AHL Belleville Senators

Lajoie Settling into Life in the NHL

Published on November 13, 2018 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Belleville Senators News Release


Tyler Seguin. Steven Stamkos. David Pastrnak. Claude Giroux. Taylor Hall. Nathan MacKinnon.

Those are just some of the names Ottawa rookie defenceman Maxime Lajoie has been tasked with defending in the first 18 games of the season as he adjusts to NHL life.

"It's been crazy going against those guys," Lajoie said. "They're all guys you grow up watching so it's pretty cool to be on the ice with them and playing against them. It's been fun."

It's been a whirlwind 2018-19 season for the 21-year-old defenceman. Expected to start the season in Belleville, where he played 56 games last season, Lajoie had a standout camp with Ottawa to the point they had no option but to keep the smooth skating d-man in the NHL.

"I knew there was open spots but I really just wanted to come into training camp and show them my game and keep working at it," Lajoie said. "I wanted to show them I can play at this level. I thought I had a pretty good training camp and it turned out pretty good for me."

There was no doubt after watching Lajoie's rookie season in Belleville last season that he was primed for a long NHL career. The question became how soon would it happen.

The answer was a lot quicker than perhaps anyone expected. And he's making a huge impact early on too, playing in all situations, including the power play and the penalty kill, as Ottawa head coach Guy Boucher has thrown him into all scenarios.

It's also shown in his numbers. After scoring just once last season in the AHL, Lajoie scored in his NHL debut and has bagged five goals and nine points so far, this season.

"I think that's come from opportunity," Lajoie said. "Guys are making plays and being on the power play helps too. But it's also just the players I play with. I'm in the right spot at the right time."

His teammates are noticing too, especially fellow blue-liner Thomas Chabot, who like Lajoie, started in the AHL with Belleville before making the leap to the NHL.

"I think he's playing well," Chabot said of Lajoie. "He's showing off his skills. He's a great skater who can make great plays and that's what he's been doing and we've really appreciated having him here and playing big minutes for us, on the power play and penalty kill, and he's doing a great job so we're happy to have him."

Lajoie has found comfort in someone who has taken a similar road through the AHL to the NHL.

"Thomas has helped me a lot," Lajoie said. "It's awesome to watch that guy play. He's having an incredible start right now and it's nice to see how he is here, how he controls his emotions, so it's really nice to have him here."

And the Sens think it's really nice to have Lajoie there too.

Check out the Belleville Senators Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from November 13, 2018


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