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’re onto the 11th-ranked player, Riley Kidney.
The Habs selected centre/winger Riley Kidney in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft, after he posted above point per game numbers (38 points in 35 regular season games) during his rookie season in the QMJHL with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan. He then followed up his impressive campaign, with a brilliant playoff performance, scoring 17 points (2 goals and 15 assists) through nine games. Kidney, showed a glimpse of what was ahead, and it looked awfully promising.
A playmaker with a sneaky shot, Kidney is very deceptive, looking off defenders until the last second, then slinging a perfectly placed saucer pass to his linemate. His skating and brilliant stick work are the driver of his game, and while he could stand to use his shot more, he is a point producer, and he has shown his consistency during the two seasons following his draft selection. Kidney posted back to back 100 point seasons (100 and 110), and has become one of the Canadiens more intriguing prospects at forward.
Kidney was traded from the Titan to the Gatineau Olympiques in the middle of the ’22-’23 season, as the Olympiques were loading up for a deep playoff run. He wasted no time getting back to his point producing ways, scoring 65 points in 29 games, and then another 22 points in 13 playoff games. He also played three games on Canada’s U20 team, helping them to a Gold Medal.
Both Kidney and fellow Quebec League, Canadiens prospect Joshua Roy are ready to make the jump to the professional ranks with Laval this season. Should Kidney show up to camp and impress, he could play himself into the Rocket top-six, and play amongst some of the Habs brightest prospects. A player with the toolkit of Kidney would be a welcomed addition, having a finisher like Roy or Emil Heineman on his line could help him acclimate to the AHL, and resume his productive ways.
Leading the QMJHL last season in assists with 70, there’s little question where Kidney is most effective, so getting the puck on his stick might be a good idea. His ability to play both wing and centre make him even more valuable, and if he can beef up a bit, he could possibly push for a spot with the Habs next year.
Ranked at 11th on our countdown of the top 31 prospects, Kidney will definitely have the Habs brass watching him closely, and a rise in his ranking ahead of next season isn’t out of the question.
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