The Laval Rocket open the 2026-27 AHL season tonight at Place Bell against the Syracuse Crunch, and college hockey drops the puck on its new season at the same time. It is opening night for the Canadiens organization, with prospects in action in Laval and across the NCAA.

Rocket: new faces, new bench boss

Anyone heading to Place Bell should pick up a program, because the roster has changed a lot. Eleven new players are in the lineup, and Daniel Jacob is the new head coach. He takes over from Pascal Vincent, who coached Laval for the last two seasons and is now an assistant coach with the Kraken in the NHL. Jacob has one new assistant, and two assistants return with the team. The Rocket won their division two seasons ago and reached the semifinals. Last season did not repeat that run, and this group wants to turn the page. The game starts at 7:00 PM, and it is the first of two straight games against Syracuse this weekend.

Montreal drafted several players on this roster: goaltender Jacob Fowler, defensemen David Reinbacher and Luke Mittelstadt, and forwards Owen Beck, Tyler Thorpe, Filip Mešár and Jared Davidson.

Among the newcomers to watch are Brett Berard, Sasha Pastujov, Hunter McKown, Samuel Poulin, and defensemen Ethan Samson, Maksymilian Szuber and Owen Protz. Bryce Pickford remains on the injury list. Veterans Laurent Dauphin, Alex Belzile, Xavier Simoneau and goaltender Kaapo Kähkönen return and should help the new group settle in.

Expect an adjustment period. Jacob said at his press conference that the team has to teach the new system and the details of the game quickly, and that the plan is to take it one game at a time and adjust after each one. He also said he is glad to open at home and hopes the Rocket can reward the fans over the two games against Syracuse.

NCAA: 12 Habs prospects start their seasons

Twelve Canadiens prospects play in the NCAA this season: six forwards, three defensemen and three goaltenders.

Michael Hage is the one to watch

Habs fans will keep a close eye on Michael Hage at Michigan. Many were surprised when he chose to return to the Wolverines for a third season, but it gives him more time to develop. He is one of the top forward prospects in the organization, expectations are high in Ann Arbor and in Montreal, and many fans see him as a future second-line center for the Canadiens.

New in the NCHC

Two prospects arrive from the WHL. Center Hayden Paupanekis, picked 69th overall in 2025, left the WHL for St. Cloud State. Defenseman Timmy Runtso, picked 57th overall in the same draft, left the Victoria Royals for Miami (OH). Both play in the NCHC.

The returning group

Wingers Sam Harris (Denver) and Logan Sawyer (Providence) are back for their third seasons. Goaltender Emmett Croteau starts his fourth and final NCAA year, his third at Dartmouth after beginning at Clarkson.

Second-year players are Ben Merrill (Boston University), LJ Mooney (Minnesota), Cooper Cleaves (Dartmouth), Maxon Vig (Bemidji State), Alexis Cournoyer, who left Cornell for Wisconsin, and Quentin Miller, who left Denver for Western Michigan.

NCAA games tonight

BGSU at Michigan (Hage), Minnesota at Michigan Tech (Mooney), Miami at Northern Michigan (Runtso), Robert Morris at Wisconsin (Cournoyer), Denver at Alaska Anchorage (Harris), and Boston University at Alaska Fairbanks (Merrill).

Follow them all on HABSHQ.com

HABSHQ.com has news, stats, schedules and results for every one of these players. See the full NCAA prospects stats and the Rocket stats, and follow the Trois-Rivières Lions as well. Come back each day to see how they are doing. For the official AHL roster and league stats, see theahl.com, and for NCAA coverage, visit College Hockey News.