|
After a four-month hiatus, the Bell Centre will once
again hosted Montreal beloved Canadiens.
Meanwhile, in the junior hockey ranks, the Canadiens
own a skilled farm system of junior players.
This Prospect Preview will talk about Drummondville
Voltigeurs winger Olivier Archambault.
A fourth round pick of the Canadiens in 2011,
Archambault is a veteran in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and is
playing in his fourth season, his second with Drummondville.
The Le Gardeur, Quebec native was the first overall selection
in the QMJHL entry draft. The Val-d'Or Foreurs chose him and he played two seasons
in Val-d'Or.
Archambault scored 12 goals and 15 assists in his
first season and then improved his numbers the next season by scoring 20 goals
and 33 assists.
A trade during the off-season brought him to
Drummondville, but his first season with the Voltigeurs was a difficult one.
He battled an injury and a drop in production from
53 points in 2010-11 to 39 points in 2011-12.
Olivier Archambault is
gifted offensively.
Despite his small size,
his acceleration and hands are things that stand out.
He can be lethal in
open ice, but needs to get others involved in order to become a more complete
offensive player.
In addition, he also
finds himself trying to make the highlight reel type of play and hang on to the
puck for a considerable amount of time.
Adding a couple pounds
of muscle will do Archambault wonders and he needs to develop a defensive side
to his game. His willingness to get to the dirty areas and make a smart,
defensive play is subpar.
This season, Archambault
is the second leading scorer for the Voltigeurs with 39 points. He is having a
bounce back year and is working hard to earn a contract from the Montreal Canadiens.
A season in the
American Hockey League will help Archambault round out his game and help him
mature mentally.
| 
