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Montreal Canadiens Prospects Set To Star In CHL Playoffs

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Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens have an enviable group of prospects that are set to star in the CHL playoffs this spring, which could help vault their development to the next level.

It’s an exciting time in Canadian Major Junior, as contending teams load up on top players as they look to capitalize on their short windows. Unlike the NHL, the turnover in major junior is constant, you tend to have your top youngsters around for an average of three years before they either make the NHL or turn pro at age 20.

That means that, when these clubs are at the top of the standings and their top players are in their primes, they go big. That’s exactly what happened this past week.

One can think back to 2019 when Nick Suzuki was moved from Owen Sound to Guelph, which led to one of the most memorable playoff runs in recent memory; one where Suzuki truly took the next step in his development and became a dominant player in his own right.

With junior teams done shopping, a handful of prospects look primed for big roles on top teams in the CHL as they begin their march toward a potential championship and Memorial Cup berth.

Blockbuster Moves

Two top Montreal Canadiens prospects, Owen Beck and Riley Kidney, saw their addresses changed this week in blockbuster trades in the OHL and QMJHL, respectively.

For Kidney, the writing was on the wall, as he was the last big fish in the QMJHL trade period and a valued commodity among contending teams. Having now landed in Gatineau with the imposing Olympiques, Kidney will be asked to play the top centre role for a team that had everything but.

The Olympiques are currently in second place in the Western Conference and are among the top 5 teams in the QMJHL. Adding a player like Kidney could very well put them over the top and in a good position against offensive powers like the Halifax Mooseheads or Quebec Remparts.

As for Beck, that was much more of a shocker, as the 18-year-old still has another year of junior eligibility next season.

However, with the Mississauga Steelheads looking to blow up their roster and begin their rebuild with a bang, Beck found himself headed close to home, with the Peterborough Petes selling the farm to acquire his services.

Already a stacked offensive team, Beck will likely be brought in to play the 1B centre role for the Petes, next to fellow World Junior gold-medalist Brendan Othmann.

Already known as one of the top two-way forwards in major junior, Beck’s recent offensive uptick this season makes him an ideal piece to propel an already impressive roster to the next level as they look to keep up with the Sarnia Sting and Ottawa 67s.

Leading The Way

Fresh off some of the most clutch performances in World Junior history, Montreal Canadiens prospect Joshua Roy will have the opportunity to add some more hardware to his trophy case, as the Sherbrooke Phoenix also went out and bolstered their roster while he was gone.

The Phoenix went all the way to the conference finals last year before falling to the Charlotte Islanders and will look to right that wrong this time around. With the majority of the roster still intact, and the addition of sniper Jacob Melanson, Joshua Roy will have all the firepower behind him to help vault his club to the promised land this spring.

On the other side of the country, overager Jared Davidson has been a force for the Seattle Thunderbirds, but, after a few trades and a timely re-assignment by the Winnipeg Jets, he’s going to get some help.

The 20-year-old was a key member of the young Thunderbirds to marched all the way to the WHL finals last season against Kaiden Guhle and the Edmonton Oil Kings and will look to go all the way this year after some major additions like 1st-round picks Nolan Allan and Brad Lambert.

And not to be underestimated, Logan Mailloux continues to show some of the best shooting ability for a defenceman in major junior right now with 12 goals in just 27 games. His defensive ability has improved by leaps and bounds this season, after some consistent playing time, and he has been a leader on the back end.

With the Knights likely looking to bring some offensive support to help their strong defensive unit, Mailloux could be in for a very long playoff run with the Knights, which would be exactly what the doctor ordered.