No fewer than five defensive rookies wore the Montreal Canadiens jersey regularly in the 2022-2023 period, surprising many people, even within the organization.

“I didn’t expect to see four [et encore moins] Five rookies on defense surprised everyone at the Canadiens this year, player development coach Francis Bouillon admitted in an interview Tuesday JiC.

“They made a change, they wanted to give young people a chance and that’s what they said in the training camp. Stéphane Robidas (defenders’ coach) is an incredible person. He’s a coach who listens to his players, so the future is bright.

There are already a number of young players at the Habs, but more great talent will be knocking on the door in 2024-2024 and the seasons to come.

“We have very good talent,” commented Bouillon. They’re not perfect or they’d play for the Canadiens, but we’re here to support them, succor them and advise them. We have great talent coming to Montreal and these guys are really fun to work with.

The hatching of Justin Barron

Justin Barron didn’t have a good camp last season and also had a rough start to the season with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

However, he recovered well afterwards, giving him a chance to end the season with CH and help Canada win the gold medal at the Ice Hockey World Championships.

“At the beginning he wasn’t happy with his game, so we talked to him, made things right and he gained confidence,” explained Bouillon. We know hockey is between the ears and once Barron gained confidence his game changed tremendously.

“These young people are often criticized too quickly. You just have to surround them, we have a lot of resources in the organization.

Caufield, “a concession player”

Young striker Cole Caufield signed an eight-year contract extension on Monday and Bouillon could not have been happier at the news.

“It’s a win-win situation, everyone is happy,” he said. The fans and the organization, we love Cole. And he said it well yesterday too: he’s really excited about his future in Montreal.

“I’m really happy to have him long-term, he’s a concession player.”