BROSSARD, Que. — On a Montreal Canadiens team full of Bill Masterton Award candidates, Alex Belzile stood above the rest for epitomizing what it means to exemplify qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
At 31 years old, after traversing the most arduous path possible to make the NHL, he proved he belonged, treated teammates and opponents with the utmost respect and treated every day in a Montreal Canadiens uniform this season like it could be his last.
Considering how his last outing this season played out only reinforces to what extent Belzile is dedicated to the sport.
It was in the second period of a 3-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on April 1 that he had his left fibula broken by a Sebastian Aho shot. He was immediately hobbled but didn’t miss a shift the rest of the game.
“In my head, it was non-negotiable that I had five games left and (I was going to play them),” he said. “You get bruised up by shot blocks, but you don’t know until after the game how bad it is. I was just trying to do my best to survive out there … I never thought about not going … For me, it’s fundamental that if you can put a little bit of weight on it, why not go?”
It’s that type of mentality that carried Belzile to the destination he always dreamed of arriving at.
No matter what obstacle he faced, he kept pushing.
The Riviere-du-Loup, Que., native played second-tier junior hockey in the province before arriving for the first of three seasons with the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic.
From there, after a cup of coffee with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs in 2012, Belzile played four seasons in the ECHL.
He then returned to the AHL for parts of two seasons, played his last 17 games in the ECHL during the 2016-17 campaign, and eventually joined the Canadiens’ minor-league affiliate in Laval in 2018.
Belzile’s first NHL games came in the 2020 bubble playoffs. He played two regular-season ones the following season and dressed for 11 more last season but never appeared in any of them as though he’d be considered as anything other than a place-filler at this level.
But in spite of that, and even after playing the first 31 games of this season with Laval, Belzile never gave up on making it with the Canadiens and sticking in this league.
“I felt like every year that I’ve played or have been playing, I keep improving,” he said. “When you see that you improve, it’s positive and a good sign I’m getting better. It’s been happening again this year, so I always try to see the glass as full. When you keep getting better every year, it’s always good for the mindset and always positive and it keeps you knowing that your mindset is working.”
There were annual offers to play in Europe, but Belzile said he never considered them.
His dream was to play in the NHL, and he felt it was imperative to stay as close to the league as possible to make it come true.
Those decisions proved to be the right ones.
To see Belzile persevere at his age — he put up six goals, 14 points and played in all situations in his 31 games with the Canadiens this season — made it easy to vote for him as Montreal’s representative for the Masterton.
He was humbled by the nomination, saying, “I never would’ve expected it in a thousand years.”
But Belzile earned it, just as he has every bit of success he’s enjoyed as a hockey player.
“Hockey means a lot of things to me,” Belzile said. “It’s pretty much all I think about every day. Since I grew up, even when I was playing in the minors and house hockey, I was a super fan. Every winter, I was at the outdoor rink whenever I had the chance. I loved the game right away when I was younger, and I’m fortunate to have played enough to have made a living out of it. That’s the dream. I don’t take anything for granted. I don’t know when it’s going to end, but for sure I’m going to stretch it as long as I can.”
He's a pending unrestricted free agent this summer and he confirmed talks between the Canadiens and his agent, Alain Roy, have yet to commence.
Whether he remains in Montreal or not, what Belzile showed this season should afford him the opportunity to continue his career in the NHL.
Arber Xhekaj’s confidence will continue to take him far
I recently had a long conversation with a scout who regularly attends Canadiens games at the Bell Centre.
When we started reviewing how the team’s blue line is evolving, he said he was most compelled by one player.
I’m paraphrasing, but the scout said, “Outside of (Kaiden) Guhle, the one who I think is going to definitely be a top-four is (Arber) Xhekaj. He’s got it all. He really impressed me.”
When I think about all the attributes Xhekaj displayed in the 51 games, not too many scouts would’ve predicted he’d play in the NHL this past season — the size, the toughness, the skating, the passing ability, the unheralded offensive skills and shot — his belief in himself stands out as the one most likely to turn him into the player this scout thinks he’ll be.
On Monday, we finally debriefed with the 6-foot-4, 238-pound defenceman who had his season cut short by a shoulder injury that required surgery.
That’s when Xhekaj gave us a refreshing dose of his confidence.
“A lot of things, defensively, that I want to master that will definitely bring me to being one of the top-four guys on the team,” he said. “I think I have pretty good size, good skating, good shot, good puck movement, but it’s just the little details like the box-outs, positioning, your stickwork, I never knew those were the things that make guys who they are and (make them) last in the league for so long.”
But Xhekaj knows now.
I think his belief that it simply comes down to the minutiae puts him closer to where he thinks he’ll get to.
That he’s not sitting around thinking he’s miles away from it is a huge advantage.
Not that Xhekaj’s confidence should be mistaken for cockiness.
“I don’t think I look at myself as some type of superstar or superhero guy,” he said.
But Xhekaj’s willingness to carry himself that way on the ice was a big factor in his success as a rookie, and it’ll continue to play a huge role in his progress.
This player took on some of the league’s biggest heavyweights and prevailed, serving notice he and his teammates shouldn’t be messed with. He also showed to what extent he could defend in the corners and in front of the net, how much he could contribute to generating offence, how he had the versatility to match up against top players and play both on the penalty kill and on the power play. None of that would’ve been possible without him believing he could do it.
To eventually turn into a top-four defenceman in this league, the rest really will come down to details.
Another advantage for Xhekaj is that he knows that using his stick more to control things defensively is the main thing he needs to focus on.
He said watching from the press box only reinforced to him how important it is to lead with the stick in order to steer opposing forwards into areas of the ice that make them easier to close out.
“Usually, I’ll go and I’ll run right through a guy and I don’t think about my stick,” he said. “But they want me to keep my stick on the ice and drive guys with the stick and then finish from there.”
Putting that into practice will be possible soon enough.
Xhekaj said his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery is going well, that he should be back on the ice soon enough, and that he’s looking forward to returning at full health next season.
Don’t expect him to shy away from fighting, which caused the injury the 22-year-old suffered in February.
But Xhekaj did say he’ll be more careful considering timing from now on.
“I don’t need to prove myself anymore. I think I already have,” he said, intimating he won’t be fighting just anyone who challenges him at any time.
Xhekaj said he’ll be pickier about it in order to preserve his long-term future in the league.
That Xhekaj knows he has one — and expects it to be a bright one — is reason enough to bet on him.
Juraj Slafkovsky not going to World Championship
A knee injury that cut the 2022 first-overall pick’s season to just 39 games is going to also keep him from playing for Team Slovakia in the upcoming world championship of hockey.
“Last time I was on the ice was Jan. 15,” Slafkovsky said before skating on Monday. “It’s been a long time, and I think it’s important to come back. There’s so many good players that we have in Slovakia that actually played and it would kinda be weird if I just hop on and I haven’t played a game since January.
“It would be different if I had a few games at the end of the year, but with the injury, you’re not in top shape. Even when I start skating, it’ll take a few weeks to get back and get through the contact and everything. It’s not enough time for me to be the best version of myself…”
It’s hard to suggest the big winger, who just turned 19 on Mar. 30, had enough time to be the best version of himself at any point this season.
Slafkovsky’s transition to North American hockey was slow-going through the first half of the season. It appeared to finally be taking a turn for the better but suddenly came to a screeching halt with the knee injury he suffered.
It’s reasonable to wonder just how detrimental the whole experience — of struggling at the NHL level, not spending time in the AHL, not going to the world junior championship, not completing the season and not going to the upcoming world championship — is to Slafkovsky’s development.
On the other side of it, he still feels he gained valuable experience.
“I think there are already a couple of steps. Those 39 games are there,” the 6-foot-4, 238-pounder said. “It’s not many, but I learned a lot. I was trying to find my game, so I think I’ll just keep doing that. Even during the summer, you can still learn about hockey. It’s not in games, but you can still work on it. I’m already (past) the starting line, so I’m not at the beginning. That’s only good for me.”
Would he have liked to have done better than just producing four goals and 10 points? Of course.
But Slafkovsky believes in the plan the Canadiens have had for him and feels he can take what he learned throughout the season, progress throughout the summer and return to Montreal a better player.
He knows it’ll take time before he can become the player he wants to be at this level.
“I’m a big guy,” he said. “I can use my size, use all the skills I have, and I think I can still score some goals.”
Slafkovsky’s been spending his time in the video room, focusing on some habits he hopes to break and on players he feels he should model his game after.
He said Canadiens director of development Adam Nicholas has been sending him a lot of clips of Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk.
We’ll have to wait until next fall to see how much the material has sunk in with Slafkovsky.
Kaiden Guhle excited about Canadiens’ blue line
There’s no prospect on Montreal’s defence who will have a greater impact on it becoming one to reckon with over the coming years than Guhle, who had his development exponentially accelerated by being thrust into a top role for most of his rookie season.
I think what’s interesting, though, is how he responded on Monday to a question about the future of the group, which saw four other rookie defencemen play regular roles with the team.
“It’s exciting,” Guhle said. “We’ve got a lot of young talent here right now and a lot of young guys in junior and college that are doing really well, too, that are exciting to watch and see grow.”
Guhle, Xhekaj, Jordan Harris, Justin Barron and Johnathan Kovacevic are all aware of what’s coming up behind them.
Lane Hutson just completed one of the best seasons a rookie defenceman has ever had in the NCAA and Logan Mailloux is continuing to play a dominant role with the London Knights as the OHL playoffs move into Round 2.
Closer to home, in Laval, Jayden Struble is just getting started and William Trudeau is beginning to really make a name for himself.
In front of the young crop with the Canadiens is Mike Matheson, who’s enjoying the best season of his career.
He’s under contract for three more seasons, while David Savard, who was the glue of the defence, is penned for two more.
“The future is really bright,” Guhle said.
He’s a big part of it and is doing everything he can to take on more as he moves along.
Off the ice, Guhle is watching a lot of clips of Winnipeg Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey, of Nashville Predators defenceman Ryan McDonagh and, for offensive purposes, of Florida Panthers defenceman Brandon Montour, who’s produced 15 goals and 72 points this season.
Guhle’s hoping to get back on the ice in the coming weeks once his high-ankle sprain heals.
Then he’ll return home to Alberta for a month before coming back to spend the bulk of his summer in Montreal.
“I love it here,” Guhle said.
As for the other reason he’ll train in Montreal, Guhle explained, “I just wanted to work with the staff here and get a little more hands-on with the staff here. They obviously see me all year, so they know best what is best for me.”
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