Montreal Canadiens: Three Prospects Entering “Prove-It” Seasons

Jesse Ylonen

Jesse Ylonen was drafted by the Canadiens in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft. That’s just four years ago, but the winger will be 23 before the upcoming season begins and he has a lot to prove yet at the pro level.

He is a smart, two-way winger and will likely have a lengthy pro career in North America if he wishes, but how far up an NHL lineup can he climb? There are some assets in his game that make him look like a goal scoring threat, but he hasn’t really translated that into results in the NHL, or even AHL, yet.

Ylonen arrived in North America to finish the 2020-21 season with the Laval Rocket. He scored nine goals and 17 points in 29 games. Last season, he split between the Habs and Rocket, scoring just two goals and five points in 14 NHL games, while putting up 14 goals and 36 points in 52 games in the minors.

Those are not terrible numbers by any stretch, and it was really Ylonen’s first full season in North America. However, he will be 23 before this coming season begins, and played pro in Finland before making the jump to the Montreal area.

If he can take advantage of a couple of injuries or trades at the NHL level and put up decent offensive numbers, he is going to cement himself a role with the big club for the foreseeable future. But, if he scored just 14 goals in 56 games again at the AHL level, the organization will start to wonder if he can ever be more than a defensive fourth liner at the NHL level.