Potential Canadiens Prospects To Watch At 2025 World Juniors

The Montreal Canadiens have been well represented at the IIHF World Junior Championships in the past, but that may change this year.

Despite spending the last three seasons in the basement of the NHL standings, and Canadian casino bonuses are pegging them for another bottom finish this year, the Canadiens will be underrepresented at the World Juniors this year.

They’ve had very few top-2 round picks over the last couple of drafts and have chosen to spend their later picks on projects and positional/stylistic need; rather than pure potential.

And, given the fact that the World Juniors is a U-20 tournament, the likes of David Reinbacher (20) and Jacob Fowler (20) are ineligible to play, further limiting the amount of Canadiens prospects that could attend the yearly event.

If things continue as expected, there may only be two Montreal Canadiens heading to Ottawa this December.

Here’s who to watch for (or not):

Aatos Koivu: The Montreal Canadiens’ Best Shot

Selected 70^th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, Aatos Koivu is likely the only lock to represent his country in the Montreal Canadiens organization.

The 18-year-old has been playing a bottom-six role in the Finnish Liiga for TPS Turku, putting up one goal and five points in 15 games.

He will likely be occupying a similar role for Team Finland in this year’s tournament. Koivu plays a game predicated on skill and unleashing his one-timer from the left circle; which may help earn him some time on the second wave of the power play for Finland.

It’s important to note that, due to his 06 birthday, Koivu will also be eligible for next year’s World Juniors, where he will likely have a starring role for his country.

Dark Horse Montreal Canadiens Prospect: Rasmus Bergqvist

Rasmus Bergqvist has been an interesting pickup for the Montreal Canadiens in the 7^th round of the 2024 NHL Draft.

The 19-year-old has played a regular shift in the top league in Sweden so far this season with Skelleftea AIK and hasn’t looked out of place.

Playing a primarily defensive role, the 6-foot-2, 187-pound defenceman has the kind of pro experience in playing in the SHL that is always a plus in such an intense, yet short, tournament.

The use of his size, active stick and strong position are assets that coaches look for, especially as games start getting tighter in elimination settings.

Bergqvist is far from a lock to be on Sweden’s final roster, but, given that most of their backend consists of agile and offensive defencemen, there may yet be a role for him as a bottom-pair or 7^th defenceman.

Geo-Political Limitations

But the real conversation to be had is who will be missing the World Juniors this year. Ever since the IIHF banned both Russia and Belarus from all international competitions in 2022, the Hockey world hasn’t truly witnessed best-on-best international hockey in a while.

So, with Russia not eligible to compete, neither can Montreal Canadiens top prospect, Ivan Demidov. The 19-year-old has been one of the most dynamic youngsters in the entire KHL as a rookie this season, while being one of the most productive forwards in the entire league.

As he continues to fight for ice-time under SKA head coach, Roman Rotenberg, seeing his skills in action against his own age group, is a bit of a let-down for Habs fans. He likely would have been a dominant force that could have not only improved the overall quality of the tournament, but given Canadiens fans a glimpse of what’s to come next season.

But there’s perhaps another disappointment coming their way.

Michael Hage: Caught Between Two Worlds

The way that Michael Hage has performed this season for the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA has been nothing short of impressive.

Selected 21^st overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, Hage has been Michigan’s offensive spark plug, registering nine goals and 17 points in just 13 games; despite being the youngest forward on his team.

But, unfortunately, the selection process for Team Canada isn’t just about on-ice performance; there are a lot of political implications as well.

It’s generally rare to see an 18-year-old come out of the NCAA to represent their country at the World Juniors, due to Hockey Canada’s preference for CHL-based players.

Hage decided to go to the USHL instead of the CHL, to be eligible to go to college and gain an education before his NHL career. It’s an especially silly limitation for a player who was also snubbed from this spring’s U-18 tournament, despite finishing the year as the USHL’s hottest forward.

Despite  recent ruling by the NCAA; which now allows CHL-based players to make the jump to the NCAA as of last month, Hage was ultimately not invited to Team Canada’s selection camp earlier today.