PEI Rocket NHLers

Maxim Lapierre is undisputably the most successful player to come out of the PEI Rocket organization. Maxim has been a depth player in the Montreal Canadiens dressing room ever since he left PEI and has already amassed over 300 NHL games. If you watched the Canadiens Cinderella run during the 2010 NHL playoffs then you likely saw Lapierre banging away in the corners as he played all 19 playoff games, scoring 3 goals. Maxim was chosen by the Habs in the 2nd round, 61st overall, in the 2003 NHL entry draft. He was a fan favorite and scoring threat during his junior career with the Rocket and was captain of the team during his final year of junior. He joined the Hamilton Bulldogs, Montreal’s AHL farm club, for the 05/06 season and got his first and only taste of NHL action that season on February 15, 2005 when he was called up to play against the Florida Panthers. Lapierre was not a one game wonder and he would split time between the Bulldogs and their parent club until finally cracking the Canadiens roster towards the end of the 07/08 season. He has been a fixture on the team ever since and is currently negotiating a new contract with the club.
Marc-Andre Gragnani became the second PEI Rocket alumni to play in an NHL game when he suited up for the Buffalo Sabres on February 23rd, 2008 in a contest against the New York Rangers. Gragnani would go on to play in one more NHL contest that year and dawned the Sabres jersey 4 more times this season. Gragnani was chosen by the Sabres in the 3rd round, 87th overall, during the 2005 NHL entry draft. He would go on to play 2 more seasons of junior hockey after the draft to go along with the two he already had under his belt, all of these being with the PEI Rocket. Gragnani signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2007 and other than his brief call ups he has been a staple on the Sabres AHL team. An offensive defenseman in PEI, he was quickly switched to a forward position when he turned pro. Gragnani has been consistently putting up solid numbers in the AHL and the Sabres have high expectations for his future. If he has a strong camp this summer expect to see him play many more NHL games next year as the Sabres continue to have high expectations for him.
David Laliberte made his NHL debut on October 13th, 2009, with the Philadelphia Flyers were he made an immediate impact, scoring one goal and recording one assist in a 6-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Laliberte captained the Rocket during the 06/07 season and scored a team record 50 goals throughout the year. Injuries, however, forced him to take the long road to the NHL. A 4th round, 124th overall pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2004 NHL draft, Laliberte’s back injury limited him to only about half the games he should have played in his final three years of junior in PEI. The Flyers decided to send him to the ECHL to start the 07/08 season and with 24 points in 27 games as a rookie he was promoted to the AHL team were he continued to improve over the next two years. He played 11 regular season games for the Flyers his past season and even got a chance to play on the team’s first line along side Mike Richards and Dan Carcillo. He appeared in one first round playoff game against the New Jersey Devils and was on hand through the Flyers improbable run through to the Stanley Cup Finals. Laliberte has impressed the Flyers so much that he may land himself a roster spot on next years team.
Jonathan Boutin made his one and only NHL appearance with the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 25th, 2008 when he dressed as backup goalie against the Florida Panthers. Picked by the Lightning in the 3rd round, 96th overall, in the 2003 NHL draft, Boutin suited up for 50 games with the Rocket in parts of two seasons with the club. After graduating from junior hockey he played 4 seasons with 7 different North American minor league teams. His sole appearance in the NHL as a backup goalie came under interesting circumstances. Tampa Bay goalie Mike Smith sprained his knee during the morning of March 25th. The Lightning quickly recalled Marc Denis to backup Karri Ramo that night but Denis would not make it on time due to him being on recall waivers. So, on an emergency basis, the Lightning gave Jonathan Boutin the opportunity of lifetime. For 3 periods of NHL hockey he was awarded the best seat in the house as his services were never needed since Ramo and the Lightning cruised to a 3-1 win. Boutin was returned to Norfolk the next day. He currently plays in Europe and is unlikely to see time in the big leagues ever again.


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