Montreal Canadiens Top Prospects Countdown: #14 Josh Brook

By Ken MacMillan |

LAVAL, QC - DECEMBER 10: Josh Brook. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

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 been building through the draft for the past three years. It has resulted in the Habs having one of the deepest group of prospects in the league.

So, we have been counting down the Canadiens Top 30 prospects.

This started on November 1 with the 30th spot going to Jack Gorniak. The 29th spot went to Jacob LeGuerrier, the 28th place was taken by Otto Leskinen, 27th went to Rafael Harvey-Pinard, 26th was Jack Smith, 25th was Jacob Olofsson, 24th was Lukas Vejdemo, the 23rd spot went to Alexander Gordin, Blake Biondi came in at 22nd, Rhett Pitlick was 21st, Joni Ikonen began the top 20, Brett Stapley was number 19, Joel Teasdale was 18th, Gianni Fairbrother was 17th, Cam Hillis was 16th on our list and Luke Tuch was 15th.

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That all brings us to 14th on the list where we find Josh Brook. He might have been higher on this list a year ago, but that doesn’t mean he is trending in the wrong direction necessarily. Brook has all of the tools required to become a great defenceman at the NHL level. The problem is, he didn’t put it all together in his first pro season.

Brook was excellent in his Junior career with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League. He represented Canada at the World Under-17, World Under-18 and World Junior Tournaments before turning pro. Brook caught the Habs attention when he scored eight goals and 40 points in 69 games for the Warriors in 2016-17. He was a 17 year old right shot defenceman at that time and was taken in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft with the 56th overall selection.

Brook played two more seasons for the Warriors, scoring 32 points in 45 games in an injury plagued 2017-18 season before really breaking out the following year. He would lead all defencemen in scoring in the WHL with 16 goals and 75 points in 59 games.

Brook has good size at 6’1″ and 192 pounds, is a great skater, smooth stickhandler and great passer. He also possess a good, hard shot from the point, is never pushed around on the ice and reads plays well from a defensive standpoint. He literally has all the tools needed to be a fantastic pro defenceman.

Those skills weren’t always on full display in his first season with the Laval Rocket. Brook took more time than many anticipated to adjust to the pro game. He stated the season with just two goals and no assists in his first 19 games.

There was a noticable uptick in Brook’s play as the season went on. He worked with Rocket head coach Joel Bouchard to improve on the defensive side of the puck and slowly earned the trust of the respected bench boss.

Brook didn’t turn 21 until after the Rocket season ended, so it’s not like this season means it’s time to write off his abilities as a pro. Quite the contrary. Brook showed great improvement at both ends of the ice as the season went along, leaving fans excited about how much better he could be in year two of his pro career.

Of course, we have to be patient, as the AHL isn’t looking to return until February. When the Rocket do finally return to the ice, I’d expect to see a much improved Josh Brook on their blue line. A good sized right shot defenceman who can skate like the wind, handle the puck like a slick centre, hold his own in the defensive zone and win battles for pucks along the boards is an enticing package.

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If Brook can put it all together, he will become a force at the NHL level. He didn’t look great at times in 2019-20, but he did show he was on the right path as he improved his game throughout the season. If he can continue on that trajectory, he’ll be suiting up with the Montreal Canadiens in the near future.

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