Montreal Canadiens Top 30 Prospects Countdown: #29: Jacob LeGuerrier

Montreal Canadiens general manager has compiled a long list of prospects. We are counting down the top 30.

Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin has assembled a long list of solid prospects for the Habs cupboards. He has loaded up on picks for three straight drafts and has 14 more for next year’s event.

This has led to the team having one of the deepest and best groups of prospects in the league.

So, the team at A Winning Habit wanted to do a lengthy list of the team’s top prospects. First we thought it would be a top ten, but then realized some great players were left off so we expanded it to 20. We still had the same problem, so we decided on a top 30 prospects countdown.

The countdown started yesterday with Jack Gorniak taking the 30th spot on the list. Today, we continue the countdown with Jacob LeGuerrier coming in at number 29. The left defenceman has played his entire Ontario Hockey League career with the Soo Greyhounds and he was the final piece of a really big Habs trade.

The Canadiens dealt captain and leading goal scorer Max Pacioretty to the Vegas Golden Knights on the eve of the 2018-19 season. In exchange, they picked up Tomas Tatar, Nick Suzuki and a second round pick. That pick was later moved for third and fifth round picks.

With that 5th round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, the Habs selected Jacob LeGuerrier and now we have him ranked the Habs 29th best prospect.

Where we each had him ranked

Ken MacMillan: 27th

Sebastian High: 31st

Teddy Elliott: 24th

Scott Cowan: 29th

Before being drafted, LeGuerrier had scored six goals and 16 points in 68 games. This was an improvement on the zero goals and 11 points in 62 games he picked up for the Greyhounds the year before that.

Scoring isn’t the biggest aspect of his game. The 6’3″ and nearly 200 pound left shot defenceman is more of a defensive presence than a smooth skating power play quarterback.

Not that his skating is terrible, in fact it’s certainly above average, and he did improve his offensive output this past season with six goals and 31 points in 61 games. It’s just that his size and awareness lend itself to a smart defensive player.

LeGuerrier definitely has the size and defensive play that general manager Marc Bergevin has been looking for recently. His additions of Ben Chiarot and Joel Edmundson show he is interested in exactly the type of player LeGuerrier is.

The recent fifth round pick will turn 20 on November 22 so he is heading into his overage season in the OHL. The Canadiens will have to make a decision on whether to sign him or relinquish his rights at the end of that season.

LeGuerrier has the size and skating that make him an interesting prospect. If he can continue to trend in the right way offensively he will earn himself an entry-level contract at season’s end.