Division.
The 2026 World Junior Hockey Championship is set to run from December 26th through January 5th. The Habs are well-represented at the event with five prospects taking part. We’ll keep track of their stats here.
While they added an NHL goalie in Samuel Montembeault, Laval was still down effectively their entire front line for their games in Cleveland. That lack of firepower was costly as the Rocket dropped both games.
The Habs have signed one of their prospects from the draft back in June, announcing on Wednesday that they’ve signed defenceman Bryce Pickford to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Montreal’s goaltending pipeline features one of the better prospects in the league in Jacob Fowler. Behind him, the team has quietly amassed a solid group of prospects with some quiet upside.
A lack of discipline certainly proved costly for Laval last week as an on-ice incident led to four suspensions. Still, they managed to hold onto first in the division after picking up three points in three games.
November was an interesting month for Montreal’s prospects. In Laval, the Rocket had a better showing to move up the standings while several of their lesser-known unsigned youngsters had some impressive performances to earn a spot in our three stars.