Montreal Canadiens: Top 8 prospects worth getting excited about
The Montreal Canadiens’ future looks pretty bright thanks to these special prospects.
It is no secret that the Montreal Canadiens have been an extremely disappointing and frustrating franchise for quite some time now. Despite having arguably the best goaltender in the game for a long time, they have often missed out on the playoffs, and when they have made it, have not been able to do much damage.
A big reason for this problem has been the organization’s inability to draft high impact players. It appears that is changing, as they have some solid prospects that look like they have the potential to turn into impactful NHLers.
Though some of them still have a ways to go, the future appears bright in Montreal. With that being said, here are the top eight prospects in their system.
8. Cameron Hillis
After an injury-riddled 2018-19 season that limited him to just 33 games, Cameron Hillis bounced back in a big way this year. The 20-year-old, playing in his third OHL season with the Guelph Storm, had a terrific year with 24 goals and 83 points in just 22 games.
The Habs selected Hillis with the 66th pick at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft after his rookie season with the Storm. While he remained a project then and certainly still does now, his improvement, especially after multiple injuries last year, is certainly impressive.
It will take some time to see how he adapts to the physicality of the professional game as he is listed at just 174 pounds, but there is no doubt he has the skill set.
7. Josh Brook
Josh Brook was taken in the second round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Canadiens and struggled in his first season as a pro.
The high scoring defenseman for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL was taken 56th overall after his second season with the Warriors which saw him put up 40 points in 69 games. He stayed with the team for two more seasons following the draft and put up a career-high 16 goals and 75 points in 59 games in his last season with the club.
Finishing his junior career with 157 points, many expected Brook to be able to post solid numbers in the AHL this season. Unfortunately, that ended up not being the case as he had just four goals and 13 points in 60 games.
While it was certainly a disappointing first season, he is still very young, especially for a defenseman. Fans need to give him more time before writing him off as a prospect.
6. Mattias Norlinder
Yet another solid pick in the mid-rounds for the Habs came during the 2019 draft when they selected Mattias Norlinder with the 64th overall pick. The Swedish born defenseman has spent the last two seasons playing in the second highest professional league in Sweden for Modo. He put up solid numbers this season with seven goals and 18 points in 34 games.
Next season, Norlinder will move up a level and play in the SHL. It will be interesting to see how the 20-year-old adjusts. Considering how high his skill level is, he likely won’t have too many problems.
5. Ryan Poehling
Much like Josh Brook, Ryan Poehling’s first season as a pro certainly didn’t go the way he or the Canadiens had planned. The 25th overall pick at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft struggled offensively at both the AHL and NHL levels, posting 13 points in 36 games with Laval and just two points in 27 games with Montreal. This was much different than his professional debut during the 2018-19 season, which saw him score a hat trick in his first and only game.
Despite the disappointing season, Poehling is still just 21-years-old and has time to improve. It is clear from his time spent at St. Cloud State that he has plenty of talent. In his three years with the team, he scored 29 goals and added 46 assists. Hopefully, next season sees him adapt more to the professional game and rediscover his offensive ability.
4. Jordan Harris
Taken 71st overall at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Jordan Harris had a massive season for Northeastern University this year. Harris, who turns 20 in less than a week, put up an extremely impressive 21 points in 33 games this season. Despite being quite unknown at the time of his draft year, he is turning out to be quite the selection.
He also appeared in this year’s World Juniors tournament, representing Team USA. In five games played, he scored one goal and was a +4. Of course, he still has a way to go before he is ready to patrol the Habs blueline, but the Havervill, Massachusetts native appears well on his way.
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3. Cayden Primeau
As mentioned previously, the Habs have had one of the best goalies in the league in Carey Price. Unfortunately, they have struggled to build a team in front of him, and he is not getting any younger. The soon to be 33-year-old likely still has a few more solid seasons in him, but at some point, Montreal will need a replacement, and they may have just that in Cayden Primeau.
Primeau was a very late pick, being selected by the Canadiens in the final round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Since then, Primeau impressed during two seasons with Northeastern University and continued to do so this season in his first as a professional.
In 33 games with Laval Rocket of the AHL, the 20-year-old posted a 2.45 goals against average (GAA) and a .908 save percentage (SV%) to go along with a 17-11-3 record. He also appeared in his first two NHL games, posting a 2.52 GAA and a .931 SV%. It appears the Habs may have gotten a late-round gem in Primeau.
2. Cole Caufield
Despite standing at just 5-foot-7, Cole Caufield has proven he can excel at every level to this point in his career. First came the USHL as a 17-year-old, where he scored an incredible 18 goals in 21 games. Then came his first season of college hockey this year with the University of Wisconsin, where he put up 19 goals and 36 points in 36 games at just 19-years-old.
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Simply put, Caufield can flat out play. He has already announced that he will return to Wisconsin for the 2020-21 season, and you can expect to see an increase on his already impressive stats from this past year. Soon enough, the talented American forward will likely be putting up big numbers at the NHL level as well.
1. Alexander Romanov
Early on, it looks as though the Montreal Canadiens may have struck gold when they selected Alexander Romanov with the 35th pick at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The talented young Russian has spent the last two seasons in the KHL with CSKA and is expected to come to North America for the 2020-21 season. His numbers in the KHL may not look overly impressive, as he put up just seven assists in 43 games this year.
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One important thing to remember however is that Romanov is just 20-years-old. Many players that age are still playing junior or college level hockey. A better indication of how truly talented this young man is can be seen by looking at his World Junior stats in both the 2019 and 2020 tournaments. In a combined 14 games, he scored two goals and put up 14 points. There is a reason some are comparing him to L.A. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.