A step in the right direction

BROSSARD - Despite arriving home from Quebec City following Thursday's 5-2 win over the Capitals in the wee hours of the morning, the Habs were out in full force on Friday with a spirited practice in Brossard. Training camp Teams A and B also faced off for an intense 30-minute intrasquad scrimmage as part of the afternoon activities.

Four games remain on the Canadiens' preseason calendar, and head coach Claude Julien took one more step towards finalizing his roster with a round of cuts on Friday afternoon.
"We want to reduce the number of guys here so we can start getting closer to what the team will look like. That's why we did the cuts today," explained the Habs bench boss, who also added that roster spots haven't been locked in just yet with 43 players still at camp. "There are very few guys who are comfortable in their spots right now, which is what we want. I don't want anyone to think that their name or their contract is enough to keep them here. We want to make sure we have the right attitude this year, so we're going to keep guys who have that attitude. We're going to do what's best for the Canadiens. That means we'll need to make tough decisions, but we're ready to do that."

The improved attitude within the locker room isn't lost on the players. Veteran Phillip Danault stressed once again that the mentality he's been seeing around the rink has been a huge improvement from a year ago.
"The intensity is there this year. We got in at 2:00 a.m. from Quebec and the intensity was still there at practice this morning. Everyone showed up ready to work. Guys want to play within the system. Having everyone in the same boat and on the same page creates a spark. There will be no excuses this year," underlined Danault.
Schlemko: a happy camper
Julien mentioned that he's been particularly impressed by the play of David Schlemko since camp began. The veteran blue-liner has been enjoying his time at training camp after having missed the beginning of preseason last year.
"I feel good. It's nice to get training camp experience in this season. I'm probably the happiest guy here to be taking part in training camp," he admitted with a chuckle. "I'm not taking anything for granted, especially given the way I played last year. I had a good summer - I don't think I've ever skated as much in an offseason as I did this year. I want to show what I can do and prove that last season doesn't reflect the level of play I'm capable of."

Habs Inked
Two players in particular had a fun day at the office in Brossard, as the Canadiens announced the signings of Josh Brook and Joel Teasdale to three-year entry-level contracts.
Brook, a 19-year-old defenseman who the Canadiens drafted in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft, was beaming when he met with the media after practice.

"I feel great. This is what I wanted. It's a step in the right direction. My goal was to come in and show what I could do. I still have a lot of things to work on, but I've loved my experience at camp and I've learned a lot," confirmed Brook, who will head back to Moose Jaw to join the Warriors for his final WHL season. "I'm heading back to Junior with a ton of confidence."
A native of Ste-Julie, Teasdale grew up dreaming of signing with his hometown team - a feat he finally accomplished on Friday afternoon.
"It's hard to describe this feeling. When I was a kid, I played road hockey outside my house wearing a Habs jersey. This is unbelievable," confessed the 19-year-old forward, who racked up 65 points in as many games with the QMJHL's Blainville-Boisbriand Armada last year. "This is the goal of every guy who gets an invite. I worked really hard this summer and I wanted to come in here and show that I'm capable of playing at this level. I'm going to go have a big year in Junior and I'll come back even better."
Julien had nothing but praise for the young winger's play over the last week.
"I'm happy with his camp and I'm happy he's signed. I saw a lot of things in him that coaches look for in a player," said Julien. "The little details are what make a player like him stand out from other guys. He didn't seem intimidated at all and he had a good camp. This is well-deserved."
The Canadiens will be back in action on Saturday night for the team's fourth preseason game of the week, with a game against the Ottawa Senators on tap at the Bell Centre. Tickets for the tilt are available via
canadiens.com/tickets
.