Montreal Canadiens: Standouts from the 2018 Rookie Tournament

Jesperi Kotkaniemi

As great as it would’ve been to see Kotkaniei completely dominate out there, it was also pretty unlikely. Any European player will tell you that the transition to the smaller ice surface isn’t a joke, and it was something the 18-year-old had to go through as the tournament went on. What always stood out about him was his ability to anticipate the play before it came to be and the faster-required reaction time got to Kotkaniemi early.

Those Ottawa Players, especially Brady Tkachuk, took the body to him which may have been another concern. However, Kotkaniemi being a target used his skill to play around those hits and drew a decent amount of penalties for the Montreal Canadiens. On a positive note, his play away from the puck was fairly sound, especially his positioning.

Game Two against the Leafs was a lot better, and he made more of those passing player we often saw overseas. A pair in particular on the power play were very impressive. And it also ties into his primary assist on T.J. Melancon’s goal to bring the Habs within one. More of those are sure to be seen at training camp once he gets further used to the speed of the game.

Josh Brook

Brook is such a delight to watch when he carries the puck. He was definitely a standout on defence for both games. The 2017 second-round pick looked very poised on the backend for the Montreal Canadiens, and I especially liked the way he contributed to zone entries. During the Leafs game, Brook had a pair of moments where he would carry the puck out of his end and dish it to the winger on the right waiting along the offensive blueline. The first time didn’t work, but Brook ended up with the puck again and this time past it to the player on the left and this time it worked.

Considering how important zone entries are nowadays, seeing that was big for me. Brook was playing with a lot more confidence, and that’s something to help improve his game even further.