Montreal Canadiens - Overshadowed NCAA prospect report

If you search through the NCAA part of the prospects part of A Winning Habit, an article written about Michael Hage and Jacob Fowler likely leads the pack

Montreal has a few other talents in the NCAA, Sam Harris, for example, plays for the University of Denver. Harris was drafted by the Canadiens in the fifth round of the 2023 draft. he is an overager, at 21 years old, but he has shown tremendous promise with the Pioneers.

Harris is playing his sophomore season in the NCAA, after graduating from the USHL's Sioux Falls Stampede in 2022-23. In his freshman season with the Pioneers, Harris was 20 years old, and he scored 21 points in 47 games. Montreal's NCAA scout saw something with Harris who was passed over in the 2021 and 2022 draft.

He has rewarded them with a breakout season with Denver, which has seen Harris post 29 points in 28 games, and one goal shy of the 20-goal plateau. Harris has shattered his previous career best, and with seven games remaining on the regular season schedule, he will undoubtedly pad the new record before it's all said and done.

Harris and Denver battle against North Dakota is their second-consecutive match of the weekend.

Then there is Logan Sawyer, who was full of confidence in his predraft meetings with Canadiens management. Sawyer is developing his game at Providence College, and through 29 games, the freshman forward has scored 12 points. Hughes drafted Sawyer after the 6'1" forward had a dominant draft season split between the Alberta Junior Hockey League and the British Columbia Hockey League, scoring 78 points in 59 total games.

To this point, the success has been coming along slowly. Sawyer, a native of Orangeville, Ontario, has scored just 12 points this season, but an encouraging three points in his last two games. He projects as a fourth-line potential at the NHL level right now, but allowing him to marinate in the NCAA is best for his development. Sawyer and the Friars will face the Boston University Terriers and the Hutson brothers.

Jack Smith, 22, was drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, so he is a Marc Bergevin draft pick. Following two seasons in the United States Hockey League, Smith played his freshman season with the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in 2022-23. Smith is taking the slow-cooker approach, starting his NCAA career in his draft-plus-two season.

Smith posted 17 points in his first 58 games as an NCAA player, over his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Bulldogs. In year three, Smith has scored seven points in 24 games. Not much has been said about his play, so I assume he is solid defensively but lacks offensive touch.

I expect he will likely be an AHL player. Smith and the Bulldogs battle the Arizona State University Sun Devils on Saturday night.

Emmett Croteau is the second Habs goaltender developing his game in the NCAA, and yes I mean second, despite him being older than Fowler. Croteau was a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and it's easy to see why they liked the goaltender. The Dartmouth College Greenman goaltender is 6'4" and 209 lbs, which is roughly the same size as Jakub Dobes, an obvious trend for the Canadiens scouting staff.

Croteau has a 7-3-0 record with the Big Green, including one shutout. The St. Lawrence University Saints battle Croteau and the Big Green with a 7 p.m. start.

Luke Mittelstadt was drafted in the seventh round of the '23 draft, as a 21-year-old overager. Mittedltadt is a left-shot 5'11" defenseman playing for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Golden Gophers played on Friday night, and Mittelstadt recorded an assist on Mason Nevers' game-opening goal, but Hage and the Wolverines won in overtime.

Mittelstadt, 22, has two straight seasons with 20 points or more on the Golden Gophers blueline. Year three, Mittelstadt's junior season, has seen him score 17 points in 37 games. What's most impressive, is a statistic that is often overshadowed when it's bad, and hyped when it's great - plus/minus, and Mittedlstadt is a plus 20.

Hughes has a surplus of good, young left defence prospects, and it could serve him well at some point. Trading up in the draft, leveraging a defenseman and a pick, to draft in the top 10, could be fun. It's also totally doable for Hughes, who has a loaded left defence pool.

Overlooked prospects results

Sam Harris - Harris will remain point-per-game with 29 in 29 games if he doesn't score against North Dakota.

Logan Sawyer - Sawyer and Providence College were shutout by the Boston University Terriers, in a 3-0 loss.

Emmett Croteau - Croteau gave up a goal late with a 2-1 win almost secured. Dartmouth held on for a a point, but the game needed overtime to be decided.

Luke Mittelstadt - Mittelstadt finished the night with a minus-two point differential and two shots on goal, in Minnesota's 3-2 shootout loss. Michael Hage scored to tie the game late. With the goal, Hage now has 13 goals, and 19 assists for 32 points in 29 games.