Canadiens Prospect Report: Jacob Off To Great Start As New Rocket Coach

The Montreal Canadiens may no longer possess one of the NHL's strongest prospect pools, an expected outcome after graduating so many talented young players in recent years. Even so, the Laval Rocket remain among the AHL's top teams.

This is especially notable given the significant loss the Rocket absorbed last season, when former head coach Pascal Vincent departed for an NHL role with the Seattle Kraken. Turnover is inevitable in the AHL, and while Daniel Jacob had accumulated extensive experience as an assistant across various leagues, he had never held a head-coaching position before his promotion.

Turnover is inevitable in the AHL, and there's no Daniel Jacob absorbed an abundance of coaching experience during his many years spent as an assistant coach in various leagues, but the fact remained that he was yet to be tasked with a head coaching job prior to his promotion.

Yet the Rocket have done far more than tread water. They currently sit atop the North Division with an impressive 7-3-0 record and a +17 goal differential. Jacob has managed this success despite numerous call-ups of key players, including Jacob Fowler, Owen Beck, and David Reinbacher, and without Adam Engstrom and Florian Xhekaj, two skaters who played crucial roles in the lineup over the past two seasons.

Such is life in the AHL, where the only constant is inconsistency. The ability to adapt on the fly is essential, and Jacob has handled that challenge with aplomb in his rookie season as a head coach.

It's unlikely this ranking will hold through the end of the regular season, but as things stand, the Rocket currently host two of the AHL's top point producers .

Making the situation even more intriguing is that rookie defenceman Luke Mittelstadt leads the entire league in scoring with an impressive five goals and 11 assists in 10 games. Newcomer Reilly Walsh has kept close pace, posting a very respectable five goals and eight assists.

In fact, the Rocket's top three point producers were all added to the roster this summer. Sasha Pastujov rounds out the group with six goals and five assists for his new team.

With that in mind, credit for Laval's strong start extends well beyond Jacob, though he certainly deserves significant praise for his work in a challenging situation.

General manager John Sedgwick identified several areas of weakness over the summer and made sure his rookie head coach had the necessary tools to succeed. Running an AHL team may not be glamorous, but it requires a wide range of skills that will one day prove essential for anyone aspiring to the same role in the NHL.

The true test will come in the playoffs, where the Rocket have fallen short of expectations in recent seasons.

That being said, given all the variables at play, it would be hard to argue that the Canadiens' farm team has not opened the season with the focus, intensity, and team-first approach required for success at the AHL level.

Sur le pp 🚨 — Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) October 10, 2026

Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) October 10, 2026