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\nKent Hughes’ recent 6-foot-3 Canadiens acquisition is turning heads: ‘He has something special’
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Montreal Hockey Fanatics has no direct affiliation to the Montreal Canadiens, NHL or NHLPA<\/p>\n
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Photo credit: Screenshot<\/p>\n
Louis Robitaille clearly approves of one of the recent forwards acquired by Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens.<\/p>\n
The former head coach of the Gatineau Olympiques and Victoriaville Tigres now works in Europe.<\/p>\n
He crossed paths with the towering No. 39 more than once.<\/p>\n
Robitaille recently completed his first season behind the bench of Omsk’s VHL affiliate, the Russian equivalent of the American Hockey League.<\/p>\n
That gave him a front-row seat to Gleb’s development.<\/p>\n
He first noticed the young forward completely by chance.<\/p>\n
While on the road, he attended a KHL game between Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod and the Shanghai Dragons.<\/p>\n
The imposing prospect was impossible to miss.<\/p>\n
“Pugachyov stood out to me.<\/p>\n
The young players wear full cages, so he was hard to miss,” Robitaille said over the phone.<\/p>\n
His first impression was a strong one.<\/p>\n
“I remember thinking, ‘Okay, there’s something special about this kid,'” added Robitaille, who later saw him again during the MHL playoffs.<\/p>\n
He’s more than just a physical player.<\/p>\n
Pugachyov, a 6-foot-3, 224-pound wrecking ball, brings much more than a strictly physical game.<\/p>\n
Robitaille pointed to his hockey sense.<\/p>\n
“I thought he was a responsible player. Beyond the fact that he was physical, it was the way he moved….<\/p>\n
He’s a big guy who knows how to play the game. He doesn’t chase the play all over the ice,” the coach noted.<\/p>\n
The concern is his production.<\/p>\n
At 18, the young forward generated plenty of shots during the MHL playoffs but didn’t score consistently.<\/p>\n
But Robitaille sees room for growth.<\/p>\n
“Can that develop?<\/p>\n
I believe so. His puck skills aren’t bad. I don’t think he’s a one-dimensional player.”<\/p>\n
Torpedo holds his rights for two more years and would like to keep him, but he’ll certainly be a name for Montreal Canadiens fans to watch.<\/p>\n
Previously on Montreal Hockey Fanatics<\/p>\n
POLL<\/p>\n
9 HOURS AGO|463 ANSWERS<\/p>\n
Kent Hughes’ recent 6-foot-3 Canadiens acquisition is turning heads: ‘He has something special’<\/p>\n
Does Gleb Pugachyov have the potential to become an impact player for the Montreal Canadiens?<\/p>\n
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