Jared Davidson comes in as the 24th U-24 Habs player

For the month of May, aside from the NHL Draft lottery, there isn’t much going on. So here at A Winning Habit, I’ve decided to rank the 24 best Canadiens under 24 years old. I opted to rank players that are closest to the NHL, so aside from David Reinbacher, there are no 2023 Draftees. 

So, without further ado, let’s go ahead with the 24th best player, in my opinion, Jared Davidson. 

Davidson’s first three seasons of junior were just okay, with the third showing a bit of promise; with 19 points through 23 games. Davidson exploded in 2021-22 scoring 42-47-89 through 64 games, which drew the attention of the Habs scouting team. The Canadiens ultimately took a chance on the 20-year-old, who they were betting on being a late bloomer.

In his draft-plus-one season, Davidson sported an “A” for his junior team, the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds. His numbers weren’t quite as impressive as the previous season, but they weren’t anything to scoff at - 38-44-82 through 60 games. Davidson also went on a tear during the WHL playoffs scoring 11-12-23 through 19 games, en route to a WHL championship.

With his junior career ended, Davidson received the news that the Laval Rocket were signing him to a one-year American Hockey League standard contract. Davidson is now fresh off his first professional hockey season with the Laval Rocket, where he played 38 games, accumulating 16 points; including 11 goals. It’s unclear what the Habs plan to do with Davidson, but his rights do expire this year in June. 

Though the prospect pool has a lot of forwards, many of whom are likely bottom-six talents at best, Davidson does bring a nice scoring touch. I believe he is worthy of an entry-level deal; he would certainly be a helpful presence for the Rocket in 2024-25. His experience from this season should help him for what should be an even better season come October. 

With the Canadiens looking to get younger and more competitive, there is a likelihood that Joshua Roy and Emil Heineman push for a spot. In doing so, there will be a hole in the lineup; that could be filled with a pure shooter. Davidson has shown he is more than just a shooter and being a threat to shoot will open up space for his linemates. 

It’s conceivable to think that Davidson could climb up these rankings next year, but for the time being he is at 24th, mostly because it’s unknown what his future will look like.