Canadiens Prospects Kidney, Roy, Mailloux, and Beck Hit Snag

The last time we checked in on the Montreal Canadiens prospects still active in the CHL playoffs things were going quite well.

However, as we all know, playoffs can be tricky. Other than Jared Davidson and the Seattle Thunderbirds, the aforementioned players have faced a rather difficult third round.

Kidney Eliminated, Roy Unlucky

Unfortunately for Riley Kidney and the Gatineau Olympiques, their playoff run has come to a disappointing end.

Despite playing relatively well, the Quebec Remparts swept the Olympiques and now await the winner of the Sherbrooke Phoenix and Halifax Mooseheads series to see who they’ll face once the Gilles Courteau Trophy is on the line.

The series sweep has to feel like a failure for the Olympiques, seeing as they were one of the strongest clubs in the league throughout the season and aren’t projected to contend for the championship in the next few seasons.

Kidney played relatively well, earning four points in the four games, including a two-goal effort in Game Two to push the matchup to overtime and give Gatineau an opportunity to even the series. But it was all for naught, as Kassim Gaudet scored his third goal of the playoffs to secure the win for Quebec.

In total, the Canadiens draft pick earned 14 goals and 51 assists in 29 regular-season games for the Olympiques, not to mention 22 points in 13 playoff games, which is good for fourth overall among all QMJHL players.

As for Joshua Roy and the Phoenix, they got off to an early 2-0 series lead against the Mooseheads by winning two games on the road, but quickly returned the favour to their opponents by allowing them to win both games that took place at the Palais des Sports Léopold-Drolet.

Roy has not enjoyed much luck in the series, hitting the post on several occasions, including three posts in Game 4. Consequently, his impressive scoring rate from the first two rounds has slowed significantly, with Roy earning two goals and one assist in the four games, well below the type of production we’ve come to expect from Le Sniper Beauceron.

With the series tied at two, the Phoenix will count on Roy to return to his scoring ways. But seeing he has taken an impressive 25 shots so far in the series, an uptick in scoring seems to be on the horizon.

Mailloux And Beck Stalled

Logan Mailloux and the London Knights seemed destined to breeze by the Sarnia Sting. They won the first two games with relative ease, but couldn’t maintain their defensive prowess in the following games. After allowing just two goals against in Games 1 and 2, the Knights went on to allow 11 goals in the losing efforts during Games 3 and 4.

Despite some defensive woes, Mailloux has continued to produce, particularly on the power play. The defenceman has earned one goal and four assists in the series, with all but two of the assists coming with the man advantage.

It’s not a skill you can quantify, but Mailloux’s ability to get pucks through traffic continues to pay off for the 20-year-old and is the main reason he’s currently third in playoff scoring among defencemen, with five goals and 10 assists in 13 games.

Owen Beck and the Peterborough Petes are also deadlocked at two games apiece in their series against the North Bay Battalion. The Petes have shown signs of slowing down following their impressive performances in the first two rounds of the playoffs, which included a surprising 4-2 series win over the powerhouse Ottawa 67’s.

As is tradition, the Canadiens prospect is splitting his time between heavy defensive responsibilities and driving the net to generate offensive chances. For the most part, he’s doing a great job in the defensive zone, but had a rather difficult time during Game 4, as he was on the ice for four of the five goals scored by the Sting.

Beck has scored one goal and two assists in the series, including a two-point effort in Game 1.

Silver Lining

While the rest of the Canadiens prospects are struggling in the third round, Davidson and the Thunderbirds are in cruise control.

Kamloops is a very strong club, and they’ll certainly be a worthy opponent when they host the 2023 Memorial Cup, but they’re having a very difficult time maintaining control of the puck against Seattle and their tireless forecheck.

Davidson has scored two goals and three assists in the series and has been one of the main driving forces behind the Thunderbirds’ 3-1 series lead.

If the Thunderbirds advance, the real test will come in the league championship. The Winnipeg Ice, who were the best team in Junior hockey throughout the regular season, have already clinched their ticket to the final thanks to a dominant 4-0 series sweep over the Saskatoon Blades.