Montreal Canadiens: Emil Heineman, Joshua Roy, Jesse Ylonen Will Fix Lack Of Scoring Depth

The Montreal Canadiens have long struggled on the powerplay, and it has created debate amongst the faithful fans, as to whether it’s the coaching or personnel that’s the issue. It’s a bit of both, and it can’t be blamed solely on one element, especially considering it’s been an issue for some time. Now that the Canadiens top six has some firepower, there’s hope for the scoring from the top of the lineup.

But with the top six addressed for the most part, the questions arise about depth scoring, and whether or not it will see an improvement. Mike Hoffman, Rem Pitlick, Chris Tierney and the lack of consistency on the scoresheet have left for other clubs, and with that, some spots have opened up in the lineup. With Rafael Harvey-Pinard almost certainly a lock for the Habs roster, barring a drastic set of events, there is a trio of players who are looking to carve out a role with the Canadiens, and each of them has some translatable tools that should benefit the offensive attack.

With the runway, and longer leash that Martin St Louis gives his players, and management sharing the same vision, the offensive players should feel confident in trying to make plays, which has translated well for the Canadiens premiere talents. The secondary scoring has stalled for the most part, with journeymen filling out the bottom six, in place of the youth, thanks to previous management’s poor development. Now there’s a clean slate and some opportunities available for the young guys to grab and run with.

Each of the three players that will be mentioned below has intriguing toolkits, especially when you consider how starved the Canadiens have been for goalscoring outside of their top six.

Emil Heineman

Emil Heineman is the lone player on the list who wasn’t drafted by the Canadiens but was acquired via trade from the Calgary Flames along with Tyler Pitlick, a 2022 first, and a 2025 fifth-round pick in exchange for Tyler Toffoli. This marked the second time that the Leksand, Sweden native was traded, as he was originally drafted by the Florida Panthers in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft, but they dealt him to the Flames for Sam Bennett. He has spent his time overseas in the Swedish Hockey League with Leksands IF since his selection.

In Sweden, Heineman worked on his speed, strength and shot, all of which were good, but with some polish, could be the difference between playing at the top or the bottom of the lineup. Surely Kent Hughes or the Canadiens’ Swedish scout had done their due diligence on Heineman, because he was coveted, along with the first-round pick in any deal involving Toffoli. His play in the SHL is very indicative of why he was drafted early in the second round of the ’20 Draft.

Heineman spent the three seasons following his selection, with Leksands, and over 116 games, he scored 44 points (26 goals &18 assists), a testament to his versatility, with an onus on shooting. Oddly enough he never made his North American debut, until he was a part of the Canadiens organization. He made his debut in the AHL with the Rocket, during the second half of the 2022-23 season, and he didn’t waste any time showing off his great shot and speedy skating, scoring seven goals and two assists through 11 games.

Because the Canadiens lack goalscoring depth behind Caufield, Suzuki and Dach, there is a need for more pure shooters in the lineup, Heineman’s shot is a bullet, and he has no issue teeing it up. He is a versatile shooter, with a variety of great shot styles, all of which are powerful and accurate. He auditioned alongside Suzuki and Caufield during the inter-squad scrimmages and looked comfortable, and while he isn’t likely to play on the top line, he would remedy any scoring issue in the bottom six.

Joshua Roy

Joshua Roy is a very interesting player and could end up being the best of the three players listed here, which speaks to his ascension to the top of the Canadiens prospects pool, after being selected in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL Draft. Reportedly, Roy’s diet, work ethic and drive to improve and be better were neglected until the Habs selected him. After that, there was a noticeable shift in the player, and it was a kickstart to some big things to come.

Roy’s skating has been a large question mark and seen as an area to improve, and while he has gotten faster, he will never be a guy who can burn defenders with his speed. But that should be no problem for the St-Georges-de-Beauce, QC native because he is so smart out on the ice, and his anticipation allows him to keep pace with the play. His offence is very good, because he is a multi-dimensional threat, leveraging his brilliant shot to freeze goalies, before making a great pass or firing a shot.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey Leagues Sherbrooke Phoenix product, split time between the Phoenix and Saint John’s Sea Dogs during his four-year junior career. His 2021-22 season was his best season to date at the time, Roy exploded for 119 points (51 goals and 68 assists) in 66 games. He then scored 23 points (11 goals and 12 assists) in 11 playoff games.

He was one point shy of posting back-to-back 100-point campaigns in his final year of junior hockey, with his 46 goals and 53 assists for 99 points in 55 games before he posted 24 points (12 goals & 12 assists) through 14 postseason contests. He was dynamite at the 2022-23 World Junior Championships and a strong contributor to Team Canada’s gold medal.

Through training Canadiens training camp, Roy has been a standout, playing poised in all three zones, and consistently making smart plays, which translated to a nice goal during the preseason opener. Roy opened the scoring for the Canadiens using his patented quick release to put the Canadiens on the board early.

With the preseason begun, there will be ample opportunity for each of the three players mentioned above to prove themselves ready for an NHL role, and they each have made strong cases so far.

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