While 24 games with the Canadiens hardly constitute a career, defenceman Corey Schueneman proved this season that anything’s possible.
He was promoted by Montreal on six occasions, at times only to fill a role on the taxi squad. But he played his first NHL game on Dec. 28, with Jeff Petry, Ben Chiarot and Chris Wideman out with COVID-19. Schueneman produced an assist in the 5-4 overtime defeat to Tampa Bay. He scored his first NHL goal on March 17 against Dallas.
“I wasn’t worried about how long it took me,” Schueneman said on Tuesday. “I wasn’t concerned with that. Every year, I thought I was getting better and developing. I kept thinking, if I do that, it’s only a matter of time. I thought I was playing well. That mentality never changed.