Canadiens Prospects Who Are Knocking On NHL & AHL Door

The Montreal Canadiens may have been eliminated from the playoffs, but their farm team is still very much involved in springtime hockey, giving fans an opportunity to take a look at some of the prospects who are on the cusp of a promotion to the NHL.

We’re not discussing players such as Ivan Demidov or Oliver Kapanen, though I would suggest the best bet would be to keep the latter in the AHL until he finds his rhythm, as the NHL was moving much too quickly for the Finnish forward. Demidov, on the other hand, managed to produce right off the bat, quelling some of the concern about his long-term impact.

Laval Rocket Auditions

Before we start discussing the NHL, we should mention there are a few players that should serve as reinforcements to the Laval Rocket next season.

Vinzenz Rohrer’s rights expire in 2026, therefore there’s no rush to get him across the pond just yet, but considering his consistent development in Zurich with the ZSC Lions, all  signs point to a player who is ready for his first taste of professional hockey in North America. If you haven’t had a chance to watch Rohrer play, he projects as a very hard-working player who can also provide tertiary on a regular basis.

Some will suggest he’s a Brendan Gallagher clone, and don’t get me wrong, that’s a great compliment for a player who does not necessarily project to top six usage in the NHL, but I also feel like using one of the most adored Canadiens players as a comparison is unfair to both the prospect. It’s a lot to live up to, and for now, we should be happy if Rohrer quickly climbs the depth chart in the AHL should he make his way to Laval.

Tyler Thorpe should be a mainstay on the Rocket lineup, and if we’re judging by his first professional game, which featured a pair of assists in the playoffs, it’s clear he has what it takes to make the permanent jump to pro hockey.  At 6’5″, 215 lb, Thorpe owns the exact type of frame that Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton prefer, however, he also has a decent amount of offensive potential, the most important aspect of the equation.

You may remember Thorpe as a player who made waves at training camp earlier in the year. Few knew who he was prior to the intra-game scrimmages, but most informed themselves shortly afterward.

In 68 games in the WHL, Thorpe managed 27 goals and 25 assists, which is far from terrible, but also several steps away from projecting to high-end NHL talent. Fortunately, there’s no rush in his case, and he can hone his skills in Laval alongside a few other players that love to drive the net with reckless abandon.

Potential Montreal Canadiens NHL Auditions

It’s becoming difficult to stem the tide of anticipation in Jacob Fowler’s case.

He displaced Cayden Primeau as the Rocket’s starter, which is quite the feat because head coach Pascal Vincent needed to be convinced before making a permanent change. And for good reason, too. Primeau dominated in the AHL during the regular season, and was a significant contributor to establishing the best record in team history.

Fowler had to keep a borderline perfect record to convince Vincent, and that’s exactly what he did, to the tune of a 3-0 record in the playoffs, paired with a somewhat unbelievable .953 save percentage. Keep in mind, Fowler only had a few games to acclimatize to the AHL before he was thrust into playoff action, which is an inconsequential number of games for a goaltender.

And yet, Fowler dominated from the get-go, and he hasn’t looked back since.

ON TOPIC: Laval Rocket Advance To Third Round As Jacob Fowler Takes Over Starter Job

I’d argue the best bet for him would be to serve as Laval’s starter next year, giving him a little more runway before he eventually ascends to the NHL. Don’t forget, despite the criticism sent his way, Samuel Montembeault finished the regular season as one of the top 5 goaltenders for goals saved above average at 5v5, therefore we can safely say there’s no reason to rush Fowler through the stages. Montembeault also has two years left on his deal.

Ideally, they’d let Fowler absorb as much experience as possible in the AHL before even considering where he fits in the NHL lineup.

Montreal Canadiens Defensive Prospects

There are three defencemen on the farm that will be considered as potential candidates for an NHL assignment next season, but at the risk of once again sandbagging everyone’s excitement, I’m not certain any of them are ready. Adam Engstrom and Logan Mailloux still have a lot to learn when it comes to defending the rush, not to mention defensive positioning once the pressure mounts.

You could say the same about David Reinbacher, however, in his case it’s a matter of lacking experience. An unfortunate and frustrating streak of injuries has robbed him of precious ice time.

Now that he’s in the AHL, things are moving a little quickly for him, leading to hesitation on certain shifts. If you are struggling to adapt to the speed of execution in the AHL, you will get buried in the NHL.

Before there’s any manner of overreaction, we should also mention it’s perfectly normal in Reinbacher’s case. He only has 21 games of regular-season experience in North America, and though he doesn’t always execute plays quickly, he has shown flashes of brilliance during his short audition.

Simply put, Reinbacher needs a little more time before we can realistically project him as a legitimate NHL candidate, but it’s not to the point where fans should start to lose all hope about his potential. That being said, he will probably get a chance to earn a roster spot now that David Savard has retired, so we’ll have to reevaluate the options once the training camp roster has been announced.

Montreal Canadiens Forward Prospects

There are a few forwards that should bring an interesting element to the table at training camp. Joshua Roy and Sean Farrell did a good job producing in a top-six role in the AHL, and there might be a job that would suit them in the NHL, but it’s very difficult to crack a roster in the first place, and there are no guarantees the Habs would be able to give them the type of ice time they need to produce.

That brings us to the bash brothers on the Rocket’s fourth line.

You may be wondering why I’m going to focus on players who are receiving less ice time than the aforementioned forwards, and that’s fair. When it comes to players such as Jared Davidson, Florian Xhekaj, and Owen Beck, the jump to the NHL is more realistic because they don’t necessarily need prime ice time to excel.

Despite playing most of their shifts on the third or fourth lines, anyone who has watched the three play this season knows that they all exceeded expectations. For example, Xhekaj lead the team with 175 penalty minutes, while also managing to score 24 goals with extremely limited opportunities.

He also doesn’t hesitate to protect all his teammates, which helped the Rocket create a sense of unity, an important factor as they attempt to secure the first Calder Cup championship in franchise history.

It took Xhekaj roughly 0.3 seconds to get his guy out of the scrum after his goalie was hit.

Bonus – That sentence can be used in both the AHL and NHL!

AHL, this time: pic.twitter.com/DlVikwLltv

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) May 7, 2025

Jared Davidson, one of the most entertaining prospects in the mix, managed to finish third in Rocket scoring, with 24 goals and 21 assists to his name, while also serving most of his shifts in the bottom six.

I didn’t go through every goal, but from what I saw, not to mention what I know about Davidson, I have to assume the vast majority were one-timers, because that’s his preferred method of scoring. Just like Xhekaj, Davidson does not hesitate to mix things up, and the pair tend to do it every single time they hit the ice.

They’re frustrating to play against, not just because they’re hard-hitting, hard-working players. They also have the offensive talent to back up their antics on the ice, and that’s exactly what you want to see on a fourth line in the NHL.

There are a few other players to consider, but I’d like to finish by discussing Beck’s place in the organization. Montreal needs centres, and Beck certainly knows how to win faceoffs, which should give him an inside track on some of his competitors.

But more importantly, he’s a plug and play prospect. You can insert him into any position in the lineup, and he’s likely to help the team win. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Teams with Beck on them tend to do quite well in the playoffs, as evidenced by his MVP performance for the Saginaw Spirit in the Memorial Cup last season.

On top of his faceoff prowess and versatility, Beck is a cerebral player who has also developed a mean streak, the exact type of player head coach Martin St-Louis loves to use in his lineups.

Is there a Montreal Canadiens prospect you’d like to see discussed? If so, please do not hesitate to reply with the name, and we’ll make sure to include them in the next prospect piece.

All Montreal Canadiens prospect statistical information via Elite Prospects.