With a division title all wrapped up after a dominant showing on Wednesday evening, the Laval Rocket’s goal for the few remaining games this season was to give their young prospects a chance to get their feet wet in expanded roles. On Friday that was especially true as Ryan Poehling had been shut down for the year with a wrist injury, while Alex Belzile remained on the Montreal Canadiens’ taxi squad. With Yannick Veilleux also suspended, the Rocket were down to just 11 forwards for the showdown with Belleville.
Joël Bouchard was going to lean heavily on his few remaining veterans in Laurent Dauphin, Lukas Vejdemo, and Jordan Weal to help keep the young lineup rolling shift to shift.