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Montreal Canadiens: 7 Habs Headlines From Past 7 Days

By Sebastian High

Feb 1, 2021; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens Josh Anderson Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 1, 2021; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens Josh Anderson Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
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AMHERST, MA – JANUARY 17: Luke Tuch #11 of the Boston University Terriers skates against the Massachusetts Minutemen during NCAA men’s hockey at the Mullins Center on January 17, 2021 in Amherst, Massachusetts. The Terriers won 4-2. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)
AMHERST, MA – JANUARY 17: Luke Tuch #11 of the Boston University Terriers skates against the Massachusetts Minutemen during NCAA men’s hockey at the Mullins Center on January 17, 2021 in Amherst, Massachusetts. The Terriers won 4-2. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) /

3. Luke Tuch

For transparency’s sake, I was not a big fan of the Luke Tuch selection on draft day, unlike the following selection of Jan Mysak. I knew fairly little of the younger Tuch brother; I had him pigeonholed as a gritty, physical power forward who struggled to produce with the USNTDP; he did not feature on my top-100 prospects list. I would have much preferred for the Canadiens to select one of Sean Farrell (who they nabbed with the final pick of the 4th round), Anton Johannesson, Daniil Gushchin and Tristen Robins.

What Luke Tuch has demonstrated through his first 8 NCAA games has melted away many of the reservations I had of the selection; he has scored 4 goals and 7 points as a freshman. Tuch is tied for the team-lead in goals scored and is second in points, first place belongs to David Farrance who has only played 6 games and has 14 points… as a 21-year-old defenseman; what(!?), the Predators got a gem in the 3rd round in 2017, wow.

Back to Tuch, he doubled his season output in goals last weekend against Boston College, the top team in the NCAA; oh, and those two goals came against a certain Spencer Knight.

The goals were the result of Tuch’s smart positioning and willingness to drive the net, two characteristics that the Canadiens certainly appreciate and value. While Alex Tuch plays a more skillful game, Luke is grittier and has a physical edge that even his brother doesn’t possess. If Luke can become half the player his brother has been for the Vegas Golden Knights, the Habs should not regret making his selection in the 2nd round of the 2020 Draft; on the contrary, they’ll have gotten themselves a steal.

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