Canadiens Prospect Updates: Hutson, Roy, & Guindon Shine

Now that the various players in the Montreal Canadiens prospect pipeline have had a chance to play a few games, we can start obsessing over every minor play and detail in their games.

Okay, that’s hyperbole, but as we all know, the fate of the franchise will be decided by some of their prospects, which explains why Habs fans have a voracious appetite for everything related to prospects.

Franco-Ontarian Surge

Cedrick Guindon had a very encouraging Draft +1 season. He scored 22 goals and 47 assists in 68 games for the Owen Sound Attack, however, like many younger prospects, he faded slightly down the stretch, with just five points in his last 11 games.

It’s not an alarming phenomenon, and it’s worth noting that he scored five points in just four playoff games against the London Knights, but this season Guindon is expected to play a bigger role for the Attack, and his consistency will be monitored rather closely.

The good news is that he’s off to a great start, relatively speaking. He had just three points in his first five games, but he found his rhythm against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds during the weekend.

He scored a goal and provided three assists, on his way to a four-point effort that led to him being named the second star of the night in the Ontario Hockey League.

I erroneously wrote that he only had three points, but he also set up Braden Rogers for the fourth goal of the game.

#Habs prospect Cedrick Guindon is off to a great start for Owen Sound this season. 7 points in 7 games, including a three-point game against the Greyhounds.

He scores on the first play, then sets up Barlowe for the second goal. His faceoff win led to the third goal in this clip: pic.twitter.com/XEx5jy4ObU

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 18, 2023

Lane Hutson

The NCAA season is underway, which means we’re finally ready for a slew of entertaining highlights from phenom Lane Hutson.

I had an opportunity to watch the Boston University Terriers face the New Hampshire Wildcats, and I have to say that they looked rather disjointed, especially considering they’re the top-ranked team in college hockey at the moment. The Terriers lost 6-4, but that score was probably too flattering when we consider that the Wildcats led for the majority of the game.

It seems like they’ll need a little time to adjust to the changes in the lineup, which included adding one of the top prospects in the hockey world to the roster: Macklin Celebrini.

Macklin Celebrini scores his second NCAA goal. Reminder: He's still 17 years old. pic.twitter.com/o7OpSJBSiy

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 14, 2023

The good news is that despite the somewhat slow start, the Montreal Canadiens prospect has managed to register a point in the first two games of the year, including the game-winning goal versus Bently.

WHAT A FINISH!

Lane Hutson (#GoHabsGo) wins it for @TerrierHockey in overtime on a snipe. Both Hutson and Macklin Celebrini (2024) had two points against Bentley to start their season off right.

There's a reason they made our preseason Hobey Watch List: https://t.co/3SNrbfBtO4 pic.twitter.com/p6rH2Xtjru

— FloHockey (@FloHockey) October 8, 2023

It’s also worth pointing out that Hutson is doing a much better job using his body to protect pucks and disrupt plays, which should help quell some of the fears that Hutson’s size will be a significant detriment to his NHL aspirations.

I regret to inform you all that Lane Hutson has gotten better at leveraging his frame to shrug off bigger, stronger players. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/RUjVG1K6mF

— Hadi Kalakeche (@HadiK_Scouting) October 16, 2023

Jacob Fowler

Goaltender Jacob Fowler has also enjoyed a rather encouraging start to the year, with back-to-back wins against Quinnipiac, the reigning NCAA champions, and LIU.

His 1.45 goals against average and .929 save percentage are among the best early numbers in college, not to mention, Fowler also earned Goaltender of the Week honours in the Hockey East Conference.

Admittedly, I only had an opportunity to watch him play for two periods, which isn’t enough to give an informed opinion on his play, but from what I saw, Fowler possesses excellent positioning and rather surprising speed.

His lateral movement is quite good, and he does a great job tracking the puck.

#Habs prospect Jacob Fowler making a nice save for Boston College. pic.twitter.com/etb9ssf2Cf

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 14, 2023

Joshua Roy

Montreal Canadiens fans were hoping Roy would hit the ground running in the AHL, but there are no guarantees when it comes to a player making his professional hockey debut.

Sometimes it takes a few games to adjust to the speed of play. But that was not the case for Roy, who scored two goals and two assists in his first two games.

He epitomizes the concept of a 200-foot player, and that explains why head coach Jean-Francois Houle has immediately trusted the 20-year-old forward with important ice time.

Roy has also kept up his impressive shooting pace, with 12 shots on net in his first two games.

Some fans may want the Canadiens to call him up whenever the opportunity presents itself, especially since Kirby Dach will miss the rest of the season, but for now, it’s probably best to let Roy establish himself in the AHL before yo-yo-ing him between leagues.

He needs big minutes to keep developing, and those will be found in the AHL.

#Habs prospect Joshua Roy scores his first AHL goal off a nice little move to deke his coverage. pic.twitter.com/ywXCt1Xbxu

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) October 13, 2023