Montreal Canadiens: Top 31 Prospects – #27 Rhett Pitlick

Montreal Canadiens fans don’t get a lot of breaking news in the month of August so here at A Winning Habit, we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 31 prospects currently in the Habs organization.  Each player was carefully deliberated by our writers and ranked accordingly.  Today we continue with the 27th ranked prospect, Rhett Pitlick.

Rhett Pitlick, the son of former NHL defenseman Lance Pitlick, was selected by the Canadiens in the 5th round of the 2019 NHL Draft. At the time, the 5’9”, 161 lb left winger was coming off a short but impressive stint with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League, in which he had put up five points in seven games during the 2018-19 season.

The 131st overall pick would continue to average close to a point-per-game throughout his run in the USHL.  In addition to his time in Omaha, Pitlick played with Muskegon and Tri-City while adding two inches and ten pounds to his frame.

Rhett followed in the footsteps of his brother, current Hab Rem Pitlick, and attended the University of Minnesota. Upon his arrival, he was a solid contributor as a freshman, putting up five goals and 13 assists for 18 points in 30 games.  The younger Pitlick followed that up by taking another step forward in his sophomore season in the NCAA, racking up 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points in 40 games on the nation’s top offense.  By all accounts, he has shown steady improvement in all areas of his game year to year.  Pitlick should have an excellent opportunity to play an expanded role in the Golden Gophers attack in his upcoming junior year with the departure of teammates Logan Cooley and Matthew Knies, two of the team’s top three scorers last season.

The Canadiens seem to like their Pitlicks with Rhett and Rem’s cousin Tyler, also having briefly played for Montreal in 2022.  In keeping with the family tradition, Rhett plays very similar to Rem in that he skates well and competes hard but also has some high-end offensive ability.  His speed and quickness are well suited for the pace required to stick at the highest level, and if he can add another layer of grit, Pitlick has the tools to be a solid utility player who can fill a role in the bottom six of a lineup.  He also has more than enough skill to chip in some offense and contribute on special teams.

The odds of a 5th-round pick reaching the NHL are low, so it will certainly be an uphill battle for Rhett Pitlick to get there, but given his bloodline, I would not bet against him.