Canadiens Beanpot Notes: Farrell’s Status, Struble’s Future

Montreal Canadiens fans took a particular interest in this year’s edition of the Beanpot.

For those who are unaware, the Beanpot is an annual tournament featuring four hockey programs based in Boston: The Northeastern Huskies, the Harvard Crimson, the Boston College Eagles, and the Boston University Terriers.

But unlike most tournaments, the Beanpot takes place in the middle of the season, adding a significant amount of interest in the aforementioned teams building up to the first two Mondays in February.

Personally, I think it’s a fantastic event that should be emulated around the hockey world.

Talk to any player that was part of the four teams involved, and they’ll tell you it was the highlight of their career.

This season Harvard and Northeastern met in the finals, the first time the two teams faced each other for Boston college hockey supremacy since the tournament was inaugurated in 1952.

The final featured Jayden Struble (Northeastern) versus Sean Farrell (Harvard), with Northeastern emerging as the champions.

It was an exciting matchup that brought out the best of the two Canadiens prospects, giving us important insight as to their future with the organization.

Sean Farrell

As far as NHL-ready prospects go, few are closer to the big show than Farrell, who is one of the most productive players in the entire NCAA.

Farrell has 14 goals and 28 assists in 25 games this year, good for 1.68 points per game, the second-best result in the country.

His cerebral approach pays dividends in all three zones but is particularly evident in the offensive zone, where his anticipation and strong forecheck lead to sustained presences for his line, not to mention, a bevy of scoring chances.

He does possess a great shot, but will often defer to his teammates when deep in the offensive zone, owing to his great playmaking, which he uses to open up passing lanes in high-danger areas.

Tie game! Matthew Coronato (#Flames) snaps the one-timer past the Northeastern goaltender to tie it at 1-1 for Harvard at the Beanpot championship game.

Sean Farrell (#GoHabsGo) and Ian Moore (#FlyTogether) the assists on the play. pic.twitter.com/22ZpiH8qhr

— EP Rinkside (@EPRinkside) February 14, 2023

I hesitate to say he’s ready to jump into the NHL immediately, but it’s also quite apparent he’s got very little left to learn in the NCAA.

His vision and versatility will serve him quite well once he makes the jump to professional hockey. He’ll require very little coaching, which makes him the type of player coaches tend to love having on their roster.

On Monday Farrell made a few questionable decisions once the game went to overtime, but for the most part, he was the glue that powered Harvard’s offence.

The Frozen Four tournament runs until April 8th, which means barring any unforeseen circumstances, Farrell should end his season in a Montreal Canadiens jersey against the New York Islanders on April 12th, or the Boston Bruins on April 13th.

Jayden Struble

While Farrell qualifies as a ‘slam dunk signing’, the same cannot be said about Jayden Struble.

It’s been difficult to get a read on him this year due to injuries, but overall, you could qualify his season as good, not great.

Many are solely focused on his production, which is understandable, however, beyond the numbers, Struble brings a lot to the table.

On Monday night we were treated to one of Struble’s best games of the year, and not only because he set up Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, who has the best name in the NCAA, for the game-tying goal in the third period.

Gunnarwolfe Fontaine (#Preds) goes to the net for the timely goal to knot things up at 2-2 for Northeastern in the Beanpot championship.

Jayden Struble (#GoHabsGo) and Matt Demelis the assists on the play. pic.twitter.com/p0e1lm2jez

— EP Rinkside (@EPRinkside) February 14, 2023

He displayed great gap control, and for the most part, kept Harvard to the outside of high-danger scoring areas with his positioning and Hulk-like strength. Whenever an opponent did make his way to the crease, Struble greeted them with a chorus of lumber, punishing them for daring to generate offence.

You do NOT mess with Jayden Struble #GoHabsGo#NCAATournament #WorcesterRegional pic.twitter.com/CWtmulynXk

— Costa Rontzocos (@Rontzeeez) March 25, 2022

No one will ever question his ability to jump into the play and help drive offence, but questions remain about his overall defensive prowess once he’s forced to play man-to-man coverage.

Does his good, not great, senior year deserve an entry-level contract?

One thing is for sure, the Canadiens will not have any issues signing players from the NCAA now that Kent Hughes is in charge.

We should also point out the Canadiens did not have any issues when Marc Bergevin was in charge, but going forward, we won’t have to question if it’s a possibility NCAA players may hold out.

“Yeah, for sure,” said Struble in an interview with Montreal Hockey Now. “They’re the team that drafted me and I’ve always had good relations with the people in Montreal; and now obviously with Kent and all. It’s such a cool city too; the fanbase and everything about it and the organization itself. All the stories and legends; I can see myself around that.”

It’s also worth pointing out that Jordan Harris, a former teammate of Struble’s at Northeastern, has quickly found his place in the organization, signing a two-year contract extension with the team in early February.

Simply put, there’s a lot of familiarity in play, which always helps the transition to the professional ranks.

The Canadiens should have enough margin for error when it comes to their total contracts to offer Struble a deal and not have to worry about the 50-contract limit.

He doesn’t stand out as a potentially dominant player in the NHL, but given his skill set and frame, he’s the type of player development coaches would love to see in the mix.

Think of Struble as a somewhat long-term project.

He’ll need to hone his skills in the AHL before he’s ready to make the jump to the NHL, but overall, he does seem to carry enough potential to warrant a contract offer from the Canadiens.