Connect with us

Montreal Canadiens

Canadiens Prospects That Can Join Laval Rocket For Playoff Push

Published

on

Montreal Canadiens

Some Montreal Canadiens prospects could be finishing their respective season early enough to join the surging Laval Rocket to make a push for the AHL Playoffs.

After an extremely difficult start to the season, the Laval Rocket have an 8-0-4 record over their last 12 games and have vaulted right back into the heated AHL playoff race.

Despite being completely shorthanded due to injury and call-ups with the Montreal Canadiens, the Rocket could count on some much-needed reinforcements down the stretch in the right circumstances.

With the Rocket only concluding their regular season schedule on April 14th, there is an opportunity for a few Habs prospects to make the jump and get some games in.

Here are Canadiens prospects who could join the Laval Rocket to help them in their playoff push this spring.

Emil Heineman

Emil Heineman impressed at Montreal Canadiens training camp this fall and has been steadily improving in the SHL since returning from his thumb injury.

Like fellow Canadiens prospect Mattias Norlinder did last year, Heineman would be eligible to join the Laval Rocket once his season ends in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

The SHL playoffs are set to begin shortly after March 9th and could go on until late April.

Should Heineman’s club, Leksand, not go far in the playoffs, Heineman would be available to join the Laval Rocket for their end-of-season push, and would also be eligible for the AHL playoffs.

He would bring some much-needed size and speed to their lineup, while also being a legit scoring option for them on the rush.

Filip Mesar

Filip Mesar could also find himself with the Laval Rocket sooner than most expected, as things are not exactly working out as planned with the Kitchener Rangers at the moment.

The Canadiens prospect has put up a respectable 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points in 35 games with Kitchener this season.

Despite many additions throughout the season, the Rangers have had difficulty finding chemistry and getting their mojo going this year.

They’re currently holding the final playoff spot in the Wetsern Conference, while sporting a points percentage of 0.490. That’s not a good sign, as they likely match up against the potent London Knights or Windsor Spitfires.

Should the Rangers fail to qualify for the OHL playoffs by the end of the OHL season on March 26 or get eliminated in the 1st round, Mesar could be reassigned to the Laval Rocket for the remainder of the season.

Mesar’s reassignment would give the Rocket a significant boost, and provide them with an additional option at centre; a positional weakness for them at the moment.

Other Junior Players

Other junior players who are on playoff-bound teams could still be reassigned to the Laval Rocket if their team’s playoff push were to end before the Laval Rocket’s last regular season game on April 14 or while the Rocket is in the playoffs.

Canadiens prospects Joshua Roy and Riley Kidney both joined the Laval Rocket last spring during their lengthy playoff run, with Roy even getting into Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

This year could be very different for the Rocket, should they make the playoffs.

The Canadiens have many more CHL-based prospects that could join their ranks in case of an early playoff exit, like Owen Beck, Cedrick Guindon, Logan Mailloux and more.

One would hope that they all go on long, eventful playoff runs with their respective teams, but if the Rocket are still playing games, it could be a great experience for them to be around the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate for a little bit.

Needless to say, after a season where injuries to the Montreal Canadiens and their own roster have depleted their ranks, it could be fun for the Laval Rocket to get some reinforcements for a change.

 

*Unfortunately, NCAA-based prospects that will turn pro and sign their entry-level contracts, such as a Sean Farrell or Jayden Struble, won’t be eligible to do the same, due to officially signing their contracts after the NHL Trade Deadline.