Montreal Canadiens Prospects Ready to Embark on New Journeys with Other Teams

Several Montreal Canadiens prospects are anticipated to play for new teams next season as they prepare for the next stage of their hockey careers.

It’s a significant step, to say the least.

Making the transition from amateur to professional hockey can be difficult, since young players must compete against much older and more experienced opponents.

OHL Exodus

The Montreal Canadiens have a few intriguing players now competing in the Ontario Hockey League, including centre Owen Beck.

Beck is expected to seriously pursue a career in professional hockey. You’ll recall that Beck was recalled by the Canadiens on an emergency basis in 2022-23, so he’s technically made his professional debut.

He’ll be playing in the Memorial Cup again, as his team, the Saginaw Spirit, will host the tournament in 2024. Much has been made of Beck’s scoring ability; however, his increased scoring rate in the second half of the season should alleviate the issue.

While the NHL remains a possibility, Beck might spend some time with the Laval Rocket in the AHL to familiarize himself with the playbook.

Forward Filip Mesar is extremely likely to join him in the AHL, despite he has already played two seasons of professional hockey in Slovakia before the Canadiens selected him 26th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He also appeared in two games for the Rocket previous season, but head coach Jean-Francois Houle quickly determined that he was unprepared for the rigours of an entire AHL season.

Mesar had a successful season with the Kitchener Rangers, finishing with 52 points in 45 games. That’s a 1.16-point per-game scoring pace, which is slightly lower than Beck’s output last season, when some argued he lacked the scoring touch required to succeed in professional hockey.

I started recording before the goal because Beck was taking the faceoff.

This is what he brings to the table.

He'll get you a scoring chance with just a few seconds left in the period.

He didn't get a point in the scoring play, but his value is clear: pic.twitter.com/2m9S93I0Tg

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 2, 2024

His defensive performance improved, as did his effort level, but given that he is one of the few prospects in the system who is thought to be primarily an offensive talent, his overall production was rather disappointing.

On that topic, Mesar appears to be the type of player who will thrive in an environment populated by professional teammates with a somewhat greater level of ice awareness. Better anticipation from linemates should result in more scoring possibilities for the young Slovak, but he must maintain the same level of effort throughout each shift. This entails participating in board battles and moving to filthy areas on the ice to capitalize on second-chance scoring opportunities.

Decision Time

Florian Xhekaj can return to the OHL to play another season with the Brantford Bulldogs, but he will also attend the Montreal Canadiens development camp, which might lead to an invitation to the Laval Rockets training camp if things go well.

In all likely, he will play in the OHL, but there is always the possibility that he may impress Houle because he is the type of player who sticks out because to his hard work and underappreciated scoring ability.

Cedrick Guindon is another prospect whose final destiny is unknown, but unlike Xhekaj, he has not been offered a contract by the Habs. Kent Hughes has until June 1, 2024, to offer Guindon an entry-level contract.

Guindon has 78 goals and 107 assists in 204 games for the Owen Sound Attack over the course of four seasons. That equals 0.91 points per game, which is less than Mesar’s 1.06 points each game. In that spirit, it’s difficult to argue that Guindon is one of the most important scoring possibilities, but we must also remember that he was selected in the fourth round rather than the first round, so expectations should be lower.

#GoHabsGo prospect Cedrick Guindon's goal versus Saginaw during game 1: pic.twitter.com/o6l5gGVqyK

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) March 29, 2024

Unfortunately, Guindon’s output tends to dry up in the last stretch of the season, making selecting whether to offer him a contract more difficult.

We could see him follow in the footsteps of Jared Davidson, who chose to sign a one-year contract with the Laval Rocket last season over an entry-level deal with the Montreal Canadiens.

NCAA Input

Most expect Lane Hutson to begin the season with the Montreal Canadiens.

His brief but effective audition with the team in the final two games of the season provided plenty of evidence to suggest he should be able to earn a roster place in the NHL, but given the defensive depth chart, don’t be surprised if Hutson is relegated to the AHL. He is not waiver eligible, therefore he might be sent to the AHL to give the organization more time to figure out their best blue-line configuration in the NHL. It’s also possible that he’ll be loaned to the Rocket to work on some of the finer nuances required to flourish in professional hockey.

Luke Tuch, on the other hand, is virtually certainly going to start the season in Laval, where he can adjust to the lack of time and space. He played two games with the Canadiens’ AHL club this season, and although not being listed on the scoresheet, he did not appear out of place.

European vacation

David Reinbacher, like Logan Mailloux, is a highly ranked defenseman who will have the opportunity to earn a spot in the NHL during training camp.

Again, the logjam exists, and there is little doubt that Reinbacher must improve his execution speed if he wants to become a top pairing defenseman, which means he will most likely be assigned to the Rocket, where he can play significant minutes in all situations.

The good news is that, after a rough season with Kloten HC in the NL, Reinbacher flipped the script when he came in the AHL. He scored on his first attempt and finished his 11-game debut with two goals and three assists. More importantly, his gap control and placement were far superior to what we witnessed while he played in Europe.