The Laval Rocket (French: Rocket de Laval) are a professional ice hockey team based in Laval, Quebec. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) and Trois-Rivières Lions of the ECHL.
For Hab supporters, The Laval Rocket is a team to watch as Rocket prowess is Habs strength. The Laval are instrumental in filling cohesion and skill gaps in their NHL counterpart in the case of call ups to the parent team.
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Historical Context and Relocation
In July 2016, American Hockey League (AHL) executives announced that they had unanimously approved the relocation of the St. John's IceCaps, AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, to the Montreal suburb of Laval for the 2017-18 season.
Starting in the 2017-18 season, the Laval Rocket, based in Laval, Quebec, became the Habs' minor-league affiliate, succeeding the St. John’s IceCaps.
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The 10,000 seat Bell Place serves as the team’s home arena and is around a 30 minute drive from the Habs’ Bell Centre.
On October 6, 2017, the team would play their first game as the Laval Rocket. They would defeat the Belleville Senators 3-0.
The Rocket may be the current affiliate, but they’re part of a long line of Canadiens farm teams. The history dates back to the Montreal Voyageurs in 1969, which soon became the Nova Scotia Voyageurs.
From there, the Canadiens’ pipeline included:
- Sherbrooke Canadiens (1984-1990), where Patrick Roy once sharpened his skills.
- Fredericton Canadiens (1990-1999), continuing to feed talent to the Habs.
- Quebec Citadelles (1999-2002), a short but memorable stint.
- Hamilton Bulldogs (2002-2015), one of the longest-running affiliates and home to many future Canadiens.
- St. John’s IceCaps (2015-2017), based in Newfoundland before the shift back to Quebec.
Each move reflected a balance between geography, logistics, and player development. By the time the Rocket settled in Laval, fans were eager for an affiliate closer to home.
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In the 2019-20 season, the Rocket would win the Canadian Division championship. They would finish the season with 23 wins, 9 loses, and 50 points.
However, the 2020 Calder Cup playoffs would be cancelled by the league because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In June 2025, Rocket made it to the Calder Cup semifinals, but fell to the Charlotte Checkers in a 4-0 sweep. Despite the loss, advancement to the semis bodes well for the team’s progress. This season, they might take things one step farther.
On April 29, 2021, it was announced that only the Pacific Division had elected to hold a postseason tournament to name a division champion, with the other four divisions awarding their champions via regular season records.
The league allowed each division the choice to hold a divisional postseason.
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On April 18, 2025, The Rocket crowned regular-season champions.
During their inaugural campaign, Laval compiled a dismal 24-42-7-3 record, placing them last overall in league standings.
Team Name and Identity
Shortly thereafter, a name-the-team contest was held with Patriots, Rapids and Rocket narrowed as the final three candidates.
Among 850 name submissions, according to The Montreal Gazette, Rocket was chosen during a fan name contest, beating out finalists like Patriotes and Rapides.
On September 8, the winning name of Laval Rocket was announced, a tribute to Canadiens' legend Maurice "Rocket" Richard, which got a 51% majority of fan votes.
With this, Laval became the second hockey team in the Greater Montreal area to use that nickname, after the Montreal Rocket of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), from 1999 until 2003.
Logo and Jersey Design
On January 31, 2017, the team revealed the logo and jersey design that would be worn during their inaugural season.
Sporting the colors blue, red and white, players took to the ice and began laying the ground work for a robust program.
The colours consist of blue, white, and red and were chosen to mirror those of their parent-club, the Montreal Canadiens.
As a further tribute to Richard's "Rocket" moniker, each sleeve has a shield patch with 'Le Rocket' inscribed therein.
The main logo is a large blue 'R' that is outlined and highlighted in white. The word 'Rocket' runs along the inside of the 'R' in white.
Team Management and Coaching Staff
In June 2017, the franchise named Larry Carriere as general manager and retained Sylvain Lefebvre as head coach, a position he held since 2012 when the franchise played as the Hamilton Bulldogs and St.
Key leadership changes include:
- Larry Carriere as general manager (named in June 2017)
- Sylvain Lefebvre as head coach (held position since 2012, when the franchise played as the Hamilton Bulldogs and St.)
Pascal Vincent was appointed head coach of the Laval Rocket on July 16, 2024.
On October 11, 2024, Lucas Condotta was named captain of the Laval Rocket.