In the last few minutes, the Laval Rocket announced an initial round of cuts for the upcoming season. Among the players released from the training camp, there's notably a very big surprise.
Indeed, selected in the 3rd round of the 2020 draft, forward Ty Smilanic has been released, effectively ending his association with the Montreal Canadiens.
Wow! What a turnaround for the player who was, incidentally, acquired in the trade involving Ben Chiarot and the Florida Panthers!
Let's recall that the Habs' prospect had made the bold decision to leave the NCAA to try to join the professional ranks this year. Unfortunately for the former University of Wisconsin player, his gamble evidently didn't pay off, as he now finds himself without a team just days before the new season starts.
Of course, his chances of making the main team were virtually nonexistent, but he just received a real slap in the face being part of the first wave of Rocket cuts.
He had performed quite well in his first collegiate season, accumulating a total of 21 points in 29 games, and that at the age of 18. However, he faced challenges continuing his development, only collecting 3 points in 14 games in 2022-2023.
