If we look at the players who will form the core of the Canadian in the coming years, the names Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky, Demidov, Dach, Roy, Guhle, Hutson, Reinbacher, Xhekaj, Mailloux, etc. stand out. .
These players are already key elements or have the potential to become top-6 in attack or top-4 in defense.
However, a team is not made up of 10-12 players, but of about twenty players, and if you hope to go far in the playoffs, you must have a third and fourth trio that outperform the majority of the other third and fourth trios in the league.
While coaches like to have three lines that can contribute offensively, they also want a more robust and defensive trio that has different tasks but is very useful.
Generally speaking, we are talking about big guys who are fast, intense and like to hit. But be careful! It’s not like it was 20-30 years ago, these guys have to be able to play good hockey and not just intimidate the opponent.
When we look at the CH hopes, there are two names that stand out from the crowd for this type of position, and they are Lukas Tuch And Florian Xhekaj.
Lukas TuchThe 22-year-old was drafted in the 2nd round (47th overall) in 2020. He is 1.80 meters tall, weighs 90 kilograms and has just completed his stay at Boston University with an excellent season of 30 points in 39 games.
Florian XhekajThe 20-year-old was selected in the 4th round (101st overall) in 2023. He is 6’1″, 175 lbs. and just finished his junior year with a season of 65 points in 63 games. Like his big brother, he likes to hit, he is solid on the skates and looks to be developing great offensive potential.
It will be interesting to follow their development this year in Laval and if all goes well, they could soon be knocking on the door of the big club.
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