The Montreal Canadiens' new gem is a 5th round pick
Joshua Roy was selected by the Montreal Canadiens, in the 5th round, during the last National Hockey League Entry Draft. I remember on that day, I was wondering "why" the young Quebecer, who turned 18 in August, had slipped so far... He has exceptional attitudes of a maverick. A facet that does not append itself, that comes innate.
His coaches and former coaches are unanimous in his case, as much as he has qualities of an exceptional player, he comes from a good family. He is humble, easy to lead, appreciated by his teammates and is far from being temperamental. As far as his "hockey" side is concerned, he is a natural shooter with a very fast and accurate shot. He can score from all angles, then shoot with power from both his left and right legs. Just like that, he scored 13 goals in 20 games last year with the Sherbrooke Phoenix.
"When you first see him in practice, you're often blown away by what he can do in the tight zone around the net, both with his wrist shot and his backhand!
He is able to shoot with a lot of velocity in different ways. He has a quick draw, whether it's on his left leg, right leg, catch shot or backhand. He's really able to shoot from a lot of different positions and in different situations. He's able to hide the puck well. He'll lull the goalie into thinking he's going to go low blocker and then shoot over the glove. He is also able to read through screens very well. On the power play, for example, if a teammate is acting as a screen, he's able to see what the goalie is trying to do and shoot to counter that. It's the game within the game," said Jonathan Deschênes.
But why was he selected so far back in this case? His game is very far from complete and polished. He should be producing offensively in the pros, but without the puck, it's pretty laborious. His style sometimes puts his team in a bad position, so he will have to adjust this aspect in the next few years. He is too one-dimensional (right now) to have been selected higher... That's it!
All in all, he could become quite a gem and a steal for the Montreal Canadiens, especially if he manages to iron out his weaknesses between now and the start of his professional career, whether it be with the Laval Rocket or the Canadiens.
