Montreal Canadiens: Early 2024 OHL Prospect's Update

Right in the Montreal Canadiens' backyard, a handful of the organization's prospects have shone brightly, dusting it up in the Ontario Hockey League.

The Brantford Bulldogs, Saginaw Spirit and Kitchener Rangers feature the Canadiens four OHL prospects. The group features three forwards and a defenseman. And for the Habs, three of the four could help the Canadiens bottom six in the near future.

Aside from top-of-the-lineup talents, the Habs prospect pool has pieces that could fill out the entire roster. Because the three forwards, with two likely for next season, could play their way onto the Habs roster in 2024-25, the OHL performers shouldn't be ignored. They could soon provide a ton of value for the Canadiens.

Owen Beck's two-way game continues to take significant developmental strides, and his offensive game has been explosive since being traded to Saginaw. Florian Xhekaj continues to look like so much more than a gritty fourth-liner, there is some untapped offensive talent that continues to shine.

Xhekaj's teammate Daniil Sobolev flies under the radar, but there is an opportunity for him to become a depth NHL option down the road. And lastly, Filip Mesar has been one of the Kitchener Rangers' most relied-upon forwards to create offence.

Gauging Canadian Hockey League prospect's potential is very tough because first and foremost, the level of competition is a tier below the NCAA and Euro pro leagues. For scouts to vouch for players outside of the first round, the success rate of legit NHLers isn't very high. While not impossible, the route is longer because the players need to face tougher competition and mature physically.

The CHL has players as young as 15 years old, with the oldest being 20. In comparison, the NCAA has players from 17 to 23-24 years old in some cases. While the aforementioned Euro leagues have much older players.

There are always exceptions, nothing is linear, thankfully, because Arber's younger brother might fit the bill.