Montreal Canadiens: Jan Mysak, Arber Xhekaj Easily Advance in OHL Playoffs

The Montreal Canadiens season may have come to a close last night, but there are plenty of Habs prospects to keep an eye on throughout the month of May.

Kaiden Guhle is embarking on what should be a long postseason in the WHL. Joshua Roy and Riley Kidney are putting the finishing touches on QMJHL seasons where they scored over 100 points. Joe Vrbetic is playing goal for one of the best OHL teams in the postseason.

The Laval Rocket are going to play in their first ever playoff series quite soon. A handful of Habs players should be heading to the World Championships.

The two players with the best odds of winning a championship in their current league are probably Jan Mysak and Arber Xhekaj. The pair are playing big roles for the Hamilton Bulldogs in the OHL who finished first in the Eastern Conference.

Mysak was playing first line centre early in the season before the Bulldogs acquired Mason McTavish who was the third overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. Mysak then shifted to the wing on that top line but sometimes slides back to the middle to give the Bulldogs a terrific one-two punch down the middle.

The Czech Republic forward scored 34 goals and 64 points in 61 games for the Bulldogs this season.

Arber Xhekaj was signed by the Canadiens as an undrafted free agent at the beginning of this season. He plays a terrifying, physical game as he punishes opponents with his 6’4″ and 225 pound frame. He scored 34 points in 51 games chipping in as much offensively as he does defensively.

The bulldogs were supposed to easily take care of business in the first round of the OHL Playoffs, and they did. They disposed of the Peterborough Petes in four straight games, with Mysak putting up four assists and Xhekaj scored two goals and three points.

The pair of Habs prospects are on a loaded Bulldogs team that outscored its opponent 24-9 in the opening round sweep. They will likely get the winner of the Mississauga Steelheads and Barrie Colts series, and the Bulldogs will once again be huge favourites in that second round series.

It is too bad we won’t get to watch the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs again this year. But there are plenty of Habs prospects going on playoff runs that we can keep a close eye on.

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