Canadiens Prospect Power Rankings: Hutson’s Magical Season

The top players in the Canadiens prospect pool have not disappointed as the 2022-23 season approaches its final stretch of games.

As per usual, Lane Hutson stole the show, but he was far from the only player to impress.

Let’s jump right into it.

Canadiens Prospect Power Rankings Week 20

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

Points This Week:  2 GP, 2 G, 1 A. Season Totals: 36 GP, 14 G, 33A, 7PTS.

Previous Ranking: 1st

Hutson played the hero during Boston University’s Hockey East Championship game, a 3-2 win over Merrimack.

Not only did he score the opening goal of the game, but he also clinched the championship by scoring his 14th goal of the season a minute and 57 seconds into overtime.

Hutson isn’t just playing well.

He isn’t just scoring highlight goals.

Hell, he isn’t just a very exciting prospect.

He’s enjoying the type of year you’d expect from a first-overall pick. He’s helping the Terriers win games in all three zones. He’s arguably one of the most captivating and thrilling prospects in recent hockey history.

LANE TOOK THE LAST SHOT OF THE NIGHT! pic.twitter.com/hJghUTf5Hh

— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) March 19, 2023

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

Points This Week: 2 GP, 0 G, 1 A Season Totals: 33 GP, 20 G, 31 A, 52 PTS.

Previous Ranking: 2nd

Farrell earned one assist in Harvard’s 3-2 loss against Colgate Saturday. Harvard will have an opportunity to redeem themselves on Friday, March 21st, as they’ll face Jakub Dobes and the Ohio State Buckeyes in the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal.

One assist in two games is well below Farrell’s regular scoring pace, but given how well he’s played all season, it’s not enough to drop him from the No.2 spot in our Canadiens prospect power rankings.

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

Points This Week: 2 GP, 3 G, 4 A  Season Totals: 52 GP, 41 G, 49 A, 90 PTS.

Previous Ranking: 4th (+1)

Last week a commenter argued I should have Roy a little higher in my rankings, despite having him fourth on the list.

And I have to say, they were right, as evidenced by Roy’s natural hat trick against the Val d’Or Foreurs.

Roy is one of the hottest players in the CHL at the moment and is coming off a seven-point week which included just two games. His great showing pushed his season totals to 90 points in 52 games, which is good for 1.7 points per game, the fourth-highest scoring pace in the QMJHL.

Thanks to his excellent week and a timely reminder from our comments section, Roy jumps back into the top 3.

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

Points This Week: 3 GP, 1 G, 0 A Season Totals: 39 GP, 6 G, 10 A, 16 PTS. SHL Playoffs: 6 GP, 2 G, 0 A.

Previous Rank: 3rd (-1)

Engstrom scored another playoff goal for Rogle, who are currently down 2-1 in their SHL quarterfinals series against Skelleftea. It was an excellent goal which displayed his creativity and fantastic shot.

I know I’ve shovelled a lot of coal into the Engstrom hype train this season, but the more I watch him, the less worried I get about overselling his potential.

He’s not NHL-ready by any means, but he has the type of skillset that can complement most NHL rosters.

Hello there highlight reel.

Adam Engström with a fantastic goal. #Habs #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Q3iuJcY9kX

— Patrik Bexell (@Zeb_Habs) March 16, 2023

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

Points This Week: 2 GP, 1 G, 2 A. Season Totals: 55 GP, 27 G, 76 A, 103 PTS.

Previous Ranking: 5th

Kidney earned three points in back-to-back games against Shawinigan, pushing his projected season totals to 108 points in 60 games.

Some may point to the fact that he plays on a powerhouse team as a reason to doubt his NHL potential, however, there’s no denying he has been a crucial part of the Olympiques’ offence since joining the team at the trade deadline.

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

Last Week: 3 GP, 1 G, 3 A  Season Totals: 57 GP, 23 G, 40  A, 63 PTS

Previous Ranking: 6th

Another solid week from Beck almost led to him returning to the top 5, but the most important thing to focus on this week is Beck’s offensive resurgence.

With four more points in the books, Beck now has 22 points in 27 games with Peterborough, which is rather encouraging considering he struggled to score in his first few weeks with his new team.

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

Points This Week: 2 GP, 1 G, 2 A. Season Totals: 56 GP, 24 G, 27 A, 51 PTS.

Previous Ranking: 8th (+1)

Mailloux reached the 50-point plateau for the first time in his OHL career thanks to a three-point effort against the Kingston Frontenacs on Friday night. Mailloux missed London’s previous game while serving a one-game suspension for his actions in the dying moments of March 10th’s matchup against Sudbury.

His production has been a little inconsistent of late, at least for his standards, but his offensive outburst was enough to propel him past Filip Mesar for 7th in the Canadiens prospect power rankings.

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

Points This Week: 3 GP, 0 G, 2 A Season Totals: 50 GP, 17 G, 32 A, 40 PTS

Previous Ranking: 7th (-1)

It was a relatively quiet week for Mesar from an offensive standpoint. That’s not to say he had poor outings. He probably deserved more than one point in Sunday’s game against Kingston, but as we all know, there’s no room for ‘deserve’ in sports.

His assist against Owen Sound was a thing of beauty and merits a replay or twelve.

MATTHEW SOP: THE OVERTIME HERO 👀@CanadiensMTL prospect Filip Mešár goes end-to-end and feeds Matthew Sop and the @OHLRangers leave Owen Sound with both points! ✅✅ pic.twitter.com/E2W0f2cL0T

— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) March 19, 2023

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

Stats This Week: 0 GP, 0 Win,  0.00%.  Season Totals: 20-15-3, 0.918 SV%, 2.35 GAA, 3 SO.

Previous Ranking: 9th

Dobes has not played since the disappointing 7-3 loss against Michigan on March 11th. He will have an opportunity to redeem himself when he faces Farrell and the Harvard Crimson in the NCAA East Regional First Round, which takes place on Friday, March 24th.

10. ?????

I’m going to shake things up a little and give fans an opportunity to make their case for the player who deserves the 10th spot on our Canadiens prospect power rankings this week.

There’s no denying I spend a lot of time watching Habs prospects, but I tend to think the only difference between a fan opinion and a media opinion is the credential badge that hangs off the neck of the latter.

In other words, when it comes to prospects, fans shouldn’t just have their input, it’s oftentimes the most reliable opinion on the matter.

Let us know who ranks 10th in the replies below!

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

Week 15: Sean Farrell Excels

Week 16: There’s No Stopping Sean Farrell

Week 17: Farrell and Kidney Battle For 1st

Week 18: Hutson’s Dominant Season

Week 19: Hobey Baker Award Edition