Laval Rocket centre Abbandonato seizes playmaker role on top line

There are worse lots in life than being a Laval native and playing in the AHL for the hometown Laval Rocket. Just ask Peter Abbandonato.

On a slow day, it’s an eight-minute drive from his home to Place Bell.

“It’s definitely a dream to come to the rink every morning, to always have your family and friends close to you — for them to come to the games and watch you play,” the 24-year-old centre said after Wednesday’s practice.

Although only 5-foot-9 and 198 pounds, Abbandonato has been one of the Rocket’s most productive players, with seven goals and 30 points through 37 games. That’s not bad considering he was a healthy scratch for Laval’s first four games and five of its opening six.

“He’s producing and playing well,” said head coach Jean-François Houle. “He’s well-liked in the locker room. He’s a good teammate. I have nothing but good things to say about Peter Abbandonato.

“He’s getting a bit more ice, more quality minutes. That really helps, especially on the power-play. But he’s there for a reason; he makes plays. He has good hockey sense and sees the ice well. He competes. He’s one of the players that retrieves the most pucks on our team. That shows the work ethic and the desire to get the puck back. You can never have enough players like that.”

Abbandonato played junior in Rouyn-Noranda before going to Syracuse of the AHL as an undrafted free agent. But as recently as last season, he was mired in the East Coast League playing for Trois-Rivières, wondering and perhaps believing the odds were stacked against him. Every pro has NHL aspirations, but Abbandonato was simply trying to get out of the ECHL.

“It’s a mindset,” said the well-spoken Abbandonato. “Last year, when I started in the ECHL, I wasn’t happy to go down, especially after spending most of my first two years in Syracuse. There’s two ways to look at it — you’re going to pout or put in the extra work to get called back up. I wanted to put the work in, get better and get called back up. And I wanted to make a difference when I got called back up. I worked hard and had the right mindset. I took the opportunity and ran with it.”

Abbandonato produced 25 points in 18 games last season with the Lions. In 38 games with Laval, he had 4-16-20 totals. While he hasn’t scored since early December, he has seven assists in his last six games and has become the playmaker on the Rocket’s top line, between leading scorer Anthony Richard and Xavier Simoneau.

“The big difference is confidence,” Abbandonato said. “When the coach has confidence in you and your game, you have confidence in yourself. Getting into the lineup, putting up points, noticing the coach is starting to have more confidence in you, putting you in bigger moments and giving you more responsibility — as a player, that’s how you grow.”

Abbandonato still has NHL aspirations, especially after realizing Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis didn’t make it to the big leagues himself until age 25. Abbandonato said that opened his eyes and instilled hope. He told himself there’s nothing wrong with having an AHL career and, should it prove to be as far as he progressed, Abbandonato will know he gave it everything possible.

Houle would never close the book on the prospect. “You go one step at a time,” he explained.

“For him, the next step was to solidify a roster spot in the AHL. He’s done that. Anything can happen. Plenty have gone from the ECHL to the NHL. You need a little luck on your side, coaches that like you and give you opportunities. We’ve done that.”

Preparing for road games at Toronto on Friday and Saturday, the Rocket received reinforcements with the return of captain Alex Belzile and Jesse Ylönen from the Canadiens. Forwards Anthony Beauregard, Ryan Francis and Riley McKay have been reassigned to Trois-Rivières.

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

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