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Canadiens Prospect Watch: Rohrer, Mailloux, & Mesar Shine

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1 year ago

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Canadiens prospect Vinzenz Rohrer

Before we get going, you’ll note a shocking lack of Lane Hutson in this week’s edition of the Canadiens prospect watch.

But fret not! We already covered Hutson’s recent exploits in the NCAA in this standalone article.

Vinzenz Rohrer

Rohrer’s injury in mid-January was rather worrisome. Not only did he land awkwardly on his neck, rendering him motionless, but he also needed to be stretchered off the ice.

Thankfully, Rohrer was released from the hospital the following day, making an impressive return to play a little over two weeks later.

Understandably, it took him a couple of games to shake off the cobwebs.

But in recently Rohrer has found his scoring rhythm, scoring twice in the last three games for the Ottawa 67’s, including a game-winning goal on Friday against the Sarnia Sting.

Rohrer is being eased back in the lineup and has spent the majority of his time on the 67’s third line alongside 17-year-old Lucas Pinelli and 18-year-old Thomas Sirman.

He’s also played with draft-eligible Bradey Stonehouse and Pinelli on the second line, but regardless of his usage, or even his production, the mere fact that he’s not showing any adverse side effects after his frightening injury is a very encouraging sign.

Filip Mesar

Much like Rohrer, Mesar has his groove back.

Mesar scored his 12th goal of the season versus the Sarnia Sting on Tuesday, his second goal since coming back from a successful showing at the 2023 World Junior Championship, and Kitchener’s lone goal of the game.

His scoring plays tend to follow a familiar script.

It starts with Mesar showing an elevated sense of urgency, which leads to more intensity, and consequently, open ice in the offensive zone.

As soon as Mesar finds a little extra time and space, points tend to quickly follow.

Mesar finished the week with a two-point effort against the Niagara IceDogs, helping the Kitchener Rangers, who have struggled this season, secure two important points in the standings.

His recent uptick in scoring is important for more reasons than one.

This is Mesar’s first full year of North American hockey, and though he already possesses professional hockey experience in Europe, he’s yet to endure the grind that comes with a full Canadian Hockey League schedule. If he can avoid running out of gas down the stretch, he’ll gain crucial experience that should serve him well moving forward.

MUST READ: Canadiens Prospect Power Rankings: Top players are thriving down the stretch

In the short term, the Rangers have a relatively healthy chance of making the playoffs, seeing as the top 8 teams in each conference qualify. They’re currently 8th in the Western Conference, which could be considered disappointing given they added a lot of talent at the trade deadline.

But with a third of the schedule left to play, the Rangers will look to earn as many points as possible to avoid a first-round date with either the London Knights or the Windsor Spitfires, and to do that, they’ll need all their top players firing on all cylinder, and that obviously includes Mesar.

Logan Mailloux

The last time we checked up on Mailloux he was in the midst of a scoring drought. Or, at the very least, he wasn’t producing as much as we’ve come to expect this season.

Mailloux quickly put the four-game scoreless streak to an end on Friday night, scoring his 12th goal of the season in the London Knights’ 5-1 win over the Saginaw Spirit.

He followed it up with a fantastic offensive outburst against the Erie Otters the following night, which included a hat-trick performance in a little under 10 minutes of the third period.

And he did it with style, using The Michigan to score his third goal of the game.

With five points in his last two games, Mailloux now has 17 goals and 19 assists in 38 games, good for 12th overall in OHL defenceman scoring.

Mailloux has established an elevated shooting pace in recent games as well, which should bode well for both he and the Knights as they prepare for a long playoff run.

Other Canadiens prospect news and notes

  • Oliver Kapanen scored his ninth goal of the season for Kalpa, pushing his season totals to 20 points in 43 games. He’s currently third in Liiga scoring among U-20 players.

  • Canadiens prospect Petteri Nurmi earned his 10th assist of the season for HPK.
  • Adam Engstrom continues his great season in the SHL. He’s no longer playing on Rogle’s top pairing, but with five goals and five assists in 32 games, Engstrom leads all U20 defenceman in scoring, and trails only three forwards, including 2023 top prospect Leo Carlsson, who has five goals and 13 assists in 34 games.

  • Riley Kidney’s ridiculous scoring rate with his new team took a big hit this week. He only had two points in the last two games, leaving him with a paltry seven goals and 17 assists (!) in 10 games since joining the Gatineau Olympiques. Kidney is currently third in the QMJHL in terms of points per game (1.7 PPG)
  • Sean Farrell was held off the scoresheet in Harvard’s 3-0 loss to Quinnipiac, but the scoreline was unflattering to the impressive Canadiens prospect. He was driving the play up the ice, forcing defenders to take penalties, and was among the few Crimson players that weren’t overwhelmed against one of the top teams in the country.
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