As you know, the Canadiens announced a transaction in the last few hours, a trade with the Edmonton Oilers involving Noel Hoefenmayer.

We were wondering what the organization’s plan was with the offensively-minded defenseman, and now we have an official announcement.

Noel Hoefenmayer will start with the Laval Rocket

The organization has just announced that Kent Hughes’ new acquisition will report to the team’s AHL affiliate early next week.

As we reported, Kent Hughes indeed announced on Friday that he had acquired defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for forward Jacob Perreault.

Perreault’s time with the Canadiens was therefore brief and not very fruitful.

Hoefenmayer, a 25-year-old defenseman, is a left-handed shot who stands 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 204 pounds.

A 4th-round pick by the Arizona Coyotes in 2017, he played 11 games this season with the Oilers’ AHL affiliate.

Over the past few years, he has recorded:

– 7 points in 11 games (this year)

– 18 points in 47 games (in 2023-24)

– 38 points in 65 games (2022-23).

This will add another element for Pascal Vincent, especially if Logan Mailloux is eventually called up again by the Montreal Canadiens.

Hoefenmayer could thus take on an offensive role on defense in Laval.

It is worth mentioning that the Laval Rocket had a dream start to the season, but the team has been going through a more difficult period in recent games.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Rocket lost the services of goaltender Jakub Dobes last night (injured) after a shot that seemed harmless.

Details to follow.