Riley Kidney Finding Another Gear with Gatineau Olympiques

Riley Kidney had 38 points in 33 regular season games in his draft year, a respectable line but nothing that jumps off the page. The Canadiens selected him in the second round of the 2021 NHL draft, 63rd overall, and he was considered to be a smart, 200-foot player that could be a solid middle-six forward at the NHL level. 

Since then, Kidney’s offensive production has shot way up, posting a 100-point season in 2021-22, and he is well on his way to doing that once again in 2022-23. But his production of late is more than just good. It’s incredible and a little unexpected. It’s hard to envision being able to improve upon a 100-point season, and yet the Canadiens prospect appears to be doing just that.

Earlier this season, Kidney was traded from the Acadie-Bathurst Titan to the Gatineau Olympiques, and it’s there where his offensive game has reached a new level. In 31 games with the Titan, Kidney had 45 points, which would’ve put him on pace for roughly 96 points in a full QMJHL season. That’s good but not something that will turn too many heads. In Gatineau, it took Kidney just 18 games to surpass 45 points. No, that is not a typo. It only took him 18 games. Over an entire QMJHL season, he would be on pace for 168 points, an astounding number.

Since the trade, Kidney has been held off the scoresheet just once, in his first game. This means Kidney is currently riding a 17-game point streak. The change of scenery is clearly helping the Habs prospect, something we have seen before. When Kaiden Guhle was drafted, many saw him as a shutdown defenseman with a limited offensive upside at the NHL level. However, after he was traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings, Guhle’s offensive game blossomed, leading to him being named the WHL playoffs MVP. Now, many people view Guhle as a potential top-pairing, two-way defenseman. Perhaps something similar is happening with Kidney.

In order for Kidney to become an effective player at the next level, he was going to need to improve on certain things. And it sounds as though the Canadiens’ skills coach Adam Nicholas is already helping him in some areas. That’s huge and could go a long way, not just for Riley Kidney but several other prospects as well. The development of prospects is perhaps the most critical thing in Montreal for the time being, so any indication of success in that department is incredibly positive. And this is why Kidney mentioning Adam Nicholas as having a significant impact on his development (referenced in the tweet above) music to Habs fans’ ears.

By all indications, it sounds as though Kidney could be turning pro at the conclusion of this QMJHL season, potentially joining Laval for a playoff run, if the Rocket are lucky enough to make it. That would be a valuable learning experience for the 2021 second-rounder, potentially learning how to play at the pro level. Of course, Kidney’s development is far from over, as several areas of his game could be improved upon, but this is an exciting sign about how prospect development might be changing for the Canadiens.