The Montreal Canadiens are moving on from one of their forward prospects.
According to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie, the Canadiens have traded forward Joshua Roy to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for defenseman Max Szuber.
Roy has had a good amount of success in the AHL over the last few seasons but had trouble cementing himself as a full-time NHL player with the Canadiens. Now, he will be looking to change that after getting this fresh start with the Mammoth.
In 57 games last season with the Laval Rocket of the AHL, he had 23 goals, 22 assists, and 45 points. He did not get on the scoresheet in three NHL games this past season with the Canadiens.
Canadiens’ Roy Gives the Mammoth a Promising Young Forward With Skill
While Roy has had trouble making the jump to the NHL level, he is still a promising prospect. Due to this, it makes sense that the Mammoth are taking a chance on him. If he can tap into his offensive potential more, he could become a solid top-nine forward for Utah in the near future.
Roy demonstrated a lot of promise during his final seasons in the QMJHL with the Sherbrooke Phoenix, as he recorded 51 goals and 119 points in 66 games in 2021-22 and then 46 goals and 99 points in 55 games in 2022-23. With this, the young forward certainly has some offensive promise.
Down in the AHL, Roy has consistently made an impact. During his first season with the Rocket, he had 13 goals and 32 points in 41 games. He then followed that up by posting 20 goals and 35 points in 47 games for Laval in 2024-25. This was before he had 45 points in 57 games this past season. With this, he has only continued to be a solid offensive contributor at the AHL level.
In 38 career NHL games, Roy has six goals and 11 points. His best season with the Habs was in 2023-24 when he had four goals and nine points in 23 games. If he could take that next step in Utah, this could end up being a nice trade for the Mammoth.
Canadiens Bring in Fascinating New Defenseman In Szuber
The Canadiens now have a new interesting prospect defenseman in Szuber after making this trade. The 6-foot-3 blueliner appeared in 65 games last season with the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL, where he scored a career-high 11 goals and posted 27 points in 65 games. This is after he had seven goals and 32 points in 65 games for the Roadrunners during the 2024-25 season.
Szuber has less NHL experience than Roy, as he played in just one game for the Arizona Coyotes during the 2023-24 season. While this is the case, the possibility of him making the jump to the NHL in the future should not be ruled out. He has had some solid years in the AHL with Tucson, so it makes sense that the Canadiens are taking a chance on him.
It will now be interesting to see how Roy and Szuber respond to these trades. They are both young players looking to become full-time NHL players. Perhaps getting fresh starts will help them do just that.
TRADE: Canadiens Send Skilled Forward Prospect to Mammoth