Aspiring Forward Aaron Palushaj flying high in Montreal Canadiens rookie camp -NHL offseason Update
The Montreal Canadiens rookie camp opened up on Monday, September 12, in which 31 aspiring hopefuls entered to make an impression on the team and book themselves a spot on next season’s line-up. Out of them all, Aaron Palushaj, most likely made the biggest
impact as he flew high and performed well.
Having been drafted in the 2007 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft by St. Louis Blues as the 44th overall pick during round-two, Palushaj outperformed the rest and stood out the most, scoring two goals in one day.
Not making the team this time around, according to Palushaj, would surely be disappointing.
"I'd be disappointed for sure", he said of the prospect of another season in the America Hockey League. "My goal is to make the team out of camp this year".
Palushaj has played four seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) thus far and thinks that he is finally ready to take his game to the next level. Entering the AHL after two straight seasons with University of Michigan in the Collegiate Central Hockey
Association (CCHA), Palushaj had some difficulty adjusting to the pro-level of playing.
Last season in his second year with Hamilton Bulldogs, Montreal Canadiens minor league affiliate, he gave it his all and scored a high of 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) in 68 games played. The 22-year-old was also given a chance to play in the major league
but returned to the AHL only after three appearances with Montreal.
"I want to do the major things right — get the pucks out, finish my hits, play hard, compete. I think that's what they want to see. But this rookie camp is for me to get ready for the main camp. I don't want to impress the management so much in this camp
and then not show up in the main camp", Palushaj added.
Hailing from Livonia, Missouri, United States, Palushaj was moved further away from home when he was traded to Montreal in March of 2010 from St. Louis in exchange for Matt d’Agostini, making his need to make the team even more crucial.
Montreal’s main camp opens up on Friday, in which only the selected prospects will participate.
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