Montreal Canadiens prospects Hayden Verbeek had an impactful return to Greyhound’s lineup helping them defeat Owen Sound and advance to the next round.
The future of the Montreal Canadiens are standing strong in the 2018 OHL Playoffs. Will Bitten and the Hamilton Bulldogs have taken a long rest after clinching their ticket to the conference finals last week. Their series against the Kingston Frotenacs is set to begin Wednesday night and has the signs of being a hard-fought set of games against two top teams.
The good news doesn’t stop there, Hayden Verbeek‘s Sault. Ste. Marie Greyhounds are moving on as well. The 20-year-old was forced to sit out of both Games Five and Six after taking a hit to the head from Jacob Friend. After passing through the league’s concussion protocol, Verbeek was able to play in the final game of the seven and made sure to stand out.
Owen Sound got the lead thanks to Brett McKenzie‘s seventh of the playoffs in the first period. Then the chaos began. In the span of a minute, the Greyhounds scored three goals including Verbeek who netted his fourth of the playoffs.
WATCH THIS: Release the Hounds 🐶@OHLHoundPower score 3️⃣🚨 in the span of 1:01 with Noah Carroll, @Ryan_Roth88, @haydenverbeek providing the lead in Game 7 #OHLPlayoffs #SSMvsOS. pic.twitter.com/yLV17kY6Q5
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 17, 2018
It was an energetic game filled to the brim with offence, but at the final buzzer Sault. St. Marie had the edge winning it 9-7. Verbeek continues to give Montreal Canadiens fans something to look forward to. Not only did he contribute on the scoreboard but his aggressiveness and work ethic permeated throughout the roster.
Unfortunately, Verbeek and Bitten will be the only Habs prospects to track in the CHL for the time being. The playoffs have come to an end for the Moose Jaw Warriors after losing Game Seven on Monday. Josh Brook was back on defence after seeing the previous two games on the wing, but the team couldn’t get anything going losing 6-0. It’s a tough end to an otherwise solid season for the 2017 third-round pick. Fans got to see the many things that make Brook a special player and name in the Montreal Canadiens organization.
Next: The Strategy for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft
It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the playoffs shape up, and most importantly, who comes out of the OHL. If things work out well, it could be Habs prospect up against Habs prospect.