Top 5 Montreal Canadiens Defense Prospects

Today’s top 5 features the best defensive prospects out of the Montreal Canadiens system.

5.  Brendon Nash- A mobile, two-way defenseman, Nash is able to facilitate the rush, and likes to pinch in to generate offense. He excels on the powerplay. Nash is sometimes guilty of being caught out of position in his own zone or being overly aggressive.He has the talent to play as a top 4 defenceman in the league, but will have to wait a few years before he gets a chance with the Habs. He had a great year with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, which helped him get noticed by Pierre Gauthier. He should get a chance to prove his worth during the pre-season.

4. Jarred Tinordi- At 6’7, 212 pounds, he is obviously a physical force. He had 140 penalty minutes last season with the London Knights of the OHL, but only had one goal in 63 games. He does not have much offensive abilities, and with his size, he can be compared to Hal Gil. He is very solid defensively, a big reason why he is usually a + player. In the NHL, he will be used as a top 4 shutdown defenceman. He is a natural born leader, which is evident by him being the captain of the USNTDP U-18 team this season and the U-17 team the second half of last season. His leadership will help him develop into an everyday NHL player.

Yannick Weber,Thanks to Seanbellonline.com

3. Yannick Weber- You all know that I’m a big fan of Weber’s. He Has great offensive instincts, and he plays the defense posiston very well. His big point shot and ability to run the power play are his best attributes. Someday, he will be Montreal’s top powerplay quarterback due to his outstanding ability to run the back end. weber and PK Subban are both young, and are the future of the Canadiens defense. Both have a great amount of talent, and should be a fixture in the NHL for a long time.

2. Alexi Yemelin- Yemelin’s experience abroad and style of play should position him as a viable NHL defenseman in the near future. Playing against men since 2003-2004, he has had a long time to develop. According to former Canadiens goalie Yann Danis, who played in the KHL  last season, Yemelin was the best defenceman on AK Bars Kazan. In addition to being a tough, gritty defenseman who excels in the physical side of the game, Yemelin’s offensive production has risen drastically in recent years. Yemelin was a mainstay on the blue line for Kazan, winning back-to-back Gagarin Cups as KHL champions.   He has been arguably the best player at Habs training camp, wrecking any player that makes the mistake of getting within twenty feet of him. He’s going to have to beat out some tough competion to make the team, but he is defiantly one of the favorites.

1. Nathan Beaulieu- The Canadiens picked Beaulieu in the first round of the 2011 draft for a reason: He’s good. Beaulieu has the potential to be a top line defenseman in the NHL. In 65 games for the Sea Dogs, Beaulieu duplicated his output of the previous season, where he scored 12 goals and added 33 assists for 45 points, scoring 12 goals and adding 33 assists for 45 points. Beaulieu played for Team Orr at the 2011 CHL Home Hardware Top Prospects Game, scoring 1 goal in Orr’s 7-1 win over Team Cherry. As well as quarterbacking the play from the blue line, Beaulieu is a highly mobile defenseman, who carries the puck well and can make things happen on the rush. He is smart about limiting the amount of chances he takes. He is still developing physically. Beaulieu is equally adept shooting and distributing the puck.

Montreal is lucky to have some outstanding defense prospects to compliment the defense already on the big club.

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