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Montreal Canadiens: Early 2024 OHL Prospect's Update

By Tyler Major-Mcnicol |
Saginaw Spirit v Ottawa 67's
Saginaw Spirit v Ottawa 67's / Chris Tanouye/GettyImages
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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.

Early 2024 Updates

2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft - Portraits
2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft - Portraits / Minas Panagiotakis/GettyImages

Mesar

Money Mesar has 12 points in his last 10 games, but just two of those have came in his last five.

Still, he has been on fire with Kitchener and the 2022 26th overall selection is looking like a nice top-nine option for the Habs.

Of course, we would all love to see a bigger jump in his production, but there is no question that he will be a nice piece in Laval or Montreal next year.

Beck

Beck has been one of the top defensive forwards in the OHL since he first set foot in the league. Behind Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach, the third-line centre spot appears to be a good fit for him.

Beck's increased shooting has been a positive, especially for a team that is lacking in the goals department. And as the third-line pivot, Beck will not be leaned on for goal-scoring, but as a complimentary piece.

Sobolev

I slotted Sobolev third on the list, and the reason for that is so that the readership stays intrigued. It is meant as no slight at Sobolev, but he isn't as likely to see much time in the NHL, not for the foreseeable future anyway. The 6-foot and 210-pound defender has 1-3-4 totals in his last five games.

I do think that he could become a nice stabilizing piece for the Rocket blueline. In the mould of a Shea Weber - eating up minutes, demolishing opponents on the boards and hammering slapshots at opposing goaltenders - obviously, he is no Weber. But he has the tools to be a reliable defender, who can shut down the opposition.

Xhekaj

Xhekaj appears to be evolving as a player right in front of us - become more of an offensive play driver and shooter. The physical stuff hasn't gone away, but been used for good, especially when shielding the puck from defenders and rushing the net.

Xhekaj has shown tremendous growth in his offensive game; he has already outpaced his totals from 2022-23 (13-12-25 in 68 games), with a 23-19-42 stat line in 20 fewer games. There was a bit of risk with the selection, but Xhekaj has answered any questions that lingered, emphatically.

The boys in the OHL are coming along nicely, and it's hard to imagine that Canadiens camp in October won't be one of the more competitive ones in some time.

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