Montreal Canadiens reassign Jesse Ylönen and Alex Belzile to the AHL

Following Tuesday’s game versus the Ottawa Senators, the last one the Montreal Canadiens will play until February 11, the team announced that Jesse Ylönen and Alex Belzile had been reassigned to the AHL affiliate in Laval.

Ylönen was the first of a group of Rocket forwards brought up back on January 11, and played 10 games in that time. He had his flashes of offensive skill, getting some time in the top six and featuring on the second power-play unit, but his stint ended with no goals and two assists.

Belzile got his shot on January 21, and was a key member of a bottom-six line that at times played like Montreal’s best trio. His five-game audition ended with four assists and showed the NHL coaches and managers that he’s a quality depth option for the future.

There are two notable names not in this announcement. Justin Barron spent the first part of the year developing in the AHL and had been named to the league’s All-Star Game. With Montreal dealing with an injury to Joel Edmundson, Barron retains his spot with the team for now.

The biggest contributor to the team from the group of call-ups has been Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, who scored two goals in the last game before the NHL All-Star break to bring the total in his seven-game stint up to five goals and one assist. He ended that game on a line with Nick Suzuki, getting promoted for his solid work in every situation he was thrust into. He made a big impression in the few weeks since his recall, and could now be a permanent fixture of the NHL team for at least the remainder of the season.

Ylönen and Belzile should be back in the Laval Rocket lineup for back-to-back games against the Toronto Marlies on Friday and Saturday.