A Guide To Where Canadiens Prospects Will Play In 2024-25

There’s a lot riding on the next batch of Montreal Canadiens prospects. They’ll be counted upon to provide the team with crucial reinforcements in the upcoming seasons, giving head coach Martin St-Louis and general manager Kent Hughes more options once the Habs reach the next step in the rebuild.

In the meantime, you can catch up with their recent accolades by reading our 2024 Canadiens prospect rankings, and in very short order we can follow their progress as they evolve in various junior leagues in North America, as well as professional leagues in Europe.

European Development (KHL, SHL)

The jewel of the prospect pool, forward Ivan Demidov, will indeed start the season with SKA Saint-Petersburg in the KHL. There was some concern regarding his final destination, with suggestions that he may not be able to earn a job in the top Russian league, but his recent performance as Russia’s Under-23 captain was enough to secure a permanent role with SKA. It should be noted he scored the game-tying and game-winning goal against SKA in one of the final tune-up games of the preseason.

ON TOPIC: Top Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov Shines Versus His KHL Club

It remains to be seen where he’ll play in the lineup, but given that he hit the ground running this season, he’s in a good position to secure a top six role from the get-go. Demidov will face another interesting Habs prospect while playing in the KHL, defenceman Bogdan Konysushkov. He’s a smooth skater with fantastic offensive instincts who also happens to be one of the busiest players in the league. Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod’s head coach, Igor Larionov, has shown an impressive level of trust in the young defenceman, as evidenced by him naming Konyushkov the team’s captain mid-way through the 2023-24 season.

GRIP IT AND RIP IT
🚨 Bogdan Konyushkov PP #GoHabsGo
4-2 Torpedo #KHLpreseason pic.twitter.com/yVAcfaZdLj

— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) August 25, 2024

In addition to Konyushkov and Demidov, the Canadiens will have five other prospects developing in Russia next year, though Dmitri Kostenko, Alexander Gordin, Daniil Sobolev, Makar Khanin, and upstart goaltender Yevgeni Volokhin are all expected to feature in the VHL, the Russian equivalent to the AHL.

Of the four remaining European prospects, Oliver Kapanen, Filip Eriksson, and Rasmus Bergqvist are set to play in the Sweden, though the latter may end up spending most of the time outside the SHL, with Skelleftea AIK’s Under-20 squad.

Finally, prospect Vinzenz Rohrer, one of the most underrated young players in the organization, will continue to evolve with Zurich in the National League (Switzerland), where he has already established himself as a Gallagherian presence in the lineup thanks to his high-end work ethic and his penchant for frustrating opposing defencemen.

Players in bold will play for the top league of their respective countries.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

With Lane Hutson graduating to professional hockey, there’s a little less Habs-related talent in the NCAA. Sam Harris and Jack Smith are slated to return to their respective college clubs, but the most interesting change to the landscape features both Michael Hage and Logan Sawyer making their NCAA debuts.

ON TOPIC: Canadiens Prospect Rankings – Jacob Fowler Is The Next Great Hope

Jacob Fowler is also returning as the Boston College Eagles’ starter, the very same role that allowed him becoming the league-leader in wins last season, with 32. The Eagles are not expected to have as much firepower as they did last year, which could be very revealing, as it should lead to more offensive zone ice time for opponents, and thus put more pressure on the Canadiens prospect. That being said, few players respond to pressure better than Fowler, who has already established a reputation as a ‘big game’ goaltender.

#GoHabsGo prospect Jacob Fowler finishes the NCAA Frozen Four tournament with a .932 save percentage.

He set an NCAA record this season for wins by a freshman, with 32.

A fantastic season for one of the most important prospects in the organization. pic.twitter.com/alUw93Jj73

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 14, 2024

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL)

The Montreal Canadiens are expected to have just three prospects in the CHL next season. And that’s not three prospects per league, it’s three prospects in total: Quentin Miller (QMJHL), Owen Protz (OHL), and Tyler Thorpe (WHL).

To put a fine point on the lack of prospects in the CHL, the Habs will have more players in the BCHL (Ben Merrill, Mikus Vecvanags) than in any of the CHL leagues. Prospect strength is cyclical, which means we’re bound to see more players developing in Canadian once future drafts come to a close, but the situation also speaks to the realities of junior hockey. The CHL was once seen as the best (and perhaps only) league that could teach players how to become permanent NHL players. That is certainly no longer the case.

One standout so far from Vancouver Giants training camp is #GoHabsGo prospect Tyler Thorpe. Looks faster and has thrown some massive hits during the scrimmage.

— Adam Kierszenblat (@Adamkblat) August 30, 2024

The American Hockey League (AHL)

Another reason why the CHL features so few Habs prospects this season is that most of their young players are set to start their professional hockey careers in earnest by playing for the team’s AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket. Suffice it to say the Rocket games will be must-see events for fans who want to get an early look at the next generation of Canadiens players.

We’ll discuss the influx of talent with an in-depth article in the near future, however, with newcomers such as David Reinbacher, Filip Mesar, Owen Beck, Adam Engstrom, and Florian Xhekaj now in the mix, not to mention players such as Sean Farrell, Riley Kidney, Logan Mailloux, Luke Tuch, and Emil Heineman attempting to improve their results, the Rocket should ice a very entertaining lineup of prospects who actually have a chance to one day make the NHL. This runs contrary to previous seasons in which hired mercenaries carried the weight for the Rocket.

You’ll note players such as Beck, Hutson, Reinbacher, and Mailloux will be aiming to earn a job in the NHL once the Canadiens’ training camp begins, connoting that they made not end up playing the bulk of their season with the Rocket.

Montreal Canadiens prospect information via Elite Prospects.