Prospect Info: 2024 117th OA : Blake Montgomery (C)

[GCK]

Is he wjc eligible next season or too old?

Aged out. He will be in Belleville

 

[dumbdick]

14 goals in his last 15 games. That pace would put him approx. tied with michael misa for league best.

28 points in those same 15 games. That pace would put him fourth in the league for point pace.

He's also a +24 in that stretch. In fact, he's only had 2 negative games all season and none in those last 15 GP.

Most importantly he passes the eye test.

We got a gamer here. If he keeps his foot on the gas he'll be right near the top of the league for per gp stats.

 

[PlayOn]

Aged out. He will be in Belleville

Isn’t he going to college next year? Given his performance maybe he will sign a contract but as of now I don’t think he’s playing in Belleville next season.

 

[DackellDuck]

Isn’t he going to college next year? Given his performance maybe he will sign a contract but as of now I don’t think he’s playing in Belleville next season.

He’s going to be 20 this May. Why would he go to college? If he wants to be a pro he’ll be in the AHL and have a real chance at getting NHL games.

 

[PlayOn]

He’s going to be 20 this May. Why would he go to college? If he wants to be a pro he’ll be in the AHL and have a real chance at getting NHL games.

I’m sure if the Sens dangle a contract he’ll be tempted, but just saying as of now he is going to college.

I also don’t think it’s a big deal either way. He can do it for a year and sign a contract at the end of next season, not like we’re ripe with forward prospects. I don’t think it’s gonna hurt his development.

 

[PlayersLtd]

He’s going to be 20 this May. Why would he go to college? If he wants to be a pro he’ll be in the AHL and have a real chance at getting NHL games.

The college route is perfectly reasonable for someone like him, especially when you consider that this decision could have been made before he exploded in the OHL. He has a game that looks AHL ready and I hope that's what he does but nothing wrong with him having planned for the college route earlier this year and if he sticks to that I don't think you can fault him. It's a very good development path.

edit- here it is, last February he committed to Wisconsin

MONTGOMERY MAKES COLLEGE COMMITMENT - Lincoln Stars

Lincoln Stars forward Blake Montgomery has announced his commitment to play college hockey at Wisconsin, an NCAA Division I program in the Big Ten Conference.

lincolnstars.com

 

[DackellDuck]

The college route is perfectly reasonable for someone like him, especially when you consider that this decision could have been made before he exploded in the OHL. He has a game that looks AHL ready and I hope that's what he does but nothing wrong with him having planned for the college route earlier this year and if he sticks to that I don't think you can fault him. It's a very good development path.

edit- here it is, last February he committed to Wisconsin

MONTGOMERY MAKES COLLEGE COMMITMENT - Lincoln Stars

Lincoln Stars forward Blake Montgomery has announced his commitment to play college hockey at Wisconsin, an NCAA Division I program in the Big Ten Conference.

lincolnstars.com

If he committed last February… wouldn’t he be playing college this season? Based on his age he should be. But he’s in London, so it seems like something changed.

I’d guess that the Hunters convinced him that his fastest path to the Pros was through junior, and with the new rule changes, NCAA could be the fallback if he struggled.

Luckily, he hasn’t struggled.

 

[Micklebot]

If he committed last February… wouldn’t he be playing college this season? Based on his age he should be. But he’s in London, so it seems like something changed.

I’d guess that the Hunters convinced him that his fastest path to the Pros was through junior, and with the new rule changes, NCAA could be the fallback if he struggled.

Luckily, he hasn’t struggled.

They say in the article that he was going to play another season and a half in Lincoln before moving on to the NCAA, so it was always going to be the 2025-26 season where he started playing NCAA.

"We are very excited to announce Blake's commitment to Wisconsin," Russo said. "Blake's game has continued to develop in his time with us, and will grow over the next season-and-a-half before he moves on to the NCAA level."

 

[DackellDuck]

They say in the article that he was going to play another season and a half in Lincoln before moving on to the NCAA, so it was always going to be the 2025-26 season where he started playing NCAA.

"We are very excited to announce Blake's commitment to Wisconsin," Russo said. "Blake's game has continued to develop in his time with us, and will grow over the next season-and-a-half before he moves on to the NCAA level."

Interesting, the guy’s a late bloomer but starting your NCAA career at 20 is a bit odd.

We’ll see how his success in the OHL changes the calculus. I’d bet money on him signing an ELC by the end of the year. Seems like he’s really taken off.

 

[Dan Patrick]

He’ll probably go pro

 

[mianjo]

Another 2 goals tonight

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

So...which route do they think is better for him? Kid has good size and developing strength, but which way is best for skill development? AHL or NCAA? And how does the NCAA calculus change with so many CHLers starting to filter into the league next season...does that make the NCAA better for going pro (over the AHL, that is)?