The Montreal Canadiens have signed Sean Farrell to his entry-level contract, the club announced Sunday. Farrell will join the team on their upcoming two-game road trip, but Head Coach Martin St. Louis could not confirm if he would be in the lineup for either of those two games.
#Habs Martin St-Louis says at this point, he doesn't know if Sean Farrell will draw into the line-up for one of the two games on the road either in Buffalo or Philly.
— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) March 26, 2023
With Farrell signing in Montreal, it ends a fantastic college career for the Harvard Crimson, where Farrell was recently named the ECAC Player of the Year. In 34 games this season with the Crimson, he scored 53 points and proved he was ready for a league with more challenging competition.
The Canadiens prospect has been one of the best, if not the best, players in his respective league for a while now. In 2021, Farrell was named the USHL player of the year after he put up 101 points in just 53 games. At the Olympics in 2022, the 21-year-old led the Americans in scoring for the tournament, putting up six points in four games. It’s clear he has the skills to be a really good forward at the NHL level. In addition, he has excellent scoring ability, something the Canadiens have needed plenty of for a long time.
Sean Farrell makes it 5-3 Harvard and registers his 4th point of the night, 40th point of the season #GoHabsGo
— Costa Rontzocos (@Rontzeeez) February 11, 2023
CC: @HarvardMHockey pic.twitter.com/BpfQMI8FnW
Earlier this year, Scott Wheeler of the Athletic ranked the Canadiens as having the 11th-best prospect pool in the NHL. He had Sean Farrell ranked 2nd amongst Habs prospects, ahead of Owen Beck, Fillip Mesar, and Riley Kidney. Lane Hutson was ranked first, and Juraj Slafkovsky was not graded because he was considered “graduated” to the NHL. That’s not bad for a fourth-round pick.
And while it seems most Habs fans are high on Farrell, it appears as though we’re not alone in that thinking. Canadiens defenseman and former Northeastern Husky Jordan Harris had plenty of nice things to say about the newest signing.
#Habs Jordan Harris on Sean Farrell: "great player, great kid - like the nicest kid that there is. As a player, incredibly smart, shifty, a good playmaker. I don't think he gets enough credit for his shot, like his scoring ability... definitely an intelligent, savvy player."
— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) March 26, 2023
It’ll be very interesting to see where Farrell slots into the lineup over the next few days. With all the injuries in the lineup, the opportunity should be there for him. Farrell likely projects as a middle-six forward in the NHL who can also chip in on the powerplay. He’s crafty and skilled with the puck, both as a passer and scorer.
In other words, it would be wise for the Canadiens to give him that opportunity over the next nine games. With the games essentially meaningless from a “winning” standpoint, I hope to see Farrell get the chance to play a lot of minutes and earn some powerplay time as well.
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