Montreal Canadiens cuts 18 players from camp
The Montreal Canadiens did some addition by way of subtraction on Monday, trimming their pre-season roster down to 36 players from the original 54.
Among the 18 players cut were Jarred Tinordi, whom the Habs drafted 22nd overall at the 2010 National Hockey League Entry Draft, and highly-touted prospect Louis Leblanc, the Canadiens’
first-round draft pick in 2009.
Tinordi, a defenceman and the son of former NHL player Mark Tinordi, is set to head off to the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. Although the 18-year-old was offered the chance
to play for Notre Dame’s team, he opted to play for the Knights instead. The Minnesota native also served as the captain of the U-18 U.S. National Development Team last year.
Leblanc, who was drafted 18th overall by the Habs in 2009, will join the Montreal Juniors of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. After a breakout season with the Harvard Crimson last
year, the 19-year-old centre signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Canadiens on July 30. During his single season at Harvard, Leblanc led the team with 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points. At the end of the season, the Kirkland, Quebec native
was named the Ivy League’s Rookie of the Year.
The remaining 16 players were all sent down to the Hamilton Bulldogs, Montreal’s American Hockey league affiliate. Among them was future enforcer Ian Schultz, who was acquired from the
St. Louis Blues along with forward Lars Eller in the Jaroslav Halak trade on 17 June.
Defenceman Brendon Nash, who scored the game-winning goal in the Habs’ 4-3 pre-season win over the Minnesota Wild, was also among the cuts made by the Canadiens. Joining him was right-winger
Aaron Palushaj, who earned a spot on the top line in the Habs’s pre-season opener last Wednesday.
The Bulldogs will begin their camp with a three-game pre-season series against the Binghamton Senators.
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