Canadiens Ink Sean Farrell To ELC, To Finish Season In Montreal

The Montreal Canadiens announced that they’ve signed top prospect Sean Farrell out of the NCAA.

The Canadiens announced that Farrell would be signing his three-year, entry-level contract (ELC) effective immediately and would be joining the Canadiens in Buffalo to finish the season with them.

It’ll be a great buzz for the organization, as they’ll be able to welcome their talented prospect into their ranks and give fans a glimpse of what’s to come next season.

Farrell’s Journey

Playing the last two seasons with the Harvard Crimson, the Canadiens prospect has been one of the most exciting collegiate players this season.

The 21-year-old was especially impressive for Harvard this year, putting up 20 goals and 33 assists for 53 points in 34 games this season.

The Canadiens’ 4th-round pick in 2020 saw his season come to an unceremonious end on Friday afternoon, as fellow Canadiens prospect Jakub Dobes and the Ohio State Buckeyes handed the Crimson an 8-1 loss.

Notwithstanding the academic side of things, Harvard is set to lose some big pieces on their roster this year; with defensive standout Henry Thrun already turning pro, amongst others.

Although this is only Farrell’s second season playing for the Harvard Crimson, it is considered his junior season, as Farrell took online classes during the covid season of 2020-2021.

On top of that, Farrell sped up his studies, meaning he’s slated to graduate from Havard this spring; pending the passing of all his final exams.

Farrell is set to finish up his studies this season; which would have made him a free agent by August 15, had he not signed with the Montreal Canadiens over the next few months.

What’s Next

Unlike Jayden Struble, Farrell will not be eligible to play in the AHL, as he signed his entry-level contract to begin immediately.

Struble opted to sign his two-year entry-level contract effective for next season, in order to allow him the option of signing a Professional Try-Out (PTO) with the Laval Rocket to be eligible to play in the AHL for the remainder of the season and the playoffs.

That’s because, if a player signs their ELC and burns the first year of their contract after the NHL Trade Deadline, they aren’t eligible to play in the AHL.

The Canadiens did the same exercise with Jordan Harris last spring, as he joined the Canadiens on a two-year deal right out of college and immediately burned his first year upon signing his deal.

They knew that burning the first year of Harris’ ELC would make him ineligible for the AHL, and they did it anyway, as Harris was a top prospect that was sure to be coveted on the free agent market.

With Sean Farrell being one of the top prospects in both the NCAA and the Montreal Canadiens prospect pool, the Canadiens had to follow the trend of incentivizing NCAA prospects by burning the first year of his contract to sign him right away.

With nine games left to the season, Farrell will join the Montreal Canadiens down the stretch and get a head start on his pro career.