The 2023-24 NHL season is only a few days away from kicking things off, but hockey in Europe and North American junior and college leagues have already begun. The Montreal Canadiens have several notable names at different levels, and we’ll be tracking their progress every week. In this series, we’ll cover the progression of all prospects, what they’ve accomplished during the week, and what makes them stand out above the rest.
Hockey in Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, and Russia wrapped up another week of their season, including nine prospects out of the Canadiens organization. Meanwhile, the three junior Canadian leagues and college hockey have all started, bringing the prospect count to 20. That number will increase by more than double when the Laval Rocket begin their week with a back-to-back homestand against the Abbotsford Canucks.
Related: Canadiens Prospect Report: 2023-24 Season Begins
The Canadiens rookie camp has also made its necessary cuts, sending Logan Mailloux to the American Hockey League (AHL) while surprising Habs fans by placing Joel Armia on waivers. The moves have given the team some flexibility to offer chances to younger players, which might be a trend that continues throughout the season. With that out of the way, here are some big stories from the Canadiens prospect pipeline and who is making waves in their respective leagues.
Hutson’s Spectacular Debut With Boston University
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Lane Hutson’s season in the NCAA began with a bang last week. The 19-year-old defenseman played spectacularly and got on the scoreboard in his season debut, clinching the win for Boston University. His deceptive wrist shot beat the goaltender high left with 1:48 remaining in overtime, but that’s not all that impressed those watching him. Hutson was also credited with eight scoring chances, as per a report from Lassi Alanen of Elite Prospects, and created 18 advantages for his team.
In other NCAA news, Sam Harris provided two assists in his freshman debut with Denver University, while Jack Smith posted one assist in a 3-2 losing effort for the University of Minnesota-Duluth. For Boston College, goaltending prospect Jacob Fowler came up big by stopping 29 of 30 shots in a 2-1 overtime win over Quinnipiac. Not only did the freshman win the starting job with Boston College, but Fowler made several spectacular saves throughout the game. It’s not hard to understand why the Canadiens camp was so high on him at the draft table.
Konyushkov Continues His Domination of the KHL
It’s official: Bogdan Konyushkov is HIM to start this season in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). His poise and self-control in the defensive zone were areas of his game that impressed us most in week one, but his offensive game exploded in the weeks that followed. The 20-year-old has amassed one goal and eight points in 15 games so far and is averaging 24:05 of ice time, up from his totals from last season (20:42). Head coach Igor Larionov is placing a tremendous amount of trust in his young blueliner, which is paying dividends as Torpedo sits in first place in the Western Conference.
In Russia’s junior league, Alexander Gordin continues his strong start for Ryazan-VDV with five goals and five assists in 13 games, and Yevgeni Volokhin holds a 3-2-3 record in nine games with Mamonty Yugry. The Russian netminder was one of three of his position drafted by the Canadiens in 2023, along with Fowler and Quentin Miller.
Xhekaj Looking Good Early With Brantford
The Brantford Bulldogs are getting a double dose of Wi-Fi power, this time with Florian Xhekaj plugged in. While his brother, Arber, played for the team when they were in Hamilton, Florian is making a name for himself with the newly established Brantford club. He has two goals and two assists in three games to kick off his season, and his first goal was also the first Bulldogs goal at the Brantford Civic Centre.
Cedrick Guindon, Daniil Sobolev, and Owen Beck round out the skaters appearing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), while Miller has a 2-2-0 record in four starts with the Quebec Remparts, holding onto a .900 save percentage despite the team sitting in a tie for dead last in the Eastern Conference.
The only remaining Habs prospects awaiting to see the ice for the first time this season are Rhett Pitlick and Luke Mittelstadt, who both play for the University of Minnesota. They don’t see action until this Friday (Oct. 13) when they go head-to-head with the University of St. Thomas. We’ll have that and more with next week’s edition of the Canadiens Prospect Report, so stay tuned! Until then, let us know in the comment section below who is currently standing out among the prospects playing.
