The Laval Rocket announced on Saturday that they’ve signed four players to contracts for the 2024-25 season. Three of the four players signed had spent time in either Laval or Trois-Rivières last season.
One-Way Deals
Laval has signed forward Xavier Simoneau and defenseman Josh Jacobs, each to one-year, one-way deals for the 2024-25 season. Simoneau, 24, has spent his entire three-year career with the Rocket, putting up 20 goals and 76 assists for 96 points in 173 games with the Rocket. He’s added one goal and two assists for three points in 12 Calder Cup playoff games. The St-André-Avellin, Quebec native was drafted by the Canadiens in the seventh round during the 2021 NHL Draft.
Jacobs, 29, has battled injuries throughout the last two seasons. He would miss the entire 2023-24 season with an injury and was limited to just 26 games last season. In those 26 games, he put up one goal and four assists for five points. The Shelby Township, Michigan native has spent 11 years in the AHL, where he’s put up 18 goals and 68 assists for 86 points in 367 games. Jacobs has seen three games of NHL during his career. I would expect Jacobs to be a depth veteran piece for the Rocket heading into next season.
Two-Way Deals
The Laval Rocket have signed goaltender Hunter Jones and defensman Darick Louis-Jean to one-year, two-way contracts for the 2024-25 season. Jones, 24, spent all of last season with the Trois-Rivières Lions, playing in 28 games while posting a 15-6-6 record with a 2.87 GAA and a .905 SV%. He made two appearances during the Kelly Cup Playoffs. In game one of the Division Finals against the Norfolk Admirals, he pitched a 27-save shutout. His other appearance came in relief in Game 4 of the Conference finals against the Florida Everblades, where he stopped five of six shots in 20 minutes of action. I would expect Jones to spend the season in Trois-Rivières and be the first goaltender to called to Laval when they need a goaltender.
Louis-Jean, 24, has signed an AHL deal with the Rocket after previously signing a deal with the Laval Petroliers of the LNAH last month. The Montreal native has spent the last three seasons with the Norfolk Admirals, where he put up 15 goals and 56 assists for 71 points in 183 games. Louis-Jean began his ECHL career in Trois-Rivières during the 2021-22 season, where he played in 11 games with the Lions. I would expect him to spend next season on the Lions blueline.
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