The Montreal Canadiens just may have hit a home run in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
Joshua Roy was selected with the 150th pick that year after showing off skill in the QMJHL but leaving questions about his work ethic. Once he was picked by the Canadiens, he dedicated himself to better fitness and the results were immediate.
Roy was one of the best players in the QMJHL for the two years after he was drafted. He translated that into a strong start in the AHL with the Laval Rocket this season as he scored 32 points in 40 games.
Though it is his first year pro, he was a fifth round pick, and it was definitely not in the plans, Roy is on the Canadiens roster now and has played 23 games in the NHL this season. He was called up when it was kind of necessitated by injuries but he has played so well that the team has not sent him down.
At least not yet. It is still in the plans to send him back to the Laval Rocket, and Kent Hughes recently stated he will not finish the season with the Canadiens. In a interview with Eric Engels of Sportsnet, Hughes said Roy is showing that he is NHL caliber and they want him to continue experiencing the NHL, but “he won’t stay up with us for the whole year.”
It makes sense to get him back to the Rocket at some point soon. They have 12 games left on their schedule and are in a tight playoff race with five teams in their division trying to grab three available playoff spots. Every point counts in the standings with a lot of divisional games left to play and Roy was perhaps the Rocket’s best player for the first half of the season.
So, don’t expect Roy to finish this season with the Canadiens, but do expect him to start next season with them.
