At the dawn of a second season as Head Coach and General Manager of the Remparts since his return to Quebec City last year, Patrick Roy sketches a broad smile.
The big boss of the Remparts is proud: he has in his hands a group in his image. Even if he refuses to say that this year's team is really "his" compared to last year's edition, the former glory of the Canadians and the Avalanche recognizes that his training has changed a lot .
Roy sees the future of the team with optimism.
There are not many faces left last year: the Remparts will have 13 new players to attack the next season.
The "Red Devils" version 2019-2020 will be young. Fifteen players will be aged 18 and under, including five 16-year-old recruits.
The Remparts will be young but talented.
In attack, Roy liked what he saw from the new European team, the Japanese Yu Sato.
Same story with Nathan Gaucher and Jacob Melanson, two Remparts first-round picks in the last midget draft.
Reversal of situation with James Malatesta
But the major news for a few hours at the Remparts is the turnaround with James Malatesta.
I did learn that the native of Kirkland had changed his mind. The Lac St. Louis Lions forward will play in Quebec City and not in the United States, who has indicated his intention to play in Division 1 of the NCAA.
Malatesta was set to head to Kimball Union Academy, a preparatory school in New Hampshire next season. His intentions dragged him into the last draft of the QMJHL: ranked 11th best hope for the Midget auction, the southpaw center was finally drafted in the 7th round of the repêchage, 116th rank by the Remparts.
The striker had a big playoff series after an injury that made him miss a good part of the regular season. Malatesta was a fourth-round pick in the USHL (Lincoln).
This is a major news for the Remparts, who have rebuilt a very interesting bank of hopes.
The talent overflows
Just watch Roy talk about the new depth of the Remparts to see it.
The head coach and GM very much enjoyed holding the young back Charle Truchon.
In truth, the performances of the young defenders of the team allowed him to acquire an attack insurance policy, Anthony Gagnon. He will be a good player of 20 years if Felix Bibeau was not to return to the Old Capital after his professional camp.
If Bibeau is back, Roy will have to decide between the defenders of 20 years Pier-Olivier Lacombe and Darien Kielb. Regardless of the scenario, Nicolas Savoie, Romain Rodzinski and Truchon seem ready for increased responsibilities.
All this good news will fuel the popularity of junior hockey in Quebec City.
The team has not won a playoff round in the last four years and Roy has committed to giving back a team that aspires to great honors to the people of Quebec.
In light of the decisions made over the last year, it must be admitted that the Remparts are on the right track to make this happen.
Each game will count this year: Roy and his band will evolve in the strongest conference of the circuit Courteau.
This is a great challenge for the Remparts, a young team full of talent.
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https://www.tvasports.ca/2019/08/27/patrick-roy-a-convaincu-james-malatesta
