Prospect Info: My Top 20 Hab Prospects List (Updated #538)

[Toene]

Link for the channel? I want to subscribe!

 

[Seb]

Went to look at the first post, what a sad bunch of prospects that was in hindsight.

Doux Jésus.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

Link for the channel? I want to subscribe!

https://youtube.com/user/harryhood1919

 

[Techcoockie]

Imagine down the middle in a few years.

Galchenyuk 6'2" 210lbs
McCarron 6'6" 230lbs
DLR 6'3" 210lb

 

[montreal]

Never saw this thread before - looking at the first post and seeing that only Lehkonen made it explains everything anyone needs to know about the state of this team. Our drafting and development has been such a let down!


Didn't even know you had a channel, just subbed. I hope others do the same.

He's one of the all time board MVPs and an all around cool guy. All of the regulars around here should do him a solid and sub to his channel. It only takes a few seconds .

Yeah I been here for a while, know Montreal the poster and appreciate his insights. Didn't know of his channel, or this thread, though

Link for the channel? I want to subscribe!

Thanks!




It shouldn't be too much longer before I start working on my top 20 list for the new season, it's going to take longer since there are so many prospects to see this year and work has me more busy then usual but should hopefully have it done in the next 3 weeks or so.

 

[montreal]

With so many prospects this year I wanted to take more time to watch all the prospects, I would have preferred more time but work is busy and could get busier so I opted to get it done now. I left off the list due to injury/suspension, no Mailloux, Brook or Teasdale.

When I started working on the list, Caufield and Poehling were in Laval and I thought Norlinder would be in Sweden by now so I opted to keep them in the rankings plus Pezzetta as I usually don't include prospects that are in the NHL. Sobolev is the only prospect I didn't get to see so I left him off the list as well.

Keep in mind these rankings are not who is closest to the NHL.

Top 25

1. Cole Caufield
2. Joshua Roy
3. Mattias Norlinder
4. Kaiden Guhle
5. Sean Farrell
6. Ryan Poehling
7. Cayden Primeau
8. Jordan Harris
9. Jesse Ylonen
10. Riley Kidney
11. Jakub Dobes
12. Jan Mysak
13. Luke Tuch
14. Oliver Kapanen
15. Jayden Struble
16. Gianni Fairbrother
17. Blake Biondi
18. Dmitri Kostenko
19. Xavier Simoneau
20. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard
21. William Trudeau
22. Michael Pezzetta
23. Joe Vrbetic
24. Frederik Dichow
25. Arber Xhekaj

HM - Brett Stapley, Rhett Pitlick, Cam Hillis

 

[montreal]

 

[KevSkillz4]

Oh that's your channel, I really like your channel. Keep it up!!

 

[KevSkillz4]

With so many prospects this year I wanted to take more time to watch all the prospects, I would have preferred more time but work is busy and could get busier so I opted to get it done now. I left off the list due to injury/suspension, no Mailloux, Brook or Teasdale.

When I started working on the list, Caufield and Poehling were in Laval and I thought Norlinder would be in Sweden by now so I opted to keep them in the rankings plus Pezzetta as I usually don't include prospects that are in the NHL. Sobolev is the only prospect I didn't get to see so I left him off the list as well.

Keep in mind these rankings are not who is closest to the NHL.

Top 25

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11. Jakub Dobes
12. Jan Mysak
13. Luke Tuch
14. Oliver Kapanen
15. Jayden Struble
16. Gianni Fairbrother
17. Blake Biondi
18. Dmitri Kostenko
19. Xavier Simoneau
20. Rafaël Harvey-Pinard
21. William Trudeau
22. Michael Pezzetta
23. Joe Vrbetic
24. Frederik Dichow
25. Arber Xhekaj

HM - Brett Stapley, Rhett Pitlick, Cam Hillis

Having Dobes, Mysak, Tuch, Struble, Fairbrother out of top 10 that's prove that we have a solid prospect pool.

 

[montreal]

Oh that's your channel, I really like your channel. Keep it up!!

thanks, I hope you subscribe to my channel and it helps if you hit the like button on the vids, something about the algo that google uses or so i've been told.

Having Dobes, Mysak, Tuch, Struble, Fairbrother out of top 10 that's prove that we have a solid prospect pool.

very deep indeed, but missing the high end talent after Caufield, Norlinder and Farell plus maybe Roy and Kidney if they can improve on their physical tools of skating, strength, speed and for Kidney a good bit of mass.

 

[Sagikev]

thanks, I hope you subscribe to my channel and it helps if you hit the like button on the vids, something about the algo that google uses or so i've been told.

TBH you should probably change your youtube name too, instead of what I assume is your real name, have something like Habs Prospects Highlights or something that isn't already used (haven't checked). Makes it easier to find your channel too, both on google and on youtube. Cause right now if I search habs prospects on youtube, chances are your channel won't show up

I'm pretty good with youtube if you have any questions btw

 

[montreal]

TBH you should probably change your youtube name too, instead of what I assume is your real name, have something like Habs Prospects Highlights or something that isn't already used (haven't checked). Makes it easier to find your channel too, both on google and on youtube. Cause right now if I search habs prospects on youtube, chances are your channel won't show up

I'm pretty good with youtube if you have any questions btw

I wanted to do that but I didn't know how. I have another channel, Serenity Hockey that I was using just to put the odd draft eligible vids so they didn't get mixed in with my Hab prospect vids.

 

[Sagikev]

I wanted to do that but I didn't know how. I have another channel, Serenity Hockey that I was using just to put the odd draft eligible vids so they didn't get mixed in with my Hab prospect vids.

My youtube's in french so I'll try to translate as best as I can lol. But you log on youtube, upper right of your screen click on your profile picture, and then click "your channel" ("votre chaîne" in french). You should see a blue button with "Personalize your channel" ("Personnaliser votre chaîne") or something along those lines. Click on it, then you should see a "General informations" tab, and there you'll see a pen right next to your name.

Just checked real quick btw and there's a "Habs prospects videos" channel, but they haven't posted since 3 years.

 

[montreal]

My youtube's in french so I'll try to translate as best as I can lol. But you log on youtube, upper right of your screen click on your profile picture, and then click "your channel" ("votre chaîne" in french). You should see a blue button with "Personalize your channel" ("Personnaliser votre chaîne") or something along those lines. Click on it, then you should see a "General informations" tab, and there you'll see a pen right next to your name.

Just checked real quick btw and there's a "Habs prospects videos" channel, but they haven't posted since 3 years.

thanks!

 

[montreal]

part II is up.

 

[dcyhabs]

It's an interesting prospect pool, the problem is that most of the older guys, other than Caufield, are already showing low ceilings, and even Caufield has some significant limitations. How many of those prospects are likely to succeed? How many won't need to be sheltered?

Caufield is close, he's also taken a step backward. Poehling looks better, but he's also expected to have a low ceiling, at least if he plays center, he could be an Anderson type of winger. Guhle looks good so far, still have to see the ceiling, and my criticism of the pick would be that it was more a reaction to Weber's career being over than picking BPA. I'm really interested to see if Harris' game translates and I hope he signs. Norlinder needs to get healthy before we can see what he can do. Primeau looks good so far, needs another 100 games or so to be sure.

Most of the other guys look good at the level they are at now, but they all have a lot of big steps and a lot of development ahead of them. With luck whoever becomes president overhauls the dev people and brings in some new blood with more aggressive attempts to improve the young guys. Get Roy a skating coach, get Kidney a personal trainer. Mysak has shown that he can survive in the AHL, should be a good pick despite his fall in the draft. I suppose Mailloux could be interesting, but he's raw and his brain is questionable, on and off the ice.

There's a reasonable chance that we end up with 1-2 top 6 forwards and 0-2 top 4 D out of the whole list. It also looks unlikely, at least so far, that any of these players become the key play drivers that the habs need, guys who can carry weak linemates/partners. The window is still open for some of the young forwards, and Guhle has a fair chance, but how many of these players will provide something that isn't available from free agents most years? More development, more assistance to the young guys to improve their games could help with that, but the incoming management team has to obtain and cash in on as many high picks as they can. Bouncing back into the playoffs after a bad year would not be ideal long term.

 

[montreal]

It's an interesting prospect pool, the problem is that most of the older guys, other than Caufield, are already showing low ceilings, and even Caufield has some significant limitations. How many of those prospects are likely to succeed? How many won't need to be sheltered?

Caufield is close, he's also taken a step backward. Poehling looks better, but he's also expected to have a low ceiling, at least if he plays center, he could be an Anderson type of winger. Guhle looks good so far, still have to see the ceiling, and my criticism of the pick would be that it was more a reaction to Weber's career being over than picking BPA. I'm really interested to see if Harris' game translates and I hope he signs. Norlinder needs to get healthy before we can see what he can do. Primeau looks good so far, needs another 100 games or so to be sure.

Most of the other guys look good at the level they are at now, but they all have a lot of big steps and a lot of development ahead of them. With luck whoever becomes president overhauls the dev people and brings in some new blood with more aggressive attempts to improve the young guys. Get Roy a skating coach, get Kidney a personal trainer. Mysak has shown that he can survive in the AHL, should be a good pick despite his fall in the draft. I suppose Mailloux could be interesting, but he's raw and his brain is questionable, on and off the ice.

There's a reasonable chance that we end up with 1-2 top 6 forwards and 0-2 top 4 D out of the whole list. It also looks unlikely, at least so far, that any of these players become the key play drivers that the habs need, guys who can carry weak linemates/partners. The window is still open for some of the young forwards, and Guhle has a fair chance, but how many of these players will provide something that isn't available from free agents most years? More development, more assistance to the young guys to improve their games could help with that, but the incoming management team has to obtain and cash in on as many high picks as they can. Bouncing back into the playoffs after a bad year would not be ideal long term.

So i've been really high on the farm system, but after doing these rankings, while I love the depth, it's without a doubt the best i've ever seen the Habs system have in my 20+ years of following Hab prospects. But the high end prospects are too few. I can't for the life of me understand how Caufield set the NCAA on fire and had one of the best U-20 seasons a forward has had in the last 20 years, goes to the AHL and just makes it look easy, goes to the NHL and in the playoffs he's one of our best forwards to now he can't buy a goal.

There's no way he just lost his shot all the sudden yet it just blows my mind how often you see kids come in and have a big showing in the first year and then struggle the next year. That said if there's ever been a Hab prospect that I would worry less about aside from Carey Price it's Caufield.

I'm a huge Norlinder fan, he doesn't look right so I fully expect him to get back on track. I thought it was stupid to sign him so soon and would have waited 1 year where the AHL could be an option. To me he's one of the biggest hopes, we so badly need him to hit on the high end and not just be a Beaulieu that puts up some points but makes too many mistakes in his own end (I don't think that will be the case but only time will tell)

Farrell and Roy have really impressed me. Farrell killed it last year but was 19 in a league where that would really be impressive if he did it at 17. But while I'm not a big fan of the ECAC, to walk in even at 20 and be on the top team in the ECAC in terms of amount of NHL draft picks and right off the bat he's on the top line, PP and 2nd PK unit says a lot. He's cooled off from his hot start but there is a lot to like about his game.

Roy from day 1 caught my eye, the skill looks legit to me and we really could have something big here, he may easily be our best prospect in a years time or maybe even now if you graduate Caufield or feel he won't get back on track. The skating needs work but it's not a huge issue, he needs to get quicker but it's not a huge issue. We just need to see if he's going to put the work in year in and year out. He's one of the prospects I'm most excited about right now.

Guhle I put lower because others impressed me more and I just don't feel great about his offensive upside. I know some look at him as the next Weber, I don't see it yet, but then again I wasn't watching Weber at 17, 18, 19. He could easily end up our best prospect as well as the defensive and physical game are great already.

Poehling I have always liked as a future NHLer but was never sold on him being a top 6 forward. Really like the combo of speed, size, skating. He's got some skills and is solid in his own end. I have to say he impressed me a little more then I thought he would in Laval the past year now. He's looked good in the NHL so far this year imo.

With Primeau I will always struggle with goalies but what he did in the NCAA at 18, you just don't see that often from one of the big conferences and he didn't have 1st round picks on his blueline like he would have had at North Dakota, BC, etc.. But his NHL stints have been inconsistent so far, I felt he was brought up way too soon but what else is new in the MB era of development.

Harris I really hope he signs, he is just so smooth and smart, there's just no telling how good he can be imo. I couldn't put him over Primeau because of how insanely good Primeau was at 18, it just didn't feel right but I am a huge fan of Harris's game. He may never turn into a top pairing D, or maybe he will but he will be an NHLer imo, no doubt about it.

Ylonen I dropped a bit from my last ranking, it's funny cause last year I was very impressed but this year I haven't liked him nearly as much yet his stats are great for a 2nd year pro. Love the speed, skating shot and I am a sucker for those types ala Kristo, Collberg, Perezhogin.

Kidney may be the best playmaker in the prospect system, he's so skinny though, with his frame I really wonder can he add the mass, strength that he will need or will his IQ and skill carry him if he doesn't. I wouldn't bet against him but I have my concerns.

Dobes is another that I'm really high on, he's huge, he's aggressive, he can handle the puck better then Primeau and he's got a bit of a nasty side to him as he does not like getting bumped into and for that alone will make it fun to watch him as he moves up. whoever is scouting our goalies needs a raise and I hope Gorton keeps them around.

Mysak to me is a legit NHLer, I question the upside as his frame, skating, concern me but really like how he plays and he's got skills for sure. Very solid pick as even if it doesn't pan out, these are the kinds of picks you gamble on imo.

Tuch impressed me a lot last year, I have to admit I was surprised that he had hands that I wasn't expecting. This year it's been more of a struggle for him and his team so I moved him a little lower as I didn't get to see much of him so far due to injury. I would bet a lot though that he's an NHLer just don't know if it's a 4th liner or 1st liner yet.

Kapanen I would have had higher if not for the skating/speed. I don't understand how a kid with his family can't skate like them but if he did we wouldn't have gotten him. Really like the shot he has and so I like the gamble on him. I think he'll fly under the radar but he's someone to keep an eye on once he gets out of Liiga and hopefully improves his speed/skating.

Struble is a tough one, there's a lot to like about his tools but the results just aren't there. That said he's lost a lot of key development time to injury and imo was much more raw when he came to the NCAA then Harris. To compare in his first 2 years Harris played in 72 games (lost some time to the WJC's) Struble in 2 years played 39, the same amount Harris played in his first year. So Struble lost a full year of development which he badly needed not to do. So we'll see what happens there, this is what makes us so deep, the guy could legit end up our best prospect in time though I clearly have doubts about that happening.

Fairbrother has really surprised me, he's been better offensively but worse defensive then I expected. Still despite all the D prospects we have, he's someone to keep an eye on, there's NHL tools there. Hope the Habs take their time and develop them.

Biondi I have to say I did not see him doing this already. Maybe by his Senior year did I think he would be leading his team in goals and points while on what may be the best team in the NCAA currently. If he gets his skating technique fixed and improves his lower body strength look out as he's got hands and is a big boy (aside from height) as he looks like one of those types that would play in the NHL at 215-225 lbs range. Really like the way he's playing, a sleeper if he can improve the skating.

Kostenko there's some offensive skill there for sure, so I like the gamble, let's see what the plan is.

Simoneau has impressed me, but let's see what he does in Laval next year.

RHP impressed me last year, really like how he plays but man is he struggling this year.

 

[dcyhabs]

I think Caufield suffers from not having anyone to drive the play. He, Toffoli, Hoffman, Drouin somewhat, all need to play top 6 and find open space. They don’t, other than maybe Drouin, help each other, and they all need a big center who can wrestle with the D, even a guy like KK.

 

[montreal]

I think Caufield suffers from not having anyone to drive the play. He, Toffoli, Hoffman, Drouin somewhat, all need to play top 6 and find open space. They don’t, other than maybe Drouin, help each other, and they all need a big center who can wrestle with the D, even a guy like KK.

always said they should have tried him with KK. They need some puck movers on the blueline as well.

 

[dcyhabs]

always said they should have tried him with KK. They need some puck movers on the blueline as well.

They need a few guys who can occupy the other team. Too many guys who need to lurk.

 

[CHfan1]

So i've been really high on the farm system, but after doing these rankings, while I love the depth, it's without a doubt the best i've ever seen the Habs system have in my 20+ years of following Hab prospects. But the high end prospects are too few. I can't for the life of me understand how Caufield set the NCAA on fire and had one of the best U-20 seasons a forward has had in the last 20 years, goes to the AHL and just makes it look easy, goes to the NHL and in the playoffs he's one of our best forwards to now he can't buy a goal.

There's no way he just lost his shot all the sudden yet it just blows my mind how often you see kids come in and have a big showing in the first year and then struggle the next year. That said if there's ever been a Hab prospect that I would worry less about aside from Carey Price it's Caufield.

I'm a huge Norlinder fan, he doesn't look right so I fully expect him to get back on track. I thought it was stupid to sign him so soon and would have waited 1 year where the AHL could be an option. To me he's one of the biggest hopes, we so badly need him to hit on the high end and not just be a Beaulieu that puts up some points but makes too many mistakes in his own end (I don't think that will be the case but only time will tell)

Farrell and Roy have really impressed me. Farrell killed it last year but was 19 in a league where that would really be impressive if he did it at 17. But while I'm not a big fan of the ECAC, to walk in even at 20 and be on the top team in the ECAC in terms of amount of NHL draft picks and right off the bat he's on the top line, PP and 2nd PK unit says a lot. He's cooled off from his hot start but there is a lot to like about his game.

Roy from day 1 caught my eye, the skill looks legit to me and we really could have something big here, he may easily be our best prospect in a years time or maybe even now if you graduate Caufield or feel he won't get back on track. The skating needs work but it's not a huge issue, he needs to get quicker but it's not a huge issue. We just need to see if he's going to put the work in year in and year out. He's one of the prospects I'm most excited about right now.

Guhle I put lower because others impressed me more and I just don't feel great about his offensive upside. I know some look at him as the next Weber, I don't see it yet, but then again I wasn't watching Weber at 17, 18, 19. He could easily end up our best prospect as well as the defensive and physical game are great already.

Poehling I have always liked as a future NHLer but was never sold on him being a top 6 forward. Really like the combo of speed, size, skating. He's got some skills and is solid in his own end. I have to say he impressed me a little more then I thought he would in Laval the past year now. He's looked good in the NHL so far this year imo.

With Primeau I will always struggle with goalies but what he did in the NCAA at 18, you just don't see that often from one of the big conferences and he didn't have 1st round picks on his blueline like he would have had at North Dakota, BC, etc.. But his NHL stints have been inconsistent so far, I felt he was brought up way too soon but what else is new in the MB era of development.

Harris I really hope he signs, he is just so smooth and smart, there's just no telling how good he can be imo. I couldn't put him over Primeau because of how insanely good Primeau was at 18, it just didn't feel right but I am a huge fan of Harris's game. He may never turn into a top pairing D, or maybe he will but he will be an NHLer imo, no doubt about it.

Ylonen I dropped a bit from my last ranking, it's funny cause last year I was very impressed but this year I haven't liked him nearly as much yet his stats are great for a 2nd year pro. Love the speed, skating shot and I am a sucker for those types ala Kristo, Collberg, Perezhogin.

Kidney may be the best playmaker in the prospect system, he's so skinny though, with his frame I really wonder can he add the mass, strength that he will need or will his IQ and skill carry him if he doesn't. I wouldn't bet against him but I have my concerns.

Dobes is another that I'm really high on, he's huge, he's aggressive, he can handle the puck better then Primeau and he's got a bit of a nasty side to him as he does not like getting bumped into and for that alone will make it fun to watch him as he moves up. whoever is scouting our goalies needs a raise and I hope Gorton keeps them around.

Mysak to me is a legit NHLer, I question the upside as his frame, skating, concern me but really like how he plays and he's got skills for sure. Very solid pick as even if it doesn't pan out, these are the kinds of picks you gamble on imo.

Tuch impressed me a lot last year, I have to admit I was surprised that he had hands that I wasn't expecting. This year it's been more of a struggle for him and his team so I moved him a little lower as I didn't get to see much of him so far due to injury. I would bet a lot though that he's an NHLer just don't know if it's a 4th liner or 1st liner yet.

Kapanen I would have had higher if not for the skating/speed. I don't understand how a kid with his family can't skate like them but if he did we wouldn't have gotten him. Really like the shot he has and so I like the gamble on him. I think he'll fly under the radar but he's someone to keep an eye on once he gets out of Liiga and hopefully improves his speed/skating.

Struble is a tough one, there's a lot to like about his tools but the results just aren't there. That said he's lost a lot of key development time to injury and imo was much more raw when he came to the NCAA then Harris. To compare in his first 2 years Harris played in 72 games (lost some time to the WJC's) Struble in 2 years played 39, the same amount Harris played in his first year. So Struble lost a full year of development which he badly needed not to do. So we'll see what happens there, this is what makes us so deep, the guy could legit end up our best prospect in time though I clearly have doubts about that happening.

Fairbrother has really surprised me, he's been better offensively but worse defensive then I expected. Still despite all the D prospects we have, he's someone to keep an eye on, there's NHL tools there. Hope the Habs take their time and develop them.

Biondi I have to say I did not see him doing this already. Maybe by his Senior year did I think he would be leading his team in goals and points while on what may be the best team in the NCAA currently. If he gets his skating technique fixed and improves his lower body strength look out as he's got hands and is a big boy (aside from height) as he looks like one of those types that would play in the NHL at 215-225 lbs range. Really like the way he's playing, a sleeper if he can improve the skating.

Kostenko there's some offensive skill there for sure, so I like the gamble, let's see what the plan is.

Simoneau has impressed me, but let's see what he does in Laval next year.

RHP impressed me last year, really like how he plays but man is he struggling this year.

How many of these prospects do you project will be top 6 forwards or top 2-3 defenceman at the NHL level?

 

[montreal]

How many of these prospects do you project will be top 6 forwards or top 2-3 defenceman at the NHL level?

impossible to say at this point. With prospects the main thing to look at is how much progress do they make from one year to the next. But we haven't even seen Mailloux so he's a complete mystery right now. Josh Brook missing so much of this season, how will that impact him, Teasdale looked really solid last year but he's injured the same knee again (I think it's the same) how will that impact him?

Right now the system is loaded with depth and the goalies have really surprised so far outside of McNiven who has fallen apart.

 

[CHfan1]

impossible to say at this point. With prospects the main thing to look at is how much progress do they make from one year to the next. But we haven't even seen Mailloux so he's a complete mystery right now. Josh Brook missing so much of this season, how will that impact him, Teasdale looked really solid last year but he's injured the same knee again (I think it's the same) how will that impact him?

Right now the system is loaded with depth and the goalies have really surprised so far outside of McNiven who has fallen apart.

Ok thanks. The Habs need at least 2-3 of the prospects to make an impact at the NHL (more than bottom of the lineup role players) or it’s going to be a long few years for this organization.

 

[montreal]

Ok thanks. The Habs need at least 2-3 of the prospects to make an impact at the NHL (more than bottom of the lineup role players) or it’s going to be a long few years for this organization.

we will need Caufield to get going, he has to be a legit sniper, not saying 40 goals but if he can score 20+ every year that's a big problem.

You likely need to hit on one of Farrell, Roy, Kidney, Mysak, Ylonen, etc... as a future top 6 forward.

You likely need to hit on at least 2 if not more of Norlinder, Guhle, Harris, Brook, Struble, Fairbrother, Kostenko, Trudeau and Mailloux on top of having Romanov step up. The big problem here is we need one of them to turn into a legit top pairing D and I don't know if they can or not as only time will tell that. Norlinder is our best hope imo but that's with knowing almost nothing about what Mailloux is or isn't yet. Guhle and Romanov could end up being better then I expect or not. Harris could surprise, etc...

 

[beowulf]

I just noticed the Roy is leading the Q in scoring as an 18 year old. Interesting to see. Would be nice for the Habs to get one of these 4 round or later guys that suddenly becomes a regular PPG player or close in the NHL. But alas too early still won't go overboard yet. Also nice is that while not huge at abut 6 feet and 180lbs he isn't one of these 5'9 or smaller guys .