Habs Daily: LJ Mooney Vibes, Prospects On The Cusp, Slafkovsky

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, stories, and content you may have missed on Wednesday.

Montreal Canadiens News

You’ll have to wait until 10 am ET to see which Montreal Canadiens prospect nabbed the 20th spot in our yearly rankings, but in the meantime you should read up on the players who just missed the cut, including Owen Protz and Bryce Pickford. [Canadiens Prospect Rankings: The Honourable Mentions]

Newly drafted forward L.J. Mooney keeps finding ways to stay in the headlines, as evidenced by his game-winning breakaway goal versus Czechia on Wednesday.

LJ Mooney just won the game for the United States with this overtime goal, and he does the dab to celebrate.

From scoring with less than a second to go in regulation to this… what a moment for USA. #WorldU17 pic.twitter.com/jAEKRn4Q4s

— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) November 11, 2023

Former Hab Nathan Beaulieu has officially hung up his skates. The Strathroy native was picked 17th overall by the Canadiens in 2011, playing parts of five seasons with the team before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres for a third-round pick.

Congratulations to Nathan Beaulieu, who has officially announced his retirement from pro hockey 🏒⁰
Wishing the former first-round pick the best of luck in the future! pic.twitter.com/yYHEIxRy0j

— NHLPA (@NHLPA) July 23, 2025

The start to the 2025-26 season is still several months away, but it seems like many Habs players are raring to go in mid-July, always an encouraging sign for a team on the rise. Juraj Slafkovsky was among the key Canadiens players practicing in Brossard on Wednesday. Former Hab Tyler Toffoli also joined-in on the fun.

Tous les joueurs à sur la glace ce matin : Laine, Suzuki, Demidov, Caufield, Slafkovsky, Carrier, Newhook, les deux frères Xhekaj… et Tyler Toffoli, qui a participé à un match de la LSHL hier soir.

Un retour pour l’ancien du CH à Brossard 😏@DLCoulisses pic.twitter.com/XJBOoKQy43

— Marc-Olivier Cook (@Cook_Marco) July 23, 2025

National Hockey Now Network

The once beleaguered Pittsburgh Penguins prospect pool now has depth. It has talent. And most importantly, it has a few players ready to claim their spot under the bright lights of NHL arenas. [Pittsburgh Penguins]

Matthew Tkachuk had quite a weekend, one that continued into Monday as he spent it with the Stanley Cup. Tkachuk, who got married to Ellie Connell on Saturday, did many of the same things with the Stanley Cup as he did last summer. [Florida Panthers]

The looming story right now is that of Maxim Tsyplakov and Matthew Schaefer, both of whom remain unsigned. Tsyplakov, 26, will be settled within two weeks, as arbitrations begin to be heard starting tomorrow through August 4. [New York Islanders]