Canadiens Prospect Update: Gearing Up For CHL Playoffs

All nine Montreal Canadiens prospects currently playing in the Canadian Hockey League will be participating in the 2023 playoffs.

Here’s what to expect.

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League

Joshua Roy – Sherbrooke Phoenix – 55 GP, 46 G, 53 A, 99 PTS (1.8 PPG)

Le Sniper Beauceron will look to ride his late-season offensive surge into what could be a very long playoff run.

Roy scored eight goals and six assists in the final four games of the season, but more importantly, he showed the type of intensity and engagement Canadiens management is hoping Roy puts in his permanent arsenal once he makes the jump to professional hockey.

The QMJHL playoffs are always interesting. Only two of the 18 teams in the league miss the cut, which means the first round usually results in a complete mismatch that yields plenty of lopsided scores.

MUST READ: Draft experts discuss Joshua Roy, Riley Kidney and Sean Farrell’s NHL readiness

As the reigning Western Conference champions, the Phoenix (No.1) will have the privilege of facing the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (No.8), who finished the regular season with a paltry 22-37-6-3 record, enough to earn 53 points. Sherbrooke, on the other hand, almost doubled their points in the standings (105 pts).

Sherbrooke won all four meetings between the teams this season, though you’d be hard-pressed to say Roy enjoyed his best games against the lowly club. He scored three goals and added one assist in four games against the Armada.

This should be a quick and easy series win for Sherbrooke.

Riley Kidney – Gatineau Olympiques – 60 GP, 28 G, 82 A -110 PTS (1.83 PPG)

The Olympiques finished tied with the Phoenix in the standings, albeit with one less win, which leaves them as the No.2 seed in the Western Conference.

Kidney, who joined the Olympiques following a blockbuster deadline trade, has flourished with his new team.

He scored 14 goals and 31 assists in 31 games (1.45 PPG) with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, a respectable output considering the Titan are the worst team in the QMJL this season. Since the trade, he’s scored 14 goals and 51 assists in just 29 games (2.24 PPG).

Gatineau (No.2) will face the Saint John Seadogs (No.7), and though you’d expect the series to result in a quick victory for the Olympiques, the two teams split the season series, with each winning their home game.

The most recent meeting between the teams ended with an 11-3 drubbing by Gatineau. Kidney earned just one assist in the game.

Ontario Hockey League

Vinzenz Rohrer – Ottawa 67’s – 54 GP – 19 G, 30 A – 49 PTS (0.9 PPG)

The 67’s didn’t just finish first in the Ontario Hockey League standings, they did so with a significant gap between themselves (107 pts) and the second-place North Bay Battalion (99 pts).

Ottawa (No.1) will face the Oshawa Generals (No.8) in the first round, a mismatch of epic proportions.

The 67’s won seven of their eight meetings this season, with the only Oshawa win coming in overtime. Rohrer scored three goals and three assists in seven of those games.

Logan Mailloux – London Knights – 59 GP, 25 G, 28 A – 53 PTS (0.9 PPG)

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Cedrick Guindon – Owen Sound Attack – 68 GP,  22 G, 47 A – 69 PTS (1 PPG)

Mailloux capped off his regular season in style by earning his 25th goal, the highest number among all OHL defencemen. He finished 10th in points and was the driving force behind the Knights’ renewed sense of injury following a poor start to the season.

The Knights (No.2) will face the Owen Sound Attack (No.7) in the first round, and though London is entering the playoffs on a high, they’ll have to put their best foot forward to beat the Attack.

The teams split their season series, which was chaotic, to say the least. In total, 51 goals were scored in just six games.

The Canadiens prospect started the season on the right foot but has faltered in recent months, seeing a significant drop in production. He gained a little momentum in the last few matchups of the season, scoring one goal and three assists in the final five games.

Though both teams have solid rosters, the Knights are certainly the favourites, and it would be unwise to bet against them.

Daniil Sobolev – Windsor Spitfires – 48 GP, 1 G, 8 A – 9 PTS (0.19 PPG)

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Filip Mesar – Kitchener Rangers – 53 GP, 17 G, 34 A – 51 PTS (0.96 PPG)

This has the potential to be a very tightly contested series if you judge it solely off their playoff seeds.

However, the Spitfires (No.4) won all four meetings against the Rangers (No.5), with just one of the games necessitating overtime. In addition, Windsor outscored Kitchener 25-13 in the four games.

The Rangers have struggled to maintain any semblance of consistency this season, underperforming despite having some very talented players on the roster.

Expect this series to finish with a swift Spitfires victory, though the Rangers may push them to the limit in a game or two.

Owen Beck – Peterborough Petes – 60 GP, 24 G, 42 A – 66 PTS (1.1 PPG)

Beck has struggled to find consistency with his new team, though you could say the same about the entirety of the roster. Peterborough has talent, but lacks chemistry, as evidenced by their 5-5 record to close out the season.

Even though Peterborough finished head of the Wolves in the standings, it would be a misnomer to label them as favourites.

The Petes (No.4) won just a single game in their four meetings with the Sudbury Wolves (No.5), including a 3-2 loss in the final week of the season.

Their saving grace may end up being pride.

They know they’ve underperformed since the deadline, and with the playoffs comes an opportunity to start fresh. If they can finally form a little cohesion throughout the roster, Peterborough will have a much better chance of remaining competitive.

Western Hockey League

Jared Davidson – Seattle Thunderbirds – 60 GP, 38 G, 44 A – 82 PTS (1.37 PPG)

Seattle had a dominant run in the regular season, finishing with an impressive 54-11-1-2 record, good for first overall in the U.S. Division.

Consequently, the Thunderbirds (No.1) will face the Kelowna Rockets (No.8), who earned just 27 wins this season.

This may end up being the most one-sided series of the first round, seeing as Seattle won all four meetings between the teams, including a 2-0 shutout win following their last matchup.

The Canadiens prospect’s production cooled down the stretch, earning just three points in his final six games. Expect the overager to pull out all the stops in the playoffs, seeing he’s still trying to convince Canadiens management he’s worthy of an entry-level contract.

All Canadiens prospect statistics via Elite Prospects.