What You Need to Know About the 2014 Training Camp for the Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens' 2014 training camp starts later this week. Finally, hockey is back.

It hasn't been that long of an offseason for the Montreal Canadiens following their deep playoff run last season, but that doesn't make this time of year any less exciting. Habs fans have been analyzing their team all summer, and it's finally time to see the red, white and blue back on the ice. 

The rookies are already back in Montreal, having kicked off their camp a few days ago. The veterans are filing back into the city in preparation for the main camp on Sept. 18. 

Here's more of what you need to know about the 2014 Montreal Canadiens training camp. 

General Information

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P.K. Subban

Here's some general information about the Montreal Canadiens' 2014 training camp and preseason:

• The rookie camp is already underway, having begun on Sept. 12. Forty-four players will compete in the five-day camp, including 17 Canadiens draft picks. 
• The main portion of training camp starts on Sept. 18 and runs until Oct. 7. 
• The Red vs. White scrimmage is scheduled for Sept. 22 at the Bell Centre.
• The Canadiens pre-season schedule starts on Sept. 23 against the Boston Bruins.
• The Habs have seven preseason games on their schedule, including one in Quebec City on Sept. 26. 
• The regular-season schedule for the Canadiens begins on Oct. 8 in Toronto.

All information from Canadiens.com.

Young Forwards to Watch

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Sven Andrighetto

The Canadiens already have some youth upfront in Alex Galchenyuk, Brendan Gallagher and Michael Bournival, but there will be a few other youngsters looking to make the squad.

Jiri Sekac probably has the best odds of any rookie forward in camp to make the team. The 22-year-old was signed as a free agent in the offseason following three years in the KHL. He'll compete for a right-wing spot on opening night. 

Other young forwards to watch include Sven Andrighetto and Jacob de la Rose. 

Andrighetto, a third-round pick in 2013, had a solid rookie year in Hamilton last season, putting up 44 points in 64 games. The Swiss right-winger will also challenge for an opening-night roster spot. 

De la Rose, a 6'2" center, was selected in the second round in 2013. He played last season with Leksands of the Swedish Hockey League, where he had 13 points in 49 games as an 18-year-old. He was especially impressive with Team Sweden at the 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. 

The Canadiens are deep at center, meaning de la Rose probably won't crack the team right out of camp. If there is an injury, however, he's a name to keep an eye on. 

Young Defensemen to Watch

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Nathan Beaulieu

Five spots on the Montreal blue line are pretty much set in stone as training camp nears. P.K. Subban, Andrei Markov, Alexei Emelin, Tom Gilbert and Mike Weaver will all be dressing on Oct. 8, assuming no one gets hurt.

That leaves one spot on the ice, and Nathan Beaulieu is the favorite heading into camp. 

The young, puck-moving defender played great hockey last spring after being inserted into the lineup in Game 6 against the Boston Bruins. He did not look out of place as a 21-year-old who had just 23 games of NHL experience, and that will certainly help his chances of making the team this season

The Habs are putting an emphasis on defensemen who can get the puck up the ice and into the offensive zone quickly. That was one reason for the Gilbert acquisition, and it's also going to help Beaulieu's chances of suiting up on Oct. 8. 

The Canadiens will also need to carry a seventh defenseman on the roster. Rookies Jarred Tinordi and Greg Pateryn will look to beat out Francis Bouillon for that roster spot. Bouillon will be attending camp on a professional tryout agreement. 

New Faces

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Manny Malhotra

General manager Marc Bergevin had a busy offseason, and there will be plenty of new faces around the 2014 training camp.

Up front, there is P.A. Parenteau, Manny Malhotra and the rookies mentioned earlier. 

A healthy Parenteau will be counted on to regain his scoring touch that he lost last season as he fell out of favor with the Colorado Avalanche. He'll probably skate on the second line, unless a dominant camp from Sekac pushes him down the depth chart. 

Malhotra was brought in to be a stable fourth-line center for the Habs. The veteran will be leaned on heavily in the faceoff circle, as he posted an impressive 59.4 win percentage last season. He'll also chip in on the penalty kill. 

On defense, Tom Gilbert will look to make an impression in his first camp with Montreal.

The 31-year-old has size (6'2", 206 pounds) and can contribute offensively as well. He had 28 points last season and should help anchor the second power-play unit. 

Health of Carey Price

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Carey Price

The players have not met the media yet in Montreal, meaning it's tough to get information on the health of Carey Price's right knee. 

However, Dave Stubbs of the Montreal Gazette reported that Price spent the summer rehabbing his sprained knee before returning to the ice in mid-August. 

Price told Stubbs on Aug. 20 that skating was "going pretty good so far. So far, so good," as he trained with teammate Travis Moen, former teammate Josh Gorges and other NHLers. 

There's also the fact that Price said he would have been ready to play in the Stanley Cup Final had the Canadiens made it that far, via a tweet from the Canadiens' official Twitter account. 

Nothing is certain yet, but it sure sounds like Price's knee is fine and that he'll be ready to start the first game of the season in Toronto. 

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