Daniel Carr is hoping to cement a permanent spot with the Montreal Canadiens, following his first taste of the NHL in 2015-16.
After four years playing at Union College and a season-and-a-half in the AHL, Carr scored a call-up from the Canadiens last season, a stint he believes paid huge dividends in his development.
"I learned that if given the chance, I can compete there," Carr told Matt Cudzinowski of canadiens.com "That was the biggest thing, knowing that and coming into the summer making sure to give myself the biggest chance to get back there this year. There’s nothing quite like skating onto the ice at the Bell Centre, so you want to give yourself the best chance to get back to it."
Carr enjoyed a solid NHL debut, contributing six goals and nine points in 23 games. He held the third-highest shooting percentage on the team and ranked third in goals-per-60-minutes among Canadiens with at least 200 played, besting the likes of P.K. Subban, Max Pacioretty, and Tomas Plekanec.
Carr is hoping factors that previously made him a successful scorer - including three 20-goal campaigns in college - will make him a valuable asset to the Canadiens.
"That’s my game, being strong on the puck down low, beating guys off the wall to the net, and making little plays in tight to score goals. The better you get at that, the more chances you’re going to get," Carr said. "Last year, I think I started to learn the details of the NHL game, and I learned what I have to do to be effective at both ends of the rink. It was good going into the summer knowing the parts of my game I had to improve to be there all season long."
Carr should enter training camp as one of Montreal's few left-wing options with NHL experience, giving him an increased chance at solidifying a full-time roster spot.
