Montreal Canadiens: We Underestimated Victor Mete

After the Montreal Canadiens initial usage of prospect Victor Mete at training camp, it looks like we may have overlooked how well he’s progressed.

The Montreal Canadiens have been critiqued for a lot of things over the years. Lack of playoff success and lack of goal-scoring have been at the forefront. Another thing the Habs are apparently “not good at” is drafting talent.

Looking at what Montreal has in the system, and that critique is pretty laughable. To name a few: Will Bitten in the OHL, Joni Ikonen in Europe, and Ryan Poehling in the NCAA. Additionally, the Habs’ AHL affiliate is stacked, and most consist of drafted talent.

There’s already a good chance that Charles Hudon makes the team out of camp. He’s been matched up with Tomas Plekanec and Artturi Lehkonen, and has been receiving praise from the coaching staff. Hudon is has tremendous skill and was a 5th round pick.

Another player who has stood out at camp is Victor Mete. It’s been a shock to a lot of Habs fans as Mete has been paired with Shea Weber so far at practice. What makes it even better is that this isn’t just a free trial. Julien mentioned Friday that if Mete deserves to make the team he will.

Related Story: Updates From Training Camp

Who honestly had Mete as a possible prospect to make the team? A lot of people had Noah Juulsen or Martin Rèway pushing for a spot, but not Mete. Another year in junior with the London Knights was the likely destination for him.

It makes you wonder how much we’ve overlooked him in the line-up. Obviously no one was saying that he would be a bust, but to be considered as an option at 19 on the top pair is very impressive.

Growing His Game

Ironically, when Mete was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2016, the first thing we noticed was his size. Nowadays it’s pretty taboo to be an undersized defenceman in the NHL, but the skills he had more than compensated for it.

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He can move the puck, is a phenomenal skater, and has great offensive instincts. He can put up points with a shot, or set up his teammates with a great pass. Additionally, with the way he can move, jumping up in the play is no problem. Again because of how well he thinks the game, he understands when the right to time to do it is.

It’s not all offence with Mete though. He’s shored up his defensive game over the years, so much so that London was playing him on the penalty kill. Fast forward to the Rookie Tournament, and his efforts on the ice hasn’t fallen a bit.

So now we get to a possible top pair of Mete and Weber. Could that work? Ya actually, the way each of them play could compliment each other’s style well. Weber is a solid force that could support Mete whenever he wanted to join a rush or was ever pushed off the puck. Andrei Markov set up a handful of Weber’s goals last season, and there’s no telling why Mete couldn’t fill that role.

Right now the Toronto-native is five-foot-ten and 181 pounds. We’ll have to wait until the preseason games start to see how well Mete stands up against other NHL talent. If it’s not this year, then it’ll definitely be next. Victor Mete will be on the Montreal Canadiens.

Next: Hudon in the Top Nine

Did you think Mete was so far along? Will he make the team? Let us know your thoughts down below!