BROSSARD, Que.— Jake Evans couldn’t say whether or not he held any kind of rank at this year’s Montreal Canadiens rookie camp.
At 22 years old, he’s one of the oldest players participating this week. But after four years of being kept out of all professional camps because of his commitment to NCAA hockey at Notre Dame, this is the first time he’s officially pulling on a Canadiens jersey.
"It’s a weird situation," said Evans after his first practice on Thursday. "It’s weird being the older guy. I’m rooming with Will Bitten, and he thought it was my fourth rookie camp here, and I was like, ‘No, it’s my first, so I don’t really know what to expect.’
"I’m one of the older guys, but I’m also one of the younger guys for this."
And yet there’s a real sense that Evans could be one of the more interesting players to follow as we move along here. He’s a natural centreman in an organization in desperate need of them, and his experience alone makes him one of the more likely candidates to play some games with the Canadiens this year.
It’s been a long road to get to this point.
Evans, who was chosen by the Canadiens in the seventh round (207th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft, scored 136 points in 158 games with the Fighting Irish, doubling his production from his freshman to his sophomore year and producing over 40 points per season both as a junior and as a senior. He served as assistant captain of the 2016-17 team and was named captain at the beginning of last season. And he almost went out on top, producing eight points in six playoff games and helping Notre Dame to within two goals of a National Championship.
"That was the best time of my life — making that run," Evans said. "We had some exciting games, too, so that was awesome. Wanted to get that one more win, but when I look back at it, that whole year helped me out a lot with my confidence."
It also helped prepare him for what’s in front of him. Clinching a Big-10 Conference Championship in February was a key part of the process, as was performing well enough, and consistently enough, to be named an NCAA first team all-star.
And winning a Spengler Cup with Canada’s national men’s team last December and coming oh-so-close to being named to the Olympic team thereafter were experiences that Evans feels will help him achieve his goal of playing in the NHL in short order.
"It was great," said Evans. "It was a great experience just getting to meet some professional guys, and getting to know them and seeing what they do and how they prepare for things was a great experience. Also, just playing that kind of hockey at that level was just awesome."
It gave him the confidence to lead Notre Dame through their impressive spring run, which he hoped would put him in good standing ahead of Canadiens development camp.
Unfortunately for Evans, he wasn’t able to participate from June 28 to July 1. Surgery to repair a sports hernia in May made it impossible.
But now that Evans is back to full health, he’s eager to show the Canadiens what he can do.
"I’m focused and ready to prove myself," he said.
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Joel Bouchard, who’s coaching the AHL’s Laval Rocket and running Montreal’s rookie camp this year, can also sense it.
"I had some really good discussions with him over the summer and [on Wednesday], and I think he’s ready to be a professional," said Bouchard on Thursday. "He had a super nice career in the NCAA, I’ve heard so many positives about him. Now it’s fun to see him on the ice and see him progress, especially now that he’s healthy."
Evans will have a chance to show it on Friday, centring a line with Bitten and Brandon Hagel as the Canadiens kick off the rookie tournament against prospects from the Ottawa Senators.
He describes himself as "hardworking, reliable," and as "just a two-way forward." And he says he takes pride in winning big faceoffs and shutting down the opposition’s top lines.
As for his immediate goals, Evans believes he can make the jump to the NHL as early as this year. That’s part of the reason he didn’t consider signing with another team when he had the opportunity at the completion of his college career.
"Any player will tell you they’re looking for the quickest opportunity to play," said the Toronto native. "For example, I think it would be really hard for any centre prospect to make it with the Leafs any time soon with [John] Tavares, [Auston] Matthews and [Nazem] Kadri there.
"My advisor and my family — we all were happy here. We all love this city and this team. I always sort of pride myself on being loyal, too, and didn’t really want to go through that whole thing of leaving. And the Canadiens were great with me. I haven’t skated with these guys yet, and we’ll see how it goes after that. Even if I don’t make it right away, I definitely want to be on their list of guys who come up."
