Montreal Canadiens - European prospect report

The Montreal Canadiens are well represented by their prospects around the world, and today I would like to zero in on their European crop of prospects.

Montreal's European side of their prospect pool includes a total of five players, spanning Finland, Sweden, and Austria. The group features four centremen and a defenseman, and only one player wasn't drafted by Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton.

Oliver Kapanen was selected 64th overall by the Habs in the 2021 draft, which has the distinction of being Marc Bergevin's final draft. Born in Sundsvall, Sweden, while his Dad Kimmo was playing as a goaltender for Timrå IK, Kapanen is Finnish. Kapanen spent his draft season in Finland, playing for the KalPa U-20 team in the U-20 SM-sarja.

Of all the European prospects, Kapanen has the most experience playing professionally. Since being drafted by the Canadiens, Kapanen has played three seasons in the Finnish Liiga, Finland's top men's league, spanning 124 games. The 6'1" 183 lbs right-shot centre is playing his fourth professional season, but he went back to his birthplace of Sweden, to play for the Timrå IK for the 2024-25 season.

Through 27 games, Kapanen has managed just under a point-per-game clip, scoring 25 points. His two-way brilliance has continued to develop, and his scoring touch appears to be coming along nicely. Kapanen has a huge opportunity at Canadiens training camp next season to make the team straight out of training camp, and establish a full-time role.

Vinzenz Rohrer was selected in the third round of the 2022 draft, 75th overall. Rohrer, a native of Rankweil, Austria, played his draft season, and draft-plus-one year in the Ontario Hockey League with the Ottawa 67's, scoring 97 points (44 goals & 53 assists) in 118 games. After two seasons in North America, Rohrer decided to head to the National League to play for the Zurich Lions in Switzerland.

Rohrer played 49 games for Zurich in 2022-23, scoring 19 points in that span, before adding four points in 15 playoff games. Through 47 games this season, Rohrer has turned the scoring up a little, posting 23 points. He has proven to be a swift skater, and aggressive forechecker and backchecker on the larger European ice.

I think with less time and space in North America, the skills and maturity that have grown in Rohrer's game will make him difficult to play against. Rohrer isn't one of the biggest players, but he has a high hockey IQ, and his engine never stops. At 5'10" and 161 lbs, Rohrer will have to add some muscle to his frame, but I think he could become a very good bottom six player for the Canadiens.

Rasmus Bergqvist is the last defenseman that the Canadiens have selected, with the club's final pick in the 2024 draft at 224. The Skellefteå, Sweden native is the lone defensemen representing the Canadiens overseas in Europe. Bergqvist was a cog on the Swede's top pair at the 2024 World Junior Championships, helping his team secure a fourth place finish, losing to Czechia in the Bronze medal game.

Bergqvist is playing his draft-plus-one season in Sweden, with Skellefteå AIK in the Swedish Hockey League. After coming up through the Skellefteå J18 and J20 programs, Bergqvist posted 25 points in 45 J18 games. He also scored 23 points in 76 J20 Nationell games over four seasons.

I don't expect that Bergqvist will become more than a depth NHL defenseman, which would be respectable value for a seventh round pick. Bergqvist is a smooth skating, shutdown left shot defender, a position of strength in the Habs prospect pool. Bergqvist will be the guy that stabilizes his defence pairing, the ideal partner for an offensive defender.

Filip Eriksson was drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 draft with pick 165, after playing his draft year in the J20 Nationell league with the Växjö Lakers HC J20 team. Eriksson scored 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 11 games. Eriksson also played an additional two games in the SHL with the Växjö Lakers.

I can't say that I'm familiar with how the loan process works, but Eriksson was loaned out to the Hockey Allsvenskan by Växjö for the second consecutive season. Last season, Eriksson played 29 SHL games, before he was loaned to the Nybro Vikings in the Allsvenskan. This season, his draft-plus-two season started in the SHL, where he played 37 games, but he was recently loaned to Djurgårdens IF.

With his SHL club struggling, management seems to have sent him down to better accommodate his development in a winning culture. Over two seasons, spanning a total of 68 games, Eriksson has managed just two goals and 10 assists. I think the development path for Eriksson is going to be a slow one, with another year in Sweden, and perhaps a couple of American Hockey League seasons before there is any talk of the Habs lineup.

Aatos Koivu was drafted in the third round of the 2024 draft, and there's a little bit of history that comes along with the Koivu name. Father Saku is a legend in Montreal, captaining the Canadiens for 10 seasons, from 1999 to 2009. Uncle Miiko also played in the NHL, with the Minnesota Wild - captaining the team for 11 of his 15 seasons with the club, and one season with the Columbus Blue Jackets, his final season in 2020-21.

But the right-shot centre, who shoots the opposite hand of his dad and uncle, plans to carve out his own identity. Aatos is a savvy two-way centre, with a strong defensive game, using attention to detail and a smart processor to limit chances against when he is on the ice. He is solid in the faceoff dot, and his speedy skating allows him to keep pace with defenders - while poking pucks and using strong positioning to be disruptive.

His shooting, however, is perhaps one of the more tantalizing parts of his game. Koivu is no one-trick pony though, displaying a multitude of ways he can beat goalies. His one-timer is deadly accurate, and his ability to shoot off one leg is extremely impressive - especially while in motion.

Europe has a couple of blue chippers from the Canadiens organizations.

50 goals in 50 games for Michael Misa

I recently wrote about Michael Misa being a guy the Canadiens should target if he is available in their draft range. And if he isn't, then I believe Hughes should do his darndest to trade up in the draft to pick him. Misa is a lethal offensive talent, blending elite playmaking skills, and an accurate, quick release with a heavy shot.

On Saturday night, the projected top-five pick in the upcoming draft achieved the rare feat of 50 goals through 50 OHL games. Only three players have clicked at above a point-per-game, according to Elite Prospects content director and director of film scouting Cam Robinson. Eric Lindros, John Tavares Patrick Kane, and Misa is pacing to join them.

Misa was the second-fastest draft-eligible player to score 50 goals, three games more than Kane (47 games) and Johan Tavares (51 games).

When I look at the forwards, both in Montreal, and developing, who have the highest potential to form the Canadiens top six, I see a spot for Misa. Regardless of whether he plays at centre or on the wing, I think he fits in with Ivan Demidov and Michael Hage. Misa provides the line with a shooting threat, and at 6'1" and a smidge under 200 lbs, he isn't a small player.