Prospect Info: **New Top 10 Prospect List**

[ChesterNimitz]

Engstrom has a brain and I'm not entirely sure Mailloux does..

No, you can’t make the plays he does offensively if he was a ‘dumb’ player. It’s all about orientation. He’s not a natural defenceman. Couple that with two critical lost years of development due to suspension, COVID and injury and you have what you have: a large forward trying to play defence.

 

[Benstheman]

I’d have Davidson at #9 and Tuch at # 10.

The rest is about right. I still cringe thinking about the decision to take Reinbacher over Leonard.

Hummm we could've used a player like Leonard off course but I think Reinbacher will be one of our top 3 important pieces when we contend for a cup.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

No, you can’t make the plays he does offensively if he was a ‘dumb’ player. It’s all about orientation. He’s not a natural defenceman. Couple that with two critical lost years of development due to suspension, COVID and injury and you have what you have: a large forward trying to play defence.

Except he makes bonehead plays offensively and makes them a lot defensively.

He's got solid mobility and everything, he just doesn't process the game well at times and sometimes very poorly.

 

[jaffy27]

1: Demidov
2: Hage
3: Reinbacher
4: Fowler
5: Beck
6: Engstrom
7: Dobes
8: Kapanen
9: Mailloux
10: Roy

Even with Hutson out that list is still really good. I ranked Kapanen 8 and he is almost ppg in sweden at 21 could be a good 3rd liner if everything go well.

Edit: Roy over Mesar for #10

Very good list….Roy has no future with the Habs, probably same with Mesar and depending what happens with the Evan’s negotiations, Beck for me is a trade chip with Suzuki, Dach, Hage and Evans sitting snug for C positions.

Add 12 picks in 25’ of which 7 are of higher quality, that prospect pool is looking really healthy for the foreseeable future.

 

[1909]

Hard to compare forwards with D or G… But these are my choices to reach and have a NHL career in MTL or elsewhere..

So

Forwards: Demidov, Hage, Beck. Kapanen, Tuch, Xhekaj

D-men: Reinbacher, Engstrom, Trudeau, Mailloux, Kuniushkov

Goalies: Fowler, Dobes, Primeau

 

[26Mats]

No, you can’t make the plays he does offensively if he was a ‘dumb’ player. It’s all about orientation. He’s not a natural defenceman. Couple that with two critical lost years of development due to suspension, COVID and injury and you have what you have: a large forward trying to play defence.

Except he makes bonehead plays offensively and makes them a lot defensively.

He's got solid mobility and everything, he just doesn't process the game well at times and sometimes very poorly.

As someone who doesn't get to watch Laval much, or Montreal much lately, it's interesting to hear your debate on Mailloux...

We could certainly use forwards with size if Mailloux can't iron out the defensive side.

 

[Shutdown]

this was my top 15 in september

1. Ivan Demidov
2. Lane Hutson
3. David Reinbacher
4. Michael Hage
5. Jacob Fowler
6. Joshua Roy
7. Oliver Kapanen
8. Adam Engstrom
9. Logan Mailloux
10. Jakub Dobes
11. Owen Beck
12. Emil Heineman
13. Luke Tuch
14. Florian Xhekaj
15. Filip Mesar

- my top 5 probably stays the same. maybe switch Hage and Reinbacher.
- Mailloux drops. so does Roy but he still rounds out my top 10.
- i considered Beck a boring prospect but sometimes boring gets the job done. i'm happy with how relatively high i had Dobes. they both move in the top 10.
- Engstrom is on the outside looking in but only because of the strong play of others (and he'd be in if i discount Hutson and Heineman)
- speaking of which, Heineman is a lesson that if a player flashes the ability to put it all together, they don't lose that ability, they might just take time to do it consistently.
- Mesar has had tough luck with injuries so i leave him in the top 15 but Davidson is right there with those guys at the bottom of my list. all those guys are pretty interchangeable. Xhekaj and Mesar are two years younger than Tuch and Davidson so they get a slight edge.


6. Owen Beck
7. Emil Heineman
8. Jakub Dobes
9. Oliver Kapanen
10. Joshua Roy
11. Adam Engstrom
12. Logan Mailloux
13. Florian Xhekaj
14. Luke Tuch
15. Filip Mesar
16. Davidson

i really think a lot of these guys have NHL potential - whether it's 100 games or 500 games.

 

[HabzSauce]

No, you can’t make the plays he does offensively if he was a ‘dumb’ player. It’s all about orientation. He’s not a natural defenceman. Couple that with two critical lost years of development due to suspension, COVID and injury and you have what you have: a large forward trying to play defence.

Do you think he could ever transition to forward?

 

[JadedRandom]

Do you think he could ever transition to forward?

Unlikely at this point, he's too heavily-invested on being a D.

But I genuinely think that patience is gonna be required with Mailloux. Something which hasn't historically been a forte for people on HfBoards, myself included at times.

With the seasons that Mailloux's lost to injury he's likely gonna be a more long-term project than a lot on here would like and the coaching staff in Laval and Adam Nicholas are more than likely working on getting Mailloux to "settle down" defensively first, as evidenced by him playing a lot more conservative these days, before they "unleash" him offensively and get him to activate offensively as he was doing earlier in the season.

All in all, it wouldn't surprise me at all if it takes until he's 23, maybe even 24, for Mailloux to really start playing a good consistent defensive game.

By then he might slot right into a post-Matheson right side of the defense for us, if we don't trade him before that.

This season is definitely one of stagnation, or even regression, for Mailloux, but the guy still has top-4 potential if he fixes some things in his game. We shouldn't give up on him too soon, he's only 21 right now and playing a lot of minutes for a young-ish Laval roster.

 

[Hins77]

Impact player :
1. Demidov
2. Reinbacher
3. Fowler
4. Hage
-----
Complement player :
5. Mailloux
6. Beck
7. Roy
8. Engstrom
9. Kapanen


I only think those have NHL upside.
Maybe Xhekaj or Tuch are gonna be 4th liner, but yeah

1. Demidov has the potnetial to become an fiest winger, an all star, making 90-100 pts

2. Reinbacher has the potential to become a first pair Dman a la Seider

3. Fowler has the potential to become a first NHL goalie

4. Hage could become a second centerman in the NHL

5. Logan Mailloux is developpement isnt finish yet. He is big, he has offensive tools, he just need to adapt his defensive game wich is possible to improve.

6. Owen Beck is a sure nhler. Middle 6 forward. But a real 3rd C

7. Joshua Roy needs to elevate his game. Potential to become a middle line forward.

8. Engstrom, could become a 5/6th dman.

9. Kapanane, bottom 6

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

No, you can’t make the plays he does offensively if he was a ‘dumb’ player. It’s all about orientation. He’s not a natural defenceman. Couple that with two critical lost years of development due to suspension, COVID and injury and you have what you have: a large forward trying to play defence.

Except he's now playing solid defensively and is doing nothing offensively.

He is a "dumb" player as he can't handle doing two things at once. If he's being an offensive monster, he's terrible defensively. If he's playing well defensively, he's doing nothing offensively.


Hopefully he can improve his defensive game, get the offense going and learn to do well at both. Or given how unique he is, he can be a specialist as long as you pair him with another player that can cover for him defensively if he's trying to be offensive, or vice versa..

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Except he's now playing solid defensively and is doing nothing offensively.

He is a "dumb" player as he can't handle doing two things at once. If he's being an offensive monster, he's terrible defensively. If he's playing well defensively, he's doing nothing offensively.


Hopefully he can improve his defensive game, get the offense going and learn to do well at both. Or given how unique he is, he can be a specialist as long as you pair him with another player that can cover for him defensively if he's trying to be offensive, or vice versa..

Regrettably, Mailloux has no switch that he can turn on that will allow him to ‘get the offense going,’ After every passing game it is becoming more obvious that he lacks the skating to be the offensive player that so many here hope or expect.

Barely adequate defensively and mediocre skating that limits his offensive impact and you have a player that has limited NHL upside as a defenceman.

 

[Garnet76]

Logan reminds me a lot of Ron Hainsey at the start if his career. An okay skater at best, iffy D zone coverage with some offensive. It took Hainsey a while to figure how to be an NHLer but once he did he had a long career. I feel Logan will do the same as there is no rush here.