(Sherbrooke) After the youth cure that transformed the defense of the Montreal Canadiens over the past year, the next major project that awaits the organization is undoubtedly in attack.
In this department, Joshua Roy is one of the eagerly awaited candidates. And his production of the moment does nothing to calm the enthusiasm of the supporters.
After a season of 99 points in just 55 games, he has been running at almost three points per game since the start of the QMJHL playoffs. By successively sweeping the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and the Drummondville Voltigeurs, the Sherbrooke Phœnix have so far only played eight duels. The Beauceron, however, found a way to amass 21 points.
His level of dominance is total – he is 10 points ahead of his closest teammate. But it is not limited to statistics. His level of commitment is on point.
Phoenix captain Kaylen Gauthier is particularly blown away by the 19-year-old forward’s “ability to stand up in big moments.”
“We saw it with Team Canada: when it counts, it’s him who is there”, summarizes the defender, crossed Wednesday noon after training for his club. The Phoenix are preparing for a tough semi-final series against the Halifax Mooseheads, which begins Friday in the capital of Nova Scotia.
In his remark, Gauthier was referring to Roy’s role in winning the gold medal for the Canadian team at the World Junior Championship last January. With 11 points, including an assist on the tournament winning goal, he was a key part of the national team.
This wandering, he transported it to Sherbrooke, especially in the playoffs. “He gets physically involved, he does a bit of everything,” Gauthier said. He wants to make a difference. I think that’s what’s going to help him take it to the next level. »
The “next level”, for Joshua Roy, is at worst the American League, with the Laval Rocket; at best, the NHL, with the Canadiens. Theoretically, he could still play a season in the QMJHL, but he doesn’t have much to learn there.
However, his entourage has never felt, since the start of the season, that he wanted to skip the stages.
“It shows in his body language, in his daily life, that his head is in Sherbrooke, not in Montreal or Laval,” confirms Stéphane Julien, head coach of the Phoenix.
The case of Roy, in Sherbrooke, is not unique. Seven players from the 2022-2023 edition have already been drafted by an NHL team. Six of them have a contract in their pocket.
Managing the end of the course of first class in a hurry to jump to the professionals, “it’s really a job for all coaches”, recognizes Stéphane Julien. However, he assures that he has no problems in this regard this season. Although when the example comes from “your best player”, it doesn’t hurt.
A real chance of winning a championship does not harm more, it will be noted. But it’s not just that.
His teammates see the same thing. “He’s very competitive; sometimes you look at him and he may seem nonchalant, but in reality, he slows down the game, observes Ethan Gauthier. I have never seen such a vision of the game, such an IQ… What he can accomplish on the ice is exceptional. »
Justin Gill, Roy’s linemate, speaks of an infectious energy. In attack, of course, but also in defensive missions, especially in numerical inferiority. “He shows us that it’s not just the physical players who are able to hit, that anyone can play that role in the playoffs. It pushes us to give more. »
Joshua Roy, unsurprisingly, does not launch into fiery speeches about his own exploits. More serious during his own interview with La Presse than during those of his teammates – whom he pretended to spy on and to whom he suggested joking answers – he insists that he “didn’t want to trust in points” this season, his fourth in the QMJHL. “I wanted to bring a professional approach and improve on 200 feet,” he says.
He has resolutely taken a liking to the one-man short game where, he believes, he can put his vision and instincts to good use. “It also keeps you in the game. You never stop. It’s really fun. »
Thanks to the “shell” he has built, he ignores the “noise” outside, that which emanates from Montreal, we understand. Is this a complex task? “Really not, we have such a nice gang here. »
He unknowingly echoes the words of his coach by insisting on the importance for him of “finishing [his] junior career in style”. “And we have the team to make it happen,” he quickly adds.
His eyes are therefore screwed on the current objective. “I don’t want to have any regrets,” he concludes.
