"I do not deny that I have received offers from Swiss clubs for next season, but I'm not really paying attention to that right now because I have a plan in mind to fulfill my dream of playing in the NHL," Rochette writes in his own blog "Mon exil vers le rêve" on 24 heures. "I think that Canada is the best way to achieve this and that the QMJHL is an ideal springboard, especially since I feel good here."
The son of former referee Stéphane Rochette, who went through the youth organization of Lausanne HC, is currently in his first year playing for the Chicoutimi Saguenées in North America's Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The Swiss-Canadian dual citizen has appeared in 45 games this season so far, recording ten goals and 17 assists for a total of 27 points.
"Next season will be my key season, in the sense that it will be the one before the NHL draft for which I will be eligible. I have to make the right choices to approach it in the best possible position. After a first year of adaptation, preparation, I will try to gain weight and strength during summer. I hope to be a different player at the beginning of the 2019-20 season, a more mature but also physically imposing player with the goal of being a dominant element in the QMJHL in the months leading up to the NHL draft," the youngster adds.
Last Update: 15 February 2019, 07:01 PM | rlu
