Canadiens Prospect Review: Introduction To The Series

With the 2023 Memorial Cup in the books, there are no longer any scheduled hockey games that involve members of the Montreal Canadiens organization.

And with the break comes the perfect opportunity to do an overview of the many exciting players that populate the team’s prospect pool.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at various prospects to evaluate their overall performances, as well as projecting where they may end up next season and beyond.

We’ll also be tapping some of the local prospect experts to get a better idea of how those in the industry view the Canadiens’ prospects, as well as asking Habs fans for their opinion on specific players.

The Defencemen

Players like Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, and Adam Engstrom immediately come to mind as the next great hopes on the blue line.

But given the current team already features a bevy of young defencemen, players such as Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, Justin Barron, and Jordan Harris, it’s fair to say the next crop of defencemen will have a much harder time earning a roster spot than their counterparts.

Can Hutson shore up his defensive positioning next year, or will he need an additional season in the NCAA before making the jump to professional hockey?

Will Logan Mailloux be cleared to play by the NHL after he was charged with defamation and offensive photography, and if so, how will the Canadiens handle his development, which has been marred by significant stretches of inactivity?

Can a player like Adam Engstrom eventually make his way to the NHL and serve as a powerplay quarterback? Will his skill set translate to North American hockey?

Is there a player that is flying under the radar? Should we be paying closer attention to players like Miguel Tourigny, Jayden Struble, Petteri Nurmi, or William Trudeau?

On The Docket

These are the type of questions we will attempt to answer as we start the series in earnest on Wednesday, commencing with Engstrom, the smooth-skating, highly-skilled defencemen currently playing in Sweden.

This Champions League goal from Adam Engstrom (back in September) is just gorgeous.

Not a pick I was initially enamoured with (and I still have more doubts than others) but his progression this season has been very impressive. He certainly fits the mould as a modern defenceman. pic.twitter.com/FeuRw66SG1

— Sebastian High (@high_sebastian) March 11, 2023

Once we evaluate the defencemen, we will move on to forwards such as Joshua Roy, Jared Davidson, Sean Farrell, Owen Beck, Filip Mesar, and Riley Kidney.

And if the Canadiens decide to add another goaltender to the mix, which would be wise considering how few netminders they have in the organization, we’ll delve into that subject as well.

The season may be over, but for Canadiens fans, the prospect talk is just getting started.

Stay tuned.