Canadiens Groups At Training Camp Give Insight To First Cuts

The Montreal Canadiens invited 59 players to camp, much fewer than they did the first time head coach Martin St-Louis was in attendance. It’s a logical approach, seeing as the team now has a much better idea of which players provide the best value at this point in the rebuild.

On  Sunday, the team separated the players in three groups, with the first two mostly populated by those who have a legitimate chance to earn an NHL job. The third group, however, is clearly full of prospects who aren’t quite ready to make their NHL debut.

Group No.1

Forwards: Josh Anderson, Owen Beck, Cole Caufield, Lucas Condotta, Jared Davidson, Christian Dvorak, Sean Farrell, Filip Mesar, Joshua Roy, Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, Florian Xhekaj.

Defencemen: Justin Barron, Zackary Hayes, Mike Matheson, David Reinbacher, Tyler Wotherspoon, Arber Xhekaj.

Goalies: Jakub Dobes, Cayden Primeau.

You’ll note prospect Filip Mesar is present in the first group, a rather encouraging sign for the 20-year-old forward. At the very least, he’ll have a few more opportunities to prove his worth before the final cuts are made. This group also features two Xhekajs, Florian and Arber. We have not yet received confirmation that they will both play against the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow, but if they do, it will surely be a special night for the whole Xhekaj family.

The Brothers Xhekaj doing their media availability together this morning — to be confirmed but it seems like Arber and Florian will both suit up tomorrow in the #Habs first preseason game pic.twitter.com/T3dLxYGCD9

— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) September 22, 2024

Group No.2

Forwards: Joel Armia, Alex Barre-Boulet, Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher, Brandon Gignac, Emil Heineman, Oliver Kapanen, Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook, Michael Pezzetta, Luke Tuch.

Defencemen: Adam Engstrom, Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, David Savard, Jayden Struble, William Trudeau.

Goalies: Connor Hughes, Samuel Montembeault.

Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine will have an opportunity to keep working on what seemed like instant chemistry during scrimmages. The Canadiens desperately need a solid second line, and the hope is that those two will form a dominant duo, or perhaps even a trio if Alex Newhook sticks in the top six. Alex Barre-Boulet, Oliver Kapanen, Emil Heineman, and Luke Tuch are among the prospects who will have to enjoy a great preseason if they’re to earn an NHL job. As for the defensive group, Uncle Savard will provide over 700 games of experience to the mix, while his counterparts have fewer than 70 games of NHL experience combined.

Group No.3

Forwards: Vincent Arseneau, Alex Beaucage, Laurent Dauphin, Riley Kidney, Israel Mianscum, Logan Nijhoff, Jakov Novak, Charles Savoie, Xavier Simoneau.

Defencemen: Joshua Jacobs, Chris Jandric, Simon Motew, Jacob Paquette, Vincent Sevigny.

Goalies: Luke Cavallin, Hunter Jones.

The biggest standout from this group has to be Riley Kidney, a second-round pick from 2021. I know some on this site didn’t take it well when I suggested Kidney is tumbling down the prospect list, and will need a strong season to improve his standing within the organization, so we’ll take a different approach this time around. Obviously, it’s disappointing he’s in the third group, but at the very least, he should have more time in Laval to properly prepare for the upcoming AHL season, which may be exactly what he needs to find his rhythm.

Click Here To Open The Montreal Canadiens Training Camp Groups.