The Montreal Canadiens lost one of their prospects in Hayden Verbeek to injury that saw his season in the OHL Playoffs come to an end.
The CHL playoffs had five Montreal Canadiens prospects in it to start. Later on, Hayden Verbeek and Alexandre Alain joined the organization bringing the total to seven. However, as the playoffs continued, those players found themselves on the elimination side while two saw injuries cut their season’s short.
Scott Walford failed to play a single game for the Victoria Royals who made it to the second round. Verbeek and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds kept their mantle as the OHL’s best team. Their journey took them all the way to the J. Ross Robertson Cup Final. Unfortunately, Verbeek wasn’t with them on the ice.
The 20-year-old was forced to miss two games in the second round after taking a hit to the head. What took Verbeek out of the playoffs entirely was a broken wrist. The young centre sustained the injury in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final after jamming it into the boards. An article by the Sault Star provided more information on it including the fact that Verbeek broke it in two places.
You can only imagine the frustration he must’ve felt from that. Seeing as it was his overage season in the OHL, that was Verbeek’s last shot to compete for both an OHL Championship and Memorial Cup. There’s no guarantee that the Greyhounds would’ve defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs had he played, but they would’ve had a better chance.
The next step for Verbeek will be in July when the Montreal Canadiens have their development camp. The same article included a quote from Ontario native expressing his desire to take part.
"I’m going there, no matter what. I’ll be on the ice, but right now I’m unsure about competing in scrimmages."
Getting healthy will be the most important thing for him moving forward. Big things could come for Verbeek in the Habs organization and that journey will start in the fall.
Next: Habs Are Still Holders of National Recognition
In Case You Missed It
Gold medal is the perfect present for Jacob de La Rose
Jacob de La Rose walked away from the 2018 World Hockey Championships a year older and with a gold medal.
Montreal Canadiens are still the holders of national NHL recognition
With the Winnipeg Jets having being eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens are still the last Canadian team to hoist a cup.
Cale Fleury’s attempts turned aside in Memorial Cup loss
The Regina Pats got close but couldn’t overcome the early deficit handed to them by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
If the Vegas Golden Knights are rigged, so were the Montreal Canadiens
Many are starting to say that Vegas was rigged to have success this season. Well if it’s the case, then the Habs were rigged to have a different fate.