The Canadian is sending some of its best prospects to Buffalo starting Thursday to participate in a rookie tournament pitting Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Boston, Ottawa and Montreal against each other. Mathias Brunet answers five questions to this effect.
Eyes will obviously be on the team’s first pick in 2023, defenseman David Reinbacher, drafted fifth overall, but also on another big right-handed defender, Logan Mailloux, first round pick in 2021, 31st overall . Mailloux will be in his first training camp with the Canadian since he was sidelined last year due to a shoulder injury.
On offense, it will be necessary to keep an eye on Sean Farrell, who played a few games at the end of the season with the Canadiens, Emil Heineman, seven goals in eleven games with the Laval Rocket at the end of the season, and the Owen juniors Beck, Filip Mesar, Joshua Roy, Riley Kidney and Florian Xhekaj.
The Canadiens’ hopefuls will face those of the Buffalo Sabers on Friday at 7 p.m., the Bruins on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and the Senators on Monday at 1:30 p.m. The games will be televised on the RDS website.
We should find some first round picks from recent years with the Sabres, Zach Benson, Matthew Savoie, Isak Rosen, maybe even Jiri Kulich, despite his full season in the American League, but not Noah Östlund, loaned this summer to the club first division (SHL) Växjö. We do not expect to see Quebec goalkeeper Devon Levi. He should skip that step and report to Sabers training camp.
Without a first-round pick for two years, the Senators should not present a great roster. 2021 first-round pick forward Tyler Boucher is expected to be there, after another lackluster season, as is second-round pick Zac Ostapchuk. We should complete the team with invited players and young players from the American League.
For the same reasons, the Bruins shouldn’t offer a lot of top prospects. Fabian Lysell, Matthew Poitras and John Beecher are undoubtedly the best known.
Lane Hutson is now very high on the Canadiens’ prospect list after a 48-point debut season in just 38 games at Boston University. But the NCAA’s rules are strict: a college-level player can take part in National Hockey League camps, but only if he doesn’t miss school and pays travel expenses, except for his first 48 hours. of a first participation in a camp.
Hutson, Luke Tuch, Jacob Fowler and company participated in the team’s summer development camps because it did not conflict with the school’s schedule, which would not be the case this week with the rookie tournament. Hutson and Tuch had to pay the full cost of their trip, because they were on their second and third camps, respectively, but we’re guessing that Fowler benefited from the free hotel and meals for the first two days since it was a first experience for him at this camp.
With the hopes retained in the NCAA or in Europe, or with less full pipelines, there is a lack of players to count on a complete training. Organizations take advantage of this to invite players they have their eye on. They have sometimes already participated in the summer development camp and we intend to continue the audition. There can always be surprises.
In 2021, for example, Mattias Norlinder was the big attraction in defense, in his first appearance in North America. Arber Xhekaj, 20, was a lowly guest, after being skipped in the draft for two years. His performances convinced management to offer him a contract.
In 2018, Montreal invited a certain Brandon Hagel to the rookie tournament. Hagel had just been dropped by the Sabres. After a lackluster performance, he was sent back to the junior ranks, where he started his season with a bang. Chicago was quick to sign him on October 30, after just 15 games in Red Deer. Hagel was well established with the Hawks three years later when Tampa offered two first-round picks to get him. Hagel is coming off a 30-goal, 64-point season with the Lightning and he just signed an eight-year contract for $52 million…
No doubt Adam Engström, this 19-year-old left-handed defender drafted in the third round in 2022. Engström, 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, is dedicated to the coming season with Rögle, in the Swedish first division (SHL). He had 16 points in 43 games last year, and five points in nine playoff games, an astonishing performance for such a young player. Engström also participated in the World Junior Championship, where he played as part of the first pair of defensemen.
Another Norlinder? Engström’s game is much more complete. He offered this performance in the first division. Norlinder had 18 points in 34 Second Division games and played a modest role in the third pair of defensemen at the World Junior Championship.
Another defender will be one to watch in the coming years. It is Russian Bogdan Konyushov, 20, a fourth-round pick this summer. The 5-foot-11 right-hander has an assist in three games so far in KHL Torpedo after posting 25 points in 64 games last year. He is already being used profusely despite his young age, but he is under contract there until 2026.
If all NHL hopefuls had the chance to count on a teacher like this coach…
