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Montreal Canadiens Prospect Rankings No.19 – Luke Tuch

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montreal canadiens prospect luke tuch

Our top 20 Montreal Canadiens prospects, as voted by Habs fans, kicked off with Slovak forward Filip Mesar nabbing the 20th overall position. We continue our deep-dive into the future of the organization by taking a look at a player at the other end of the size spectrum, forward Luke Tuch.

As a reminder, to qualify for our list, Habs prospects must under 24 years old and have fewer than 75 NHL games under their belt.

19. Luke Tuch, Forward, Shoots Left, 23, Laval Rocket (AHL), 6’2″, 215 lb. Picked 47th overall in 2020.

The Laval Rocket enjoyed their best regular-season in franchise history, producing a 48-19-0-5 record thanks to excellent coaching by Pascal Vincent, as well as a very deep roster that featured a heightened level of talent throughout the lineup. This led to several draft picks having to watch parts of the season, not to mention the postseason, as healthy scratches.

Such is life when you are part of an organization that owns one of the best prospect pools in the NHL.

Luke Tuch’s Rookie Usage In The AHL

Tuch had to fight for his ice time, spending most of his games on the fourth line, alongside players like Jared Davidson, Florian Xhekaj, Lucas Condotta, and Vincent Aresneau. At times, he also played with Mesar and Rafael Harvey-Pinard, but generally speaking, the hard-working forward was used in a straightforward role by the head coach, with a focus on forechecking and physical play rather than scoring.

He finished the season with six goals and eight assists in 44 games, while having to deal with a significant injury in February that forced him to miss almost two months of action. In that time frame, players like Xhekaj and Davidson clearly surpassed him in the depth chart, despite being drafted significantly lower in their respective draft classes.

To be perfectly fair to Tuch, both Davidson and Xhekaj managed to capture lightning in a bottle, with the former finishing third in Rocket scoring with 24 goals and 21 assists, and the latter putting together one of the most impressive bottom-six scoring rates from a rookie forward franchise history, to the tune of 24 goals in 69 games.

If anything, they were the outliers, because scoring that often from the third and fourth line is a rare phenomenon in any professional hockey league, let alone the American Hockey League. And yet, the discrepancy in production does speak to how they managed to pass several fellow Canadiens prospects on the depth chart, including Tuch.

Some fans were disappointed that Tuch’s NCAA production in his final year with the Boston University Terriers, 10 goals and 20 assists in 39 games, did not translate to the AHL, but that was never a realistic expectation. Tuch played on Boston’s top line with Macklin Celebrini, while also having a certain defenceman named Lane Hutson on the back-end during most of his NCAA shifts.

What’s Next For Montreal Canadiens Prospect Luke Tuch

Even though he scored fewer points than Mesar, a player who certainly possesses more talent than Tuch, I would advise against giving up on the Baldwinsville native, at least for now.

Both players are facing an uphill battle to ascend to the NHL, but Tuch’s skill set and style of play should lead to more opportunities. Mesar probably needs to be used in a top-six role to unlock his true worth, whereas Tuch can play in a bottom-six role, a more realistic projection when discussing their long-term potential.

If either Davidson or Xhekaj manage to nab a roster spot with the Montreal Canadiens next season, Tuch should enjoy an uptick in usage in Laval, with his heavy forecheck and affinity for big hits being the driving force.

2025-26 will be the final year of his entry-level contract, putting a little more pressure on the 23-year-old prospect. A lack of clear improvements would signal that his time with the team may be coming to an end, whereas a surge in production could lead to another contract with the Montreal Canadiens.

 

Previously Published 2025 Montreal Canadiens Prospect Articles:

Canadiens Prospect Rankings: Introduction, 2024 Retrospective

Canadiens Prospect Rankings: The Departed And Traded

Canadiens Prospect Rankings: The Honourable Mentions

Canadiens Prospect Rankings No.20 – Filip Mesar

Do you agree or disagree with the Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings?  Let us know in the comments below!

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