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Canadiens Prospect Report: Key Players Advance In CHL Playoffs

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1 year ago

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Canadiens Prospect Filip Mesar

The Canadian Hockey League playoffs are in full swing, and with it, several key players in the Montreal Canadiens prospect pool are looking to make their mark.

As per usual, the first round of the CHL playoffs featured many mismatches, which tends to lead to quick opening series.

This year is no exception, as nine teams have already booked their ticket to the second round with a series sweep.

I’d like to apologize in advance for the lack of in-depth reporting in this article. Montreal is dealing with a freezing-rain storm that knocked out most of the electrical grid, and both Marco and I have had to move to temporary locations to seek warm shelter.

It’s for this reason that you’ve seen fewer articles on the site in the last couple of days.

We should be back to our regularly scheduled output by Saturday afternoon.

QMJHL

Joshua Roy and the Sherbrooke Phoenix quickly disposed of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada with a four-game series sweep.

Roy struggled in the first game of the series, at least relative to the offensive output we’re used to seeing from him. He had a few decent scoring chances and ended up scoring an empty-net goal.

He quickly found his rhythm in game two and finished the series with five goals and five assists, the second-highest scoring rate in the QMJHL playoffs.

Only Gatineau Olympiques forward Zachary Dean earned more points (11) through the first four games of the playoffs.

Speaking of the Olympiques, Riley Kidney’s team has not advanced yet given that the Saint John Seadogs won game three of the series, but the Canadiens prospect has continued his ridiculous scoring ways, earning two goals and six assists in four games.

Like Roy, Kidney had a relatively slow start, earning just one assist in Gatineau’s 7-1 drubbing of Saint John in the first game of the series.

We can’t expect both players to continue scoring more than two points per game, but seeing two Canadiens forwards among the QMJHL leading scorers in the playoff is a very encouraging sign.

QMJHL scoring Canadiens prospects

Ontario Hockey League

Those that have followed our prospect coverage this season know that two teams, in particular, have struggled to meet expectations: the Kitchener Rangers and the Peterborough Petes.

But the playoffs are a new animal, as evidenced by both teams sweeping their opponents.

The Rangers, an eight-seed, were dominant versus the Windsor Spitfires, outscoring the Spitfires 20-7 in the process.

Filip Mesar did not hit the scoresheet very often, only scoring a goal in the final game of the series.

But I would advise against worrying about his points, given that, for the most part, he’s not playing in the top six, a questionable decision to say the least. Daniil Sobolev was held scoreless in the series.

Owen Beck continued the momentum he had built in the final stretch of the regular season, where he had 10 points in his final 11 games. The Port Hope native had three points in four games, not to mention he also won almost 65 percent of the faceoffs.

The London Knights quickly dispatched the Owen Sound Attack, putting an end to Cedrick Guindon’s playoff run.

The Franco-Ontarian played well, scoring a goal and four assists, the same amount of points as defenceman Logan Mailloux, who scored two goals in the final game of the series.

The Ottawa 67’s have not yet won their series, which is somewhat surprising since, in my opinion, they’re among the two best teams in the entire CHL, however, the good news is that Canadiens prospect Vinzenz Rohrer has looked great in the first four games of the series.

He’s not racking up a ton of points, albeit four points in four games is nothing to sneeze at, but he’s engaged in puck battles and has generated a significant number of scoring chances.

Western Hockey League

The Seattle Thunderbirds are not the best team in the WHL, that honour belongs to the Winnipeg Ice, who are probably the best team in the entire country.

But they’re a powerhouse nonetheless.

One of the most important players on the roster is Canadiens prospect Jared Davidson, a 20-year-old overager that combines truculence and production on a nightly basis.

Seattle swept the lowly Kelowna Rockets, with Davidson scoring five points in four games.

 

 

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