Montreal Canadiens: Sean Farrell Sets Team Scoring Record in USHL

Montreal Canadiens prospect Sean Farrell fell a bit in his draft, but he is starting to look like a fantastic pick for general manager Marc Bergevin.

While Farrell was ranked by most to go in the second or maybe third round of the 2020 NHL Draft, the Canadiens selected him with the 124th overall pick, in the fourth round.

Farell was also selected first overall in the 2019 USHL Draft by the Chicago Steel. While it remains to be seen how well much production the Canadiens get out of their pick, the Steel have gotten more than they ever could have imagined from their first overall pick.

Farell stepped right into the Steel lineup last season and was terrific. He scored 15 goals and 56 points in 44 games, averaging just under an assist per game with 41 on the season. He led the league in helpers and was among the top scorers in USA’s best Junior hockey league.

While last season was impressive for the Hopkinton, Massachusetts native he has been far better this year.

He originally believed he would be playing college hockey this season with Harvard. However, the global pandemic cancelled the hockey season for the school, so Farrell chose to return to the Chicago Steel for a second season. He is making the most of it.

The 19 year old has played left wing and centre this season, but he scored from everywhere. With a goal last night, he moved up to 22 goals and 70 points in 36 games. He leads the league in points and is nine ahead of the player in second. His 48 assists are an incredible 18 more than the next highest playmaker in the league and he is third in the league in goals.

On Friday night, he scored his 125th career point for the Steel and became the all-time leader in team history.

He had already taken over the team lead in all-time assists, and not surprisingly, his frequent linemate Matt Coronato is the team’s all-time leader in goals. Both are committed to Harvard next season and it will be fun to watch their chemistry on display at the next level.

Farrell had played parts of two seasons in the USHL before joining the Steel while he was playing for the United States Development Team. In total, he has 115 assists and 164 points in 141 games. He still has 17 games left this season and if he continues at his current rate, he will finish with the third most career assists in USHL history.

The league was founded in 1979, so we aren’t talking about a new startup league here.

A lot of teams are going to be looking back at the 2020 NHL Drafts and wondering why they didn’t take a chance on Farrell when they had the opportunity in the third round.