“I’ll act like a professional”: Joel Armia’s first reaction since his sacking from Laval

Laval | Joel Armia met with the media for the first time since he was traded to the Laval Rocket and didn’t make a big statement.

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This is in the order of things because the great Finn is not known for his eloquence.

On Thursday, after his second practice with the Rocket, Jeremiah was mostly content to say he would work hard, maintain a good attitude and be patient.

“Obviously everyone here wants to be in the NHL, so I’m going to act like a professional and do everything I can while I’m here,” he said. He knows what the future holds for him.

“I have no idea. To be honest, it’s out of my hands so I have to be patient. That’s all I can do.”

Example

However, the 30-year-old veteran is excited to find himself in a young and talented team.

“There are a lot of good young players in this group. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so many young players with that skill. Plus it’s a good group of individuals.”

He can thus feed off this enthusiasm to move forward in a situation that is not ideal for him.

“It’s 100% for sure. Everyone is having fun on the ice, no one is in a bad mood, it’s nice to see. I’m going to be a professional on and off the ice, every day, to set a good example.”

Lovely welcome

Jeremiah’s arrival was well received by the group of players. Brandon Gignac also praised the Finn’s attitude.

“He could have arrived with a negative attitude, it’s not fun what’s happening to him, but he got here really positive, and he’s working in practice. He’s so talented, it’s no coincidence that he’s played in the National League for a very long time.”

Coach Jean-François Houle had a chat with Armia and confirmed that he is in a good frame of mind even if it is not easy for him. Houli also had to deal with this type of situation on a few occasions after final cuts in the Canadian camp allowed him to bring back several young players, including Logan Maylox.

“Those are two completely different conversations. A young player is definitely different, he suspects he’s going to go to the MLB to learn a little bit. In Jeremiah’s case, he came back through waivers, it’s different.

“Players are not very happy about falling, but in one case you are dealing with disappointment while in the other it is an injury to the psyche.”

Photo by Martin Chevalier

useful

With 439 career NHL games under his belt, Armia could prove to be a great ally for Jean-François Houle in a very young and very talented group.

He added: “He is a man with a lot of experience, he has good skills, he is one of the best players we have in attack and he is capable of scoring goals.”

According to Brandon Gignac, Armia fills a need in a somewhat physical small forward.

“He can play anywhere, whether on the power play or on the penalty kill. He’s a very smart guy, he’s big and he’s tough to play against. We’ve been lacking a little bit of size and he’ll bring that to us.”