Canadiens Prospects: Top Habs Picks Nearing Memorial Cup Berth

Several players in the Montreal Canadiens prospect pool have been vying for a Memorial Cup Berth via a strong showing in the Canadian Hockey League playoffs.

Unfortunately for Habs fans, Joshua Roy (Sherbrooke Phoenix) and Riley Kidney (Gatineau Olympiques) were eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs, a disappointing result given both were integral parts of very strong clubs.

But that’s the beauty of sports.

Despite everything on paper pointing to a likely result, once the puck is dropped, all bets are off.

The good news is the Canadiens are guaranteed to have at least one of their prospects featured at the Memorial Cup.

Ontario Hockey League Final

The London Knights advanced to the OHL final by beating the Sarnia Sting 4-2 in the Western Conference final.

The win meant Canadiens prospect Logan Mailloux would be battling for the league championship, but given the Knights dispelled their opponents early, as has been the case throughout the playoffs, they had to wait for the conclusion of the Peterborough Petes versus North Bay Battalion series to know which team they’d face in the final series of the OHL faceoffs.

The Petes, on the other hand, needed seven games to clinch a finals berth, however, it should be noted they’ve been one of the most surprising teams in the CHL this post-season.

While other teams have depended on their stars to make a difference, the Petes have enjoyed complete team efforts.

That’s not to say their stars haven’t shone or other teams lack depth, but the fact that six of their players earned 10 points or more in these playoffs is a sign that the team is receiving important secondary and tertiary scoring when it matters most, which is rather encouraging seeing as the Petes struggled down the stretch and were not expected to challenge for the league championship.

London, for example, has seven players with 10 or more points, but that’s par for the course when discussing a powerhouse club in the OHL.

The final game of the series versus North Bay, a 3-2 Petes win, was a hard-fought battle that included a goal from Canadiens prospect Owen Beck, his sixth goal of the playoffs.

And while it’s certainly important to focus on offence, Beck’s most important shifts came in the third period of Game 7, when the series was on the line. Not only was he given as many shifts as possible in the dying minutes, but he also shut down three or four Battalion scoring chances due to his fantastic positioning and elite defensive prowess.

The OHL final, which will feature Beck’s Petes versus Mailloux’s Knights, gets underway on Thursday, with the Knights holding home-ice advantage throughout the series. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM ET.

Western Conference Final

While things have been rather interesting in the QMJHL and OHL playoffs, the WHL playoffs have gone exactly according to the script.

Kamloops put up a valiant effort but were eliminated by Canadiens prospect Jared Davidson and the Seattle Thunderbirds in six games, including a dominant 4-2 win in Monday’s matchup.

Davidson opened the scoring for Seattle with his 10th goal of the playoffs, pushing his post-season totals to 21 points in just 11 games. The Canadiens prospect was awarded first-star honours for his effort.

And now the real challenge begins for Seattle.

The Winnipeg Ice aren’t just a good team, they’ve been the best team in the entire CHL throughout the majority of the season.

They lost just two games on their way to the WHL final thanks to excellent efforts from players such as Matthew Savoie, Connor McClennon, and Ben Zloty, who have all scored more than 20 points in 14 games.

Fortunately for Seattle, they match up quite well, seeing as they also have three players on their roster who have earned more than 20 points in these playoffs. In addition to Davidson, Dylan Guenther and Brad Lambert have also driven the offence for the Thunderbirds.

The upcoming series will be must-watch hockey for Junior fans.

Not only will it decide which team will win the WHL Championship, but it will also dictate which team will be the favourite club heading into the 2023 Memorial Cup.

The series gets underway on Friday, with Winnipeg as the host. The puck drop is scheduled for 10 PM ET.