Habs Prospects

Montreal Canadiens Top 20 Prospects – Vote Comparison

Published

5 months ago

August 27, 2025

We’ve reached the end of our 2025 Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings, with over 25 articles published, 30,000 words written, and nearly 10,000 fan votes counted.

The incredibly skilled Ivan Demidov took the top spot in our rankings, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given his elite skill set. As a reminder, Lane Hutson was not eligible for this year’s rankings, as he has already established himself as a full-time NHL player, rather than a prospect.

ON TOPIC: Canadiens Prospect Rankings – The Gifted Ivan Demidov

Several members of the community asked me to post my personal rankings, and while I have no issue doing so, I would like to remind everyone that the most important list was built by the fans. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to read my opinion on prospects in the upcoming season, but as far as I know, this is the only fan-driven Habs prospect rankings available on the internet.

In other words, my opinion is but a drop of water in the prospect bucket.

Montreal Canadiens Prospect List Comparison – Top 10

Habs fans listed the same top five as I did, however, I was a little more bullish on Michael Hage’s potential impact in the NHL, whereas the community opted to place David Reinbacher in the No.2 spot.

There’s a healthy chance Reinbacher will eventually prove me wrong, but I simply can’t ignore everything Hage brings to the table. He’s the epitome of a dynamic player, and that fits into Montreal’s style of play perfectly.

Of course, Reinbacher is one of the most mobile defencemen in the organization, connoting that he too will eventually fit in with the team’s preferred style of play. While some point to Reinbacher eventually becoming a top pairing defenceman, I believe he has top four potential, which is still a very respectable ceiling for any defensive prospect.

When I watch Hage in action while playing for the Wolverines, not only am I highly entertained, but I can also easily see his skill set translating to the professional level. His speed of execution, nose for the net, and ability to send opposing defencemen into the nether realm with his fantastic dangles are exactly what I look for in a prospect who may one day play in the top six.

Hage is on FIRE! His first career goal and he has points on EVERY Michigan goal this weekend pic.twitter.com/UeNc4IaDej

— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) October 5, 2024

Beyond Hage, it’s quite clear that I have more faith in a few Laval Rocket players, including Joshua Roy and Adam Engstrom. In my opinion, some fans were seduced by the shiny new toy factor that comes into play after every draft, whereas Engstrom and Roy have already established their ability to flourish in the AHL, a significant step toward becoming an NHLer.

Again, I could very well be wrong, but I tend to put a little more stock into players who have already jumped over that rather tall hurdle.

Montreal Canadiens Prospect List Comparison – 11-20

As for the bottom half of the top 20, there were several significant discrepancies between our lists. I saw the same highlight videos as everyone else, but I’m not quite convinced L.J. Mooney deserves a spot just outside the top 10. The main driving factor behind my decision is that he’s well suited for playing on a team’s top line, but a middle-six or fourth-line assignment seems to be out of his wheelhouse, limiting the opportunities he’ll have to one day earn a roster spot.

Both Aatos Koivu and Vinzenz Rohrer were a little lower in the community rankings, while towering forward Hayden Paupanekis was much higher. I understand why fans are excited about Paupanekis, he has a very impressive frame, and is overflowing with raw potential. The upcoming season will go a long way in establishing whether he managed to add a little more finesse to his game.

The only new prospect who cracked my list is defenceman Owen Protz, a player who absolutely loves stocking the violence buffet. For what it’s worth, Protz was ranked just outside the top 20 in the community vote.

I debated whether Bryce Pickford deserved the final spot on my list, but eventually settled on an agreement with the community by giving 2022 first-round pick Filip Mesar the No.20 ranking.