Montreal Canadiens Prospect Update

The Montreal Canadiens are among the best team’s in the NHL standings early in the season. They also have a bright future with many great prospects in the system.

The Montreal Canadiens have not turned many top prospects into full time National Hockey League players recently. However, there is a glut of young players in the minor leagues waiting to take the next step.

The Canadiens are off to a great 9-1-1 starts this season. After last night’s absolute debacle of a game, most fans are focusing on the one regulation loss that the team has been dealt in 11 games. This morning, we are going to shine a light on the future of the Montreal Canadiens organization.

Charles Hudon

The Canadiens got themselves a steal of a pick with the 122nd selection in the 2012 NHL Draft. Charles Hudon was playing for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens at the time, and has quickly developed into one of the American Hockey League’s best players.

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In ten games this season, Hudon has scored seven goals and ten points. He scored 28 goals and 53 points in 67 AHL games last season. Hudon was also called up to the Canadiens for three games last season and chipped in with two assists.

It was a short audition for the now 22-year-old forward. It was a bit of a head scratching decision not to bring him back up. The team was abysmal for the last four months of the season and refused to give an opportunity to one of their top scoring minor league players.

Now that he is leading the AHL in goals, it shouldn’t be long before the Canadiens are calling up Hudon once again. I think Hudon will finish the year on one of the Habs top three lines. He is a dependable two-way forward and would be an excellent fit on a second or third line with the Canadiens already.

Nikita Scherbak

Taken in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft, the Russian winger played one more year of Junior with the Everett Silvertips before turning pro last season. Though he struggled to produce offence for the St. John’s Ice Caps last year, he is making up for it with a great start this season.

Scherbak scored just seven goals in 48 AHL games last season. He will likely tie that mark this weekend, as he already has six goals and nine points in ten contests this season. He is a very skilled offensive winger. Though he took a little time to develop his offensive game in the AHL, he is back on track this season.

Scherbak isn’t likely to get a look this season with the Canadiens. They already have Alex Radulov, Brendan Gallagher and Andrew Shaw on the right side. However, Radulov has moved to left wing at times and there will of course be injuries in the future.

I can’t see Scherbak being a full-time NHL player this season, unless his 0.60 goals per game pace continues with the Ice Caps for a long stretch. Having said that, he is looking like a future top six winger for the Canadiens, which is exactly what they expected from him when they drafted him.

Michael McCarron

Michael McCarron is making a successful transition to center right now with the Ice Caps. He is yet to score a goal this season, but has six assists in eight games. He scored 17 goals and 38 points with the Ice Caps last season, and was summoned to the Habs for 20 games.

McCarron hasn’t been put in a primary offensive role for the Ice Caps. He is playing second and even third line and being put in more of a shutdown role than a scoring role. He continues to improve his skating and defensive skills and is turning into a two-way center.

A 6’6″ player who can play center and be trusted in defensive situations is a valuable commodity. Though he received a lengthy audition last season, I think McCarron will stay in the minors for most of this season.

Barring injury, the Canadiens have Alex Galchenyuk, Tomas Plekanec and David Desharnais down the middle. Although Plekanec and Desharnais are struggling this season, their contracts are going to keep them with the Canadiens.

This is an unfortunate situation for McCarron, but he has a great chance to be the third line center next season, once Desharnais’ contract finally expires.

Sven Andrighetto

Sven Andrighetto made the Canadiens out of training camp. However, before playing a single game he was placed on waivers and sent to the Ice Caps. I was sure he would be claimed, but he snuck through and is now lighting up the AHL.

Andrighetto was recently named the AHL’s player of the week. He has nine points in eight games with the Ice Caps this season. The native of Switzerland scored 23 points in 26 AHL contests last season and chipped in 17 points in 44 games with the Canadiens as well.

I was surprised Andrighetto was returned to the minors when he was sent down. I won’t be surprised to see him get called up in the near future to try and bring some offence to the Canadiens lineup.

Charlie Lindgren

Charlie Lindgren was signed out of College late last season, He played an NHL game with the Canadiens as their awful season was coming to a close. Lindgren was in the NHL for the first three games of the season as Carey Price was out with the flu.

Lindgren is undefeated in five starts for the Ice Caps this season. The 22-year-old goaltender is sporting a 2.38 goals-against average and .932 save percentage. The Ice Caps are relying on him heavily to help them win games. They have won all five games he played and lost all four games he hasn’t played.

It’s still early in his pro career, but Lindgren looks like he could be a reliable NHL goaltender in the near future. He had a 2.13 GAA and .925 SV% with St. Cloud State last season and could be the new backup goaltender for the Canadiens next season.

Not all good news when looking at Habs prospects

The Ice Caps are also getting solid production from Chris Terry and Mark Barberio. At age 27 and 26 respectively, they aren’t really prospects anymore.

A few Canadiens young prospects have been disappointing with the Ice Caps so far this season. Jacob De la Rose looked like a full-time NHL player two seasons ago, but finds himself in the AHL once again. He has just one assist in six games this season.

Stefan Matteau has scored five points in eight games with the Ice Caps. He and De la Rose could be NHL players again in the future. However, both are looking like nothing more than fourth line wingers at this point in their careers.

Zach Fucale struggled in a pair of games with the Ice Caps and was sent to the ECHL’s Brampton Beast. In two games there, he is sporting awful numbers and starting to look like he has no chance of an NHL future.

Noah Juulsen

Noah Juulsen is having a great bounce back season with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League.In his final Junior season, the defenceman has 11 points in 12 games. He lagged offensively last season, scoring just 28 points, after scoring 52 points the season prior.

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Juulsen is the number one defenceman on one of the top teams in Junior hockey. He will need at least one full season of AHL experience before becoming an NHL defenceman. It could be a few years before we see him in Montreal. However, it’s great to see the former first round pick back on track.