After what will likely go down as one of the more disappointing days in hockey due to the CBA negotiations, hockey fans were granted ‘a pass’ for one day. On Tuesday night, the CBC hit show “Making the Cut” came to a close, with 18 players being invited to a skills competition at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga. After that, all the Canadian teams, including the Habs, then “drafted” a player and invited him to their next training camp. The Canadiens pick, fifth overall after the lottery, was defenceman Kevin Lavallee.
Lavallee is a 6’3, 219 lb right defenceman, who resides in Montreal. Throughout the 2 week training session, he was never demoted to the Black Aces squad, or placed on the bubble. He suffered a back injury early in camp, but despite the pain, he did not miss a game.
Lavallee played 2 seasons in the QMJHL, before turning pro and going to Germany at the tender age of 19. This season, he has played 25 games for Straubing EHC, recording 2 goals and 3 assists, to go along with 24 minutes in penalties. He was recently recalled to Kassel of the German Elite League, but has not yet suited up for the Huskies.
Below are his career stats:
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2000-01 | Acadie-Bathurst Titan | QMJHL | 22 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 33 |
| 2000-01 | Montreal Rocket | QMJHL | 36 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 48 |
| 2001-02 | Augsburg EV Pro | GerReg | 41 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 74 |
| 2002-03 | Amberg ERSC | GerOS | 54 | 11 | 23 | 34 | 58 |
| 2003-04 | Straubing Tigers | 2.GBun | 44 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 30 |
| 2004-05 | Straubing EHC | 2.GBun | 25 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 24 |
The full results of the draft were as follows:
1) D Jordan Little – Edmonton
2) D James Demone – Vancouver
3) G Michael Mole – Ottawa
4) C Matt Hubbauer – Calgary
6) C Dominic Noel – Toronto
The newest Canadiens’ hopeful was ecstatic about the selection, saying “It’s almost like a dream. I’ve got to pinch myself to realize that it’s actually happened. It’s just a huge surprise and a huge honour. I’m just really thankful for the chance I got here.”
Canadiens GM Bob Gainey is also impressed with Lavallee and the fact that he is playing pro, saying “He was rated by our guys as a good prospect and one thing I like about him is that he hasn’t been to an NHL training camp. He’s been playing in Europe and getting better there. So we’ve got a fresh player to bring to our next training camp and see how he fits in.”
Click here to view Lavallee’s player profile from the Bell Making the Cut official website.