Analyzing Montreal Canadiens Rookie Camp Lines And Pairings

Now that Montreal Canadiens prospects have finally hit the ice, it’s time to take a closer look at the forward lines and pairings put together by Laval Rocket head coach Pascal Vincent.

Without reading too much into the temporary combinations, the initial lineup gives us a good idea of which prospects will have the best opportunities to improve their standing within the organization this week, leading up to back-to-back games against Toronto Maple Leafs prospects on Saturday and Sunday. It should be noted goaltender Quentin Miller will not be able to participate, as an injured shoulder will keep him out of the lineup.

Canadiens Rookie Camp Forward Lines

Line No.1: Sean Farrell – Owen Beck – Emil Heineman

The first line features three players who are jockeying for position prior to the start of the main camp. Memorial Cup MVP Owen Beck leads the charge, anchoring a trio that could end up making noise in the AHL this season. Beck’s well-rounded game should give him a leg up on the competition as he attempts to earn an NHL roster spot, however, given that waivers will come into play, there’s a healthy chance he’ll suit up for the Rocket at some point in the near future.

Canadiens Interviews: Top Prospect Owen Beck Excited About Taking The Next Step

Sean Farrell and Emil Heineman are also in the mix when it comes to an NHL job, but they’ll make their case by using their clear-cut strengths, which vary significantly. Farrell is the classic playmaker, preferring to create time and space for his teammates, while Heineman possesses a fantastic release that he combines with pinpoint accuracy.

Line No.2: Riley Kidney – Filip Mesar – Jared Davidson

If we wanted to be dramatic, we could call this the redemption line, as Riley Kidney, Filip Mesar, and Jared Davidson all faced a certain level of adversity last year.  Mesar finished his lukewarm OHL career on a high note, an encouraging sign for a player who will have to hit the ground running in 2024-25 if he’s to improve his odds of earning an audition in the NHL. Davidson went from one of the busiest players in the WHL to a depth forward who had to wait his turn before receiving very limited opportunities in the AHL. Kidney’s opportunities were more frequent, but he failed to maintain his momentum from a fantastic QMJHL career due to a significant down tick in ice time.

Playing Mesar as a centre is an interesting choice, as it should allow him to generate more scoring chances in transition, something he does quite well when’s used down the middle of the ice, but quickly evaporates from his game when he’s on the wing. Davidson’s presence will add a little truculence to the mix, which should give both Mesar and Kidney a little more time and space to work with in the offensive zone.

#GoHabsGo prospect Filip Mešár gets the primary assist on Trent Swick’s GWG in overtime.

His 8th point in 5 games.

With the win, Kitchener puts Erie on the brink. pic.twitter.com/fpSn5NpnoH

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 6, 2024

Line No.3: Luke Tuch – Florian Xhekaj – Tyler Thorpe

Florian Xhekaj will look to follow in his brother Arber’s footsteps, leveraging a strong physical performance at the rookie camp into a longer audition once the main camp opens. The 6’4″ forward will be centring one of the most interesting lines, with 6’5″ Tyler Thorpe and 6’2″ Luke Tuch on the wings.

ON TOPIC: Florian Xhekaj Defied The Odds To Earn His Entry Level Contract

This is the type of line that will almost assuredly bring a heightened level of entertainment to the rink, not to mention a certain level of frustration from their opponents. Being bigger and stronger than most players on the ice is one thing, but all three players also have an underrated skill set that they use in concert with their physical play to open up passing and shooting lanes in the offensive zone.

Line No.4/Alternates: Israel Mianscum – Justin Larose – Charles Savoie  (Logan Nijhoff – Maxim Pellerin)

We’re not going to put too much pressure on the rest of the forwards, but Mianscum’s scouting report suggests he can bring a certain offensive value to the table for the Rocket. The rookie camp will be the first time Vincent will have an opportunity to watch the Sherbrooke Phoenix standout, who recently signed a two-year contract with Laval. He will be playing alongside Larose, a 19-year-old camp invite who finished his most recent QMJHL season with a very respectable 38 goals and 42 assists in 67 games.

Montreal Canadiens Rookie Camp Defensive Pairings

Beyond Beck and Heineman, it’s difficult to project many forwards participating in the rookie camp mounting a strong case to start the season in the NHL, but the blue line is a completely different animal. Now that the Canadiens have traded Jordan Harris and Johnathan Kovacevic, there’s going to be one, if not two spots available for the top defensive prospects in the system.

First Pairing: Lane Hutson – Logan Mailloux

The front-runners for the aforementioned job openings will feature on the Canadiens’ top pairing, giving Kent Hughes and Co. ample opportunities to evaluate how close Hutson and Mailloux are to being NHL ready. Most assume Hutson will automatically be given a roster spot, and based on his skill set that’s a reasonable assumption. With that in mind, we also have to be mindful about his lack of professional experience. We’ve become accustomed to Hutson dominating at every level, but his ascension to the NHL will undoubtedly come with its share of peaks and valleys.

The good news is that his elite puck handling pairs quite well with his high-end vision, and while Hutson may end up taking a little time to adjust to the NHL, it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a key part of the Canadiens’ lineup. Mailloux doesn’t quite carry the same amount of potential, but of all the defensive prospects hoping to earn an NHL job, he’s the one with the most professional experience in North America.

His fantastic rookie season in the AHL was powered by his penchant for taking as many shots as possible, not to mention some excellent work on the powerplay. Like most young defenders, he still has some work to do before he can be trusted with a regular shift in the NHL, but he did make strides in his defensive game last season, particularly when it came to defending rush plays.

Logan Mailloux and Lane Hutson paired together on defence this morning at #Habs rookie camp #HabsIO pic.twitter.com/9UoT88nViM

— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) September 12, 2024

Second Pairing: Adam Engstrom – David Reinbacher

Most of the attention will be given to Hutson and Mailloux, but we’d be foolish to ignore the second pairing. Reinbacher’s complicated season with EHC Kloten is now behind him, with his strong finish to the year in the Rocket lineup erasing much of the concern about his ability to provide a positive impact while playing in a Canadian rink. Reinbacher will never be free of pressure, that’s simply life as a high draft pick in the NHL, but he should be able to enter the season with clear goals in mind, which was not the case in Switzerland, as an early injury interrupted his season and prevented him from establishing his rhythm in the NL.

Even though he’s yet to play in North America, Engstrom has been playing professional hockey in Sweden since 2022, giving him the type of insight and experience necessary to standout. Don’t be surprised if everyone ends up waxing poetic about Engstrom’s creativity and silky-smooth skating once the rookie camp wraps up.

Adam Engstrom (No.56) looks like he’s skating on velvet clouds that are filled with cashmere.

I know Lane Hutson received the bulk of the attention this season, but Engstrom may be as entertaining as the Boston University d-man: pic.twitter.com/Jtmae5EQzH

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) June 7, 2023

Third Pairing/Alternates: Owen Protz – Simon Motew (Emanuelson Charbonneau)

Again, we’re not going to put any pressure on players filling out the remainder of the rookie camp lineup, but it will be fun to see freshly drafted defenceman Owen Protz in action. He projects as a hard-nosed blueliner who makes life hell on opposing forwards, though I will defer to Elite Prospects’ scouting profile, which contains one of the most entertaining, descriptive, and intriguing sentences I’ve come across in my many years of watching Habs prospects, “[Protz] holds a monopoly on violence – smart violence.”