Habs Sign Dumont

Today the Montreal Canadiens signed 2009 draft pick Gabriel Dumont, making him the fourth player the Habs have put under contract that played for the Drummondville Voltigeurs over the past five years and fifth when you add their former head coach and current Hamilton Bulldog Head Coach Guy Boucher.

Dumont now joins Guillaume Latendresse, Dany Masé, and Philippe Lefebvre as well as his former coach Guy Boucher as they all have joined the organization suggesting that the club has found a positive connection among the Quebec junior ranks, to which fans may say is about time.

The Habs attempted to use the QMJHL team that they shared the Bell Center with at one time when they selected four players from the Montreal Rocket. Out of Michael Lambert, Cory Urquhart, Jimmy Bonneau and Maxim Lapierre, only Lappierre has panned out for the organization to many local fans dismay.

With the Habs forging a connection with the Volts, they have already had a young powerforward that was traded for another skilled forward, a AHL coach of the Year in Guy Boucher, and both Masé and Dumont will be helping the Dogs in the playoffs as they try and reach the conference finals.

At this point it's still in the early stages, but the Habs do stand a good chance of benefiting a great deal from keeping an eye to ground from a team that plays close enough to their own backyard. If the Habs can hold onto Boucher for the long term, he can help countless prospects along the way before likely making the jump to the NHL but will be a hot commodity for NHL GMs as they look for the next big thing in coaching.

It's also very early in the development stage for Dumont, who is coming off an outstanding year in the Q where he enjoyed career highs across the board including scoring 62 goals in 76 regulation + playoff games this year. The smallish forward is all heart and will do anything to help his team win, he credits the Habs for shorting his skating stride in an effort to improve his speed. A good summer should help him prepare for his first full season in the AHL next year as he looks to be re-united with Coach Boucher and former teammate Dany Massé who won the QMJHL championship this time last year. They will have to wait another year before Philippe Lefebvre can join them as he has one more year in the Q before joining the group in Hamilton.