Montreal Canadiens cut a whopping 12 players from camp as opening night roster takes shape

The Montreal Canadiens trimmed their training camp roster on Friday, assigning twelve players to the Laval Rocket as the club shapes its opening night roster.

The move sends a blend of familiar depth pieces and new professional signings down to the AHL affiliate, a routine step as teams around the league narrow their numbers before the regular season begins.

Vincent Arseneau and Israel Mianscum headlined the list, both having spent significant time with the Rocket in recent years and expected to anchor the bottom six once again.

Xavier Simoneau, a fixture in the organization's development pipeline, also reported to Laval, along with goaltenders Hunter Jones and Kevin Mandolese, who give the Rocket a pair of experienced options between the pipes to open camp.

The assignment also included several newer additions to the organization.

Jacob Dion, Kale McCallum and Alexander Legkov all signed two way contracts with the Rocket over the summer and will now get their first taste of a full professional training camp environment.

Dion, a Sherbrooke native, impressed on a tryout with Laval last season, while Legkov arrives after a standout rookie campaign that earned him top honors in his previous league.

Forwards Bradley Hache, Justin Nadeau and Felix Lapenna, along with defenseman Alex Dubinsky, rounded out the group headed to Place Bell.

For the Canadiens, the cuts are less about who is leaving and more about who remains.

Every trim brings the roster closer to the mix that Martin St. Louis will lean on when the season opens, and the players heading to Laval will now battle for regular ice time under Rocket head coach Daniel Jacob.

With training camp winding down, the Rocket open their own camp shortly, and several of these newcomers will look to force their way back up the depth chart before the season starts.

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