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Canadiens Prospect Power Rankings: Sean Farrell Excels

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1 year ago

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Montreal Canadiens prospect Sean Farrell

As far as hype goes, Montreal Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson was supposed to lead the charge.

And while he’s certainly one of the most exciting prospects in the organization, he’s had to share the spotlight with a fellow NCAA player, Sean Farrell.

Farrell wrestles the top spot away from Hutson this week thanks to yet another great showing for the Harvard Crimson.

Let’s jump right into it.

Canadiens Prospect Power Rankings Week 15

 

1. Sean Farrell,  C/LW, Harvard University (NCAA). Drafted: 124th overall (2020), Age: 21

Points This Week: 2 GP, 2 G, 6 A  Season Totals: 25 GP, 14 G, 28 A, 42 PTS.

Previous Ranking: 2nd (+1)

Farrell scored two goals and three assists in Harvard’s 6-3 win against Dartmouth, a career-best five points for the high-flying forward.

He followed it up with a great performance at the Beanpot, which almost carried Harvard to victory.

Unfortunately, he lost to Jayden Struble and Northeastern, but the game provided ample evidence the 124th pick at the 2020 Draft is almost NHL-ready, part of the reason I did not hesitate to give him the No.1 spot in the Canadiens prospect power rankings.

Expect Farrell to finish his season with the Canadiens once his tenure in the NCAA is over, playing a game or two at the tail end of the season.

Oh, and just in case you forgot, the only player with a better points-per-game ratio than Farrell happens to be one of the most exciting prospects in NCAA history, Adam Fantilli.

 

2. Lane Hutson, Defenceman, Boston University (NCAA). Drafted: 62nd overall (2022) Age: 18

Points This Week:  1 GP, 0 G, 0 A. Season Totals: 27 GP, 9 G, 27A, 36 PTS.

Previous Ranking: 1st (-1)

Full disclosure, I did not get a chance to watch Hutson’s only game of the week, a consolation matchup against the Boston College Eagles at the Beanpot.

From the highlights, it was far from his best game, and though he did block five shots, that’s indicative of him spending more time than usual in his own zone.

He drops to second on the back of Farrell’s rather dominant performance this week.

 

3. Riley Kidney, Centre, Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL). Drafted: 63rd overall (2021), Age: 19

Points This Week: 3 GP, 2 G, 3 A. Season Totals: 44 GP, 23 G, 51 A, 74 PTS.

Previous Ranking: 3rd

Kidney continued his excellent run with the Gatineau Olympiques and was particularly great in their Ottawa-river battle versus the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s, which included a three-point game in their first matchup.

I know Kidney is often left off the list of the Canadiens’ best prospects, and I have also taken his production with a grain of salt given his overall skill set, but seeing as he’s playing well against some of the best teams in the country, and he’s managed to maintain his impressive production going from one of the worst clubs in the QMJHL to one of the best, it’s rather unfair to underestimate his overall value.

With 75 (!) points in 44 games, Kidney is third overall in points-per-game among QMJHL players.

Kidney maintains his firm grip in the top three this week, a well-deserved placement given his recent output and overall production this season.

 

4. Adam Engstrom, Defenceman. Rogle BK Angelholm (SHL). Drafted: 92nd overall (2022), Age: 19

Points This Week: 3 GP, 0 G, 1 A Season Totals: 33 GP, 5 G, 5 A, 10 PTS.

Previous Rank: 4th

For those of you that have not had the pleasure of watching defenceman Adam Engstrom in action, I strongly encourage you to check out some of the sporadic highlights that emerge from the SHL.

Or better yet, check out this breakdown by Hadi Kalakeche, which was done shortly after the Draft.

It gives you a great idea of the potential the Canadiens saw in him, a potential that led to them picking Engstrom over some players that had much more hype behind them going into the Raft.

And once you’re done checking that out, take a look at his most recent highlight, which once again put his silky-smooth skating on full display.

He’s the guy skating on silk in the clip below (No.56).

 

5. Owen Beck, Centre, Peterborough Petes (OHL). Drafted: 32nd overall (2022), Age: 18

Last Week: 3 GP, 1 G, 3 A  Season Totals: 44 GP, 20 G, 32 A, 52 PTS

Previous Ranking: 6th (+1)

Beck enjoyed his first three-point game since the trade from the Steelheads, reaching the 20-goal mark for the second consecutive year in the OHL.

His game against Oshawa reminded me a lot of his time with Mississauga, which is evidence he’s slowly but surely finding his rhythm with his new team.

He’s far from the only player that has struggled on the Petes’ roster since the trade, which may point to a little too much player movement in recent weeks, and a complete lack of chemistry.

As it stands, the Steelheads, who gutted their team, are actually ahead of Peterborough in the standings.

 

6. Logan Mailloux, Defenceman, London Knights (OHL). Drafted: 31st overall (2021), Age: 19

Points This Week: 4 GP, 3 G, 3 A. Season Totals: 39 GP, 20 G, 22 A, 42 PTS.

Previous Ranking: 7th (+1)

Offensively speaking, Mailloux is coming off one of his best stretches of the season.

He scored three goals and three assists in just four games this week and now leads all OHL defencemen in goal scoring.

He also cracked the top 10 in defenceman scoring by earning his 42nd point of the season.

To top it all off, he scored the game-winning goal on Wednesday against the Kitchener Rangers.

We held Mailloux to a higher standard when it comes to his offensive production this year due to some of his defensive weaknesses, but if we’re being perfectly fair, not only did he meet those elevated standards, he blew right past them.

11 of his 20 goals have come on the power play, and ideally, he’d produce a little more at 5v5, but at this point, given his overall numbers, we’re looking for a nit to pick.

 

7. Filip Mesar, Right Wing, Kitchener Rangers (OHL). Drafted: 26th overall (2022). Age: 18 

Points This Week: 4 GP, 4 G, 2 A Season Totals: 35 GP, 16 G, 19 A, 35 PTS

Previous Ranking: 8th (+1)

Mesar continues to make his way up the Canadiens prospect rankings, and he’s doing it by scoring goals, which is exactly what you want to see from a first-round pick playing in the OHL.

He capped off his great week with his fourth goal in four games, which occurred during a penalty shot against Mailloux’s London Knights.

With the OHL playoffs on the horizon, Mesar is heating up at the perfect time, both when it comes to his development, and for the Rangers’ hopes and dreams of a long playoff run.

 

8. Joshua Roy, Right Wing, Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL). Drafted: 150th overall (2021), Age: 19

Points This Week: 2 GP, 1 G, 1 A  Season Totals: 39 GP, 26 G, 35 A, 59 PTS.

Previous Ranking: 6 (-2)

Roy had a sleepy week, with just two points in two games for the Phoenix.

Of course, scoring two points in two games is fantastic, but it’s not enough to maintain your position in these rankings when you consider how all the other players in the Canadiens prospect pool performed.

The real test for Roy will start once the playoffs begin.

Expect him to find another gear once the going gets tough.

9. Jakub Dobes, Goaltender, Ohio State (NCAA), Drafted: 136th overall (2020), Age: 21

Stats This Week: 2 GP, 0 Win 1 Tie,  0.911 SV%.  Season Totals: 17-11-2, 0.919 SV%, 2.22 GAA, 3 SO.

Previous Ranking: 9th

Statistically speaking, it wasn’t a banner week for Dobes.

It’s not that he played poorly, he was decent in both outings against Notre Dame, but he simply wasn’t as dominant as he’s been in previous games.

He still represents the Canadiens’ best hope among goaltending prospects.

 

10. Jared Davidson, Centre, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL). Drafted: 130th overall. Age: 20

Points This Week: 2 GP, 2 G, 0 A. Season Totals: 45 GP, 29 G, 39 A, 68 PTS.

Previous Ranking: 10th

We’re going to cheat this and give the 10th spot on the list to two players.

Davidson is at risk of falling out of the top 10, but based on the strength of his overall season, he gets the benefit of the doubt and shares the final spot with Canadiens prospect Oliver Kapanen, who is tied for second in scoring among all Liiga players under the age of 20.

Kapanen earned points in back-to-back games this week for Kalpa, pushing his season totals to 10 goals and 12 assists in 45 games, a very strong output given the strength of the league.

Best Of The Rest

12. Cedrick Guindon . 13. Vinzenz Rohrer. 14. Emil Heineman 15. Anthony Richard (-1).  16. Joel Teasdale (-1). 17. Jayden Struble 18. William Trudeau 19. Petteri Nurmi 20. Xavier Simoneau (unchanged)

Reminder: 

The Canadiens’ prospect power rankings are based on the overall season, as well as the most recent week of action.

Factors such as the strength of a prospect’s team, the league in which they play, their age, and expectations related to their draft position will also be considered.

Week 1: Lane Hutson Takes Top Spot

Week 2: Owen Beck Jumps To First

Week 3: Lots Of Movement In The Top 10

Week 4: Lane Hutson Back In First Place

Week 5: Prospects Heating Up Ahead Of WJC

Week 6: Sean Farrell’s Impressive Scoring

Week 7: Filip Mesar Shines

Week 8: Owen Beck Takes Over First Place

Week 9: Filip Mesar Makes A Big Jump

Week 10: The Jakub Dobes Show

Week 11: New Reigning Champion

Week 12: Kidney Scoring At Will

Week 13: Top Canadiens Prospect Thriving

Week 14: Hutson Reigns Supreme

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