Montreal Canadiens
Canadiens Prospect Jared Davidson Could Be Next Harvey-Pinard
The Montreal Canadiens have had great luck at the draft table with older prospects, and it seems Jared Davidson could be their next hidden gem.
When Davidson’s name was called out at the 130th rank of the 2022 NHL Draft, 60 laptops in the NHL media gallery all turned to Hockey DB or Elite Prospects for information on the 20-year-old.
He wasn’t ranked on public draft rankings and seemed like a lacklustre pick, considering some of the names still on the board that were a year or two younger.
However, Davidson’s rapid development curve between the ages of 18 and 20 convinced general manager Kent Hughes to select the scrappy forward.
Davidson made his mark during the 2021-2022 season, where he potted 42 goals and 89 points in just 64 games as a 19-year-old while adding an impressive 13 goals and 29 points in 25 WHL playoff games.
Those playoffs are where I first discovered Davidson. Playing a chippy, never-say-die type of offensive game, he stood out on almost every play; driving hard to the net, while also showing fine shooting mechanics and an underrated playmaking ability
He was an integral part of the Seattle Thunderbirds that lost to Kaiden Guhle and the Edmonton Oil Kings last season, and was one of the leaders on the Thunderbirds roster that won the WHL title this season.
The Next Harvey-Pinard?
When you see his journey and how his hard work and rapid progression helped him reach new heights, you can’t help but compare his situation to Rafaël Harvey-Pinard.
Both players truly came into their own at the age of 20, after showing glimpses of their potential at 19. They both willed their teams to league championships and showed they belonged with the elite of their age group at the Memorial Cup.
That being said, the players play very different styles, to say the least.
Davidson may not have Harvey-Pinard’s two-way acumen, but he does have more offensive creativity in the offensive zone and better shooting ability.
But, early on, it does look like Davidson’s trajectory seems to align with that of Harvey-Pinard at the same age, and the common denominator is their irreproachable work ethic.
Following The Path
Davidson’s junior career is now likely over, as the Seattle Thunderbirds are likely to lose some big pieces to the NHL next year like Brad Lambert, Kevin Korchinski, Nollan Allan and Dylan Guenther.
The Montreal Canadiens have until June 1, 2024 to decide whether to sign Davidson to an entry-level contract, and could consequently offer him an AHL contract, like they did for Harvey-Pinard, to prove he deserved an NHL deal.
That same bet worked our well for Harvey-Pinard, who was awarded an NHL contract after a strong rookie season with the Laval Rocket. Most recently, Xavier Simoneau, who also signed an AHL deal last summer, forced the Montreal Canadiens’ hand into offering him an entry-level contract after a stellar rookie season in the AHL.
Davidson could very likely follow the same route, joining a young Laval Rocket club in the fall after participating in the Montreal Canadiens’ training camp and proving he should be back the next season and beyond.
At that point it’ll be up to Davidson to emulate Harvey-Pinard and Simoneau to earn his entry-level contract and cement himself as another feel-good story within the organization.
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I see Davidson as our 4th line center in 2 years from now, behind Suzuki, Smith, and Beck.
OK, let me be the one to drink from the “objective” water cooler and say, what about Dach? And Smith hasn’t been drafted by ANY team yet…he would be three seasons away from a fixture in the NHL – at the least.
And don’t be surprised if the Habs take RD Rinebacher with that #5 pick…he has moved way up the charts. From a scout a couple of days ago:
“He’s a highly competitive two-way RD with size and a right-handed shot. He had an excellent season in one of the best leagues in the world at age-18, similar to Carlsson. He’s ready to jump into the AHL this fall and likely to the NHL a year from now”.
Smith did not even make Team USA for the World Championships last month…
2 Seasons from now, I see Nikki, PLD, Dach, Beck. That is the most likely scenario at this point. Unless Dach has an incredible season at #2C and proves he is the legit #2C on this team – or unless Player X steps up to become that #2C next season – PLD will be the Habs #2C by start of 2024 season.
Davidson as the 4th line C? I’ll believe it if/when I see it.
The reality is that PLD is a ghost of a centerman and he clearly proved it in the playoffs. He had no impact whatsoever.
Further reality is that Dach plays extremely well as a RW with Suzuki and Caufield. So we should go elsewhere to get our centermen.
As for who we should draft 5th, we should go for a player that can and will score goals. Ideally, that would be Michkov but I don’t see him dropping to 5th unfortunately. Our defenseman crop was bountiful last year so we should concentrate on forwards for the 5th selection. We can select a defenseman with the 31st or 37th selection.
Laval is going to have a great team next season.
Over the past 40 years or so, there have been many examples of guys getting drafted very late but turning into hall of famers. Luke Robitaille and Brett Hull come to mind.. They were ignored at the draft because of apparently being poor skaters.. I just wonder if Davidson, Roy , Farrell , Kidney will turn out way better than everyone first thought…I am not saying any of them will become superstars, but time will tell…
I’m waiting for Montreal to offer Davidson a contract.
One of the things Davidson has over RHP and Simoneau is size. He’s 6ft, whereas the other two are 5’9” and 5’7”. Davidson isn’t a big man, but he’s bigger than the other two. As we saw on our own Cup run and with the two teams going to war in the finals this season, size matters. With Gallagher, RHP, Caufield, Evans and someday Hutson, we’re already pretty flush in little/slight players. As we progress through the rebuild, this has to be taken into account, especially considering the division we play in. I don’t know how many of Mesar, Mysak, Farrell, etc will have a long term future with the organization. Anyone old enough to remember the mighty mites teams we had at the turn of the millennium will know that too many skilled, speedy little guys isn’t a recipe for success.
I feel that Davidson actually has more potential upside than Harvey-Pinard. Good on RHP for showing his grit and determination last year but it was still a small sample size.I’