Forward Joshua Roy is one of the Montreal Canadiens’ most exciting offensive prospects.
And the Saint-Georges-de-Beauce, Quebec native wasted no time showing fans why when he netted the first goal of the Habs’ preseason about five minutes into Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils.
Premier but de la présaison : notre attaque massive sévit!
Joshua Roy nets our first of the preseason!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/pCRxLevyzZ
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) September 25, 2023
And while the game ended in a 4-2 loss, the crowd had no shortage of love for the 150th pick in the 2021 draft.
“Honestly, I almost got chills,” Roy said in French when he was asked about hearing his name announced at the Bell Centre. “Even though it was just an exhibition game, you could feel the crowd was there. The fans are incredible, so that’s encouraging.”
Along with scoring a powerplay goal, the QMJHL star also showed what he can do on the defensive end. Toward the end of the first period, Roy, on the tail end of a lengthy shift, dove to the ice to get in front of a Devils scoring chance, sacrificing his body to block the shot.
Dead tired at the end of a shift, Joshua Roy gets over and blocks a shot.
Kid is doing the most. pic.twitter.com/iwHfzFESXS
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) September 25, 2023
The player certainly kept up, but said he was especially impressed with the difference in strength and speed at the NHL level.
“It’s not junior! Everything is faster,” the 20-year-old said. “The guys are stronger on the edge of the boards. You could see they had extraordinary players on the other side like (Jack) Hughes.”
Roy, who played on a line alongside fellow prospects Owen Beck and Jesse Ylönen, is undoubtedly fighting for a roster spot before the season starts on October 11. And with five more preseason games on Montreal’s calendar, he’ll likely get more chances to impress.
And up until now, he’s always risen to the occasion. After a dominant offensive performance at the World Juniors alongside Connor Bedard, Roy’s last season in the QMJHL saw him net a whopping 99 points in 55 games.
But with a logjam of NHL-ready forwards on the Canadiens roster, he might have to be a little more patient.
Suivez les points de presse d’après-match en direct du Centre Bell.
Tune in now to postgame media ops live from the Bell Centre.#GoHabsGo https://t.co/KY0z4Xzcqr
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) September 26, 2023
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