Jul 15 Habs Ink Prospects Alexander Avtsin, David Desharnais - Alexander Avtsin

Alexander Avtsin has been an enigma since his name first started being mentioned in Habs circles. Would he come to North America? Would he play for the Montreal Juniors who acquired his rights from the Quebec Remparts?

According to Montreal Juniors coach and GM, they did everything they could to lure him to Montreal but Avtsin would hear nothing of it, going so far as to say he was beyond the talent pool of the QMJHL. In fact, Avtsin spent last season playing for the Moscow Dynamo until a wrist injury cut short that season. It was later rumoured that if Avtsin would have been in North America when the injury occurred, he may have had better treatment and a quicker healing time.

In the recent Habs development camp, Avtsin was a surprise add to the roster, as some, including the Juniors did not believe the young Russian would actually make it to Montreal as it appeared clear he had no intentions to play in Canada unless he had some kind of guarantee he would be playing with the big team.

Avtsin appeared to re-injure his wrist during camp and an MRI took care of providing the Habs any confirmations they needed before opting to sign the potential top-sixer to a 3 year deal. The only question that remains is will Avtsin return to Russia next season or will the Canadiens persuade him to play in the AHL or the “Q”.

Neither option has any effect on the Montreal Juniors. If Avtsin does end up being sent to the QMJHL, his rights are now back with the Quebec Remparts as the juniors, who all but gave up on Avtsin, took him off their European protected list earlier this summer.

Read on for the Habs press releases for both players.