Montreal Canadiens Prospect Rankings – Truculence & Goaltending

Welcome to the top Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings, our summer list that evaluates the future of the organization.

Unlike our Canadiens prospect power rankings that are published during the season, this list is based on overall value, including perceived potential. To qualify for the list as a Canadiens prospect, players must be 23 years old or younger, and have fewer than 100 NHL games under their belt.

Published – Canadiens Prospect Rankings: Players who missed the cut, and prospects ranked No.40 to No.31

Now that we’ve already discussed the prospects ranked No.40 to No.31, as well as the players who did not make the cut, we will spend a little more time on each individual prospect, by featuring just five players in the Canadiens prospect pool per article. Without further ado, let’s dive into the Canadiens prospects who are ranked No.30 to N0.26.

30. Jared Davidson, 22, Centre, Laval Rocket (AHL), Picked 130th overall in 2022.

Davidson’s performance at the 2023 Memorial Cup gave Canadiens fans a taste of what he brings to the table: intensity and an engine that never runs out of fuel. But as we all know, there’s a significant difference between playing in the WHL as an overage player and starting your professional career versus veterans.

His rookie season started rather slow. Or to be more accurate, it started with total inertia, as he was kept out of the lineup for the most part. He was eventually given the green light to play his first professional game in mid-October, but it would take another month before injuries in both the NHL and AHL led to regular shifts. Davidson wasted no time, scoring his first goal in November in just his second game playing for the Laval Rocket. The goal itself was rather telling, as it featured Davidson outworking two defenders to slam home a second-chance scoring opportunity.

First pro goal for Habs prospect Jared Davidson who, as @WpgJoe points out, gets it against his former Seattle Thunderbird teammate in Thomas Milic. pic.twitter.com/KsrCGLuXwH

— Dave Minuk (@ICdave) November 12, 2023

From there, he was kept off the scoresheet until early December, but he still provided value to the team by displaying an aggressive style of play that led to a healthy amount of shots. Despite mostly playing in the bottom six, Davidson finished the season with 84 shots in 38 games, which means he was one of the busiest Rocket players when it came to taking advantage of his ice time.  With 11 goals and five assists in 38 games, Davidson did not knock anyone’s socks off in terms of his long term potential, but he certainly earned the two-year, entry-level contract that was offered by the Canadiens in late May.

As an aside, in the first part of the Canadiens prospect rankings someone asked me how I could possibly place someone like Davidson ahead of Riley Kidney (No.33). It’s a legitimate question to a certain extent, especially if you’re still focusing on their stats in the CHL. But the AHL is a completely different animal. You have to fight for your space on the ice, and that’s where Davidson excels. He has the strength and offensive know-how to put himself in a high-scoring area to capitalize on rebounds. In addition, Davidson scored more points per game, but the real crux of the issue is that Davidson’s playing style translated well to professional hockey, which was not the case for Kidney. This doesn’t mean Davidson will forever be considered a better prospect, but for now, he has taken a step forward, whereas Kidney is still stuck in neutral.

29. Filip Eriksson, 19, Centre/Wing, Växjö Lakers HC (SHL), Nybro Vikings IF (HockeyAllsvenskan), Picked 165th overall in 2024.

It’s always difficult to get a read on prospects playing in Europe, especially when they end up playing parts of the season for two teams in different leagues, as was the case for Eriksson. To make matters more complicated, he also participated in playoffs games in both the SHL and HockeyAllsvenskan. With that in mind, we can essentially ignore his lack of production in the SHL. For the record, he earned six assists in 29 SHL games, but due to his age, he was given limited ice time. To his credit, he did manage to score two goals in seven playoff games while featuring in the top six.

But if we really want to get a good idea of how Eriksson played last season, we must focus on his time with Nybro. With 24 points in 21 games, Eriksson was far and away their most productive player during the regular season. He maintained solid production in the playoffs, where he was given more than 20 minutes of ice time per game. All together, Eriksson finished the year with 12 goals and 15 assists in 26 games, a very encouraging score rate when you consider he was a sixth-round pick. The 2024-25  season will go a long way in determining whether he can produce in the SHL, but for now, the cerebral forward has certainly earned our attention.

28. Yevgeni Volokhin,  19, Goaltender, Mamonty Yugry (MHL), Picked 144th overall in 2023.

Speaking of European prospects who are difficult to evaluate, goaltending prospect Yevgeni Volokhin enjoyed what can only be described as a dominant season in the MHL. Before we discuss his defensive acumen, we have to be honest about the quality of the leagues in Russia. The MHL is the Russian equivalent to the OHL/WHL/QMJHL in terms of league tiers, but there’s quite the gap when it comes to the overall talent level involved.

That being said, there’s no doubt Volokhin’s numbers epitomized dominance. He maintained a .938 save percentage during the regular season, setting a rather high bar when it came to his playoff results. It would have been understandable if he did not manage to match his regular-reason results, and unfortunately, that was exactly what happened. Volokhin did not produce a .938 save percentage in the playoffs. Fortunately, he somehow improved upon his numbers, finishing the playoffs with a 1.21 goals against average and a .954 save percentage. Of course, he played for the best defensive club in the league, and his goaltending teammates also had great stats last year, which means we should take the results with a grain of salt.

His playing style can be described as active and aggressive. Think less Jacob Fowler, and more Yaroslav Askarov. I realize that mentioning another Russian goaltender is a little lazy, but as you’ll see in the clip below, Vollokhin expends a lot of energy throughout the game and has no issues challenging forwards. A higher level of competition is in order, but like Eriksson, we have no choice but to keep a close eye on this Canadiens prospect as he takes the next step in his career.

27. Jakub Dobes, 23, Goaltender, Laval Rocket (AHL), Picked 136th overall in 2020.

At the other end of the age spectrum we find goaltender Jakub Dobes. Despite having a rather difficult start to his professional hockey career, Dobes improved significantly down the stretch, especially once the Canadiens finally added a veteran presence midway through the year by signing veteran goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo. He allowed Dobes to focus on preparing himself for starts rather than worrying about the team’s playoff race. It was exactly what the doctor ordered for a player who seemed overwhelmed at times playing behind a very raw defensive group that allowed more than their fair share of odd-man rushes.

The good news is that the Rocket avoided the same pitfall heading into 2024-25 by signing Connor Hughes to act as Dobes’ mentor. We also have to remember that Dobes is the ultimate competitor. In the NCAA he built a reputation for bouncing back any time he faltered a little for the Ohio State Buckeyes, which, to his credit, was not very often.

I still don’t like the idea of convincing NCAA goaltenders to sign their entry-level contracts early, and I believe Dobes would have been better off staying in the NCAA for another year, especially when we consider the Rocket were a defensive mess last year. But despite the less-than-ideal situation, he managed to finish the year with a very respectable .908 save percentage.

26. Owen Protz, 18, Defenceman, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL), Picked 102nd overall in 2024.

Following Arber Xhekaj’s impressive ascension to the NHL, I promised I would stop dismissing defencemen who project as physical players. The key is not overcorrecting, as I did when I originally started doubting players who primarily focus on truculence. In that spirit, I have to admit I understand why the Habs picked Protz in the fourth round, despite his underwhelming production in the OHL (two goals and 10 assists in 30 games).

Let’s be clear, I am not saying he compares to Xhekaj, as I believe the Canadiens defenceman brings more offensive value to the table, but Protz certainly enjoys getting involved in physical play.

The EP 2024 Draft Guide had quite a telling paragraph on Protz’ style of play. It lines up perfectly with the type of player Kent Hughes enjoys adding to the organization. “When Protz steps on the ice, he holds a monopoly on violence – smart violence. He steadily angles attackers to the outside, lining them for a bone-crushing hit. He eliminates the attacker’s options on the cycle, then slams them to the ice. He’ll shut down rushes, move the puck, and activate in the offensive zone”

Picked up a quick 6-game sample for #GoHabsGo 4th-rounder Owen Protz. Profiles favourably to defensive d-men taken earlier in the draft. Looks like it could be an excellent value pick.

🧵with videos below pic.twitter.com/E65bpg0t5h

— Puckspo (@Puckspo) July 22, 2024

Do you agree or disagree with the Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings posted above? Let us know in the comments below!