3 Forwards to watch at Montreal Canadiens Rookie Camp
The Montreal Canadiens kick off their training camp with a rookie portion on September 11th.
Owen Beck
Owen Beck will begin his first professional season with tons of momentum. He is fresh off leading the Saginaw Spirit to a Memorial Cup Championship and could challenge for a spot on the Canadiens roster this season. He didn't have the greatest development camp, but a summer of training could be the difference. Beck has played lots of hockey, with two consecutive runs to a Memorial Cup and two straight World Junior tournaments.
The development camp wasn't long after winning the Memorial Cup. It could have been more of a fatigue factor for Beck than a preview of his potential. Beck could be the dark horse in this training camp, and it'll all start at the rookie showcase.
Emil Heineman
Emil Heineman played four games with the Canadiens last season, recording no points. He excelled with the Laval Rocket, tallying 15 goals and 14 assists in 48 games. It was his second season playing professionally in North America, but he played four separate seasons in the Swedish Hockey League with Leksands. Heineman is the most experienced 22-year-old at this rookie camp and will make a big push to make the Canadiens out of camp.
Filip Mesar
Filip Mesar starred with the Kitchener Rangers last season, tallying 19 goals and 33 assists in 45 games. He played two games with Laval at season's end, recording his first North American professional assist. It wasn't his first assist as a professional overall, as he played two seasons in Slovakia before coming to the Ontario Hockey League.
Mesar will likely need a year or two in the AHL before he is a serious contender to make the Canadiens main roster, but signs of improvement in this camp could make it very interesting for the main training camp.
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