Habs Prospects 2017-18

[NWTHabsFan]

I don’t think any of Tyszka’s 23 points in 34 games are more dramatic than this OT winner last night.

He made it just in time for a Habs prospect play of the year highlight reel!

[NWTHabsFan]

Quarterfinal Tuesday at the WJC. Win and advance, lose and go home.

12:00 noon ET. Finland (Ikonen) vs Czech Republic.
4:00pm ET. Canada (Mete) vs Switzerland.
8:00pm ET. USA (Poehling) vs Russia.

All games on TSN.

[blny]

Zadina is a great sniper. He's really good at being on his left side and changing the angle to make it easier to pick corners. He's done that already today on the PP, with a laser to the top corner.

[NWTHabsFan]

Jan 2, 2018 12:28:48 GMT -5 blny said:

Zadina is a great sniper. He's really good at being on his left side and changing the angle to make it easier to pick corners. He's done that already today on the PP, with a laser to the top corner.

That tip to tie the game was pretty nice too.

Mete not playing tonight.

[jkr]

Saw a little of the Czech /Finland game. Looked there was barely a 1000 people in the stands.

[NWTHabsFan]

C'est tout for Ikonen and Finland. They lost to the Czechs 4-3 in a shootout. The star of the game was the Czech goalie who made 52 saves. The Czechs will now play the winner of CAN-SUI in the semi finals on Thursday.

[folatre]

Zadina is very attractive prospect for any club but in particular for one that does not score goals. If Habs can select him I would be willing to resign Plekanec (1 year 2.5 million or 2 yr/4M) to help the kid adapt.

[blny]

Jan 2, 2018 17:07:08 GMT -5 folatre said:

Zadina is very attractive prospect for any club but in particular for one that does not score goals. If Habs can select him I would be willing to resign Plekanec (1 year 2.5 million or 2 yr/4M) to help the kid adapt.

No thanks. Pleks isn't a top six player and I'm tired of teaching offensive players to play offense at the NHL level from a third line role. Whoever drafts Zadina has to play him in a role he's suited to play. We need people in power that recognize that.

[folatre]

I was not necessarily thinking of them playing on a line together. I just think if an 18 year old is going to play in the league it is helpful to have an older mentor talking with him in the room and making him more comfortable with the city. The same way if Bergevin had not traded Sergachev it would have been nice for him to break into the league with a veteran Russian, but it would not have been Sergachev and Markov playing together.

The issue of would Montreal want to sign Plekanec for 2018-19 is a sadly real one because this club has no NHL centres at Laval and I seriously doubt De la Rose or even Jake Evans could play a 15-16 minutes a game shut down role. Even if Plekanec moves at the deadline, he could come back and play his 1000th game as Canadien.

[NWTHabsFan]

USA advances to the semis against Dahlin and Sweden. Poehling with a big face off win and assist on the empty net goal.

Canada plays Czech Republic. Both games on Thursday on TSN, with Canada’s game in the evening. Hopefully Mete ready to play as he sat out today.

[blny]

Jan 2, 2018 19:08:02 GMT -5 folatre said:

I was not necessarily thinking of them playing on a line together. I just think if an 18 year old is going to play in the league it is helpful to have an older mentor talking with him in the room and making him more comfortable with the city. The same way if Bergevin had not traded Sergachev it would have been nice for him to break into the league with a veteran Russian, but it would not have been Sergachev and Markov playing together.

The issue of would Montreal want to sign Plekanec for 2018-19 is a sadly real one because this club has no NHL centres at Laval and I seriously doubt De la Rose or even Jake Evans could play a 15-16 minutes a game shut down role. Even if Plekanec moves at the deadline, he could come back and play his 1000th game as Canadien.

I'd rather tank a second year.

Tomas has never been noted for being a leader or mentor. A nice guy, yes. He's at 961 games. If he were kept around the whole season, and didn't get injured, he'd play 1000 before the end of the year. The time for sentiment has come and gone. Looking back hasn't got this club anywhere. Time to look forward. There's no room for Tomas looking forward.

Fire the regime. Let Timmins run the trade deadline. Trade Max. Trade Brendan. Trade Tomas. Trade Schlemko. Accrue as many picks in this draft as you can for them. Buyout Alzner. He was a mistake. Keeping him for 4 more years is bigger. cap goes to $80 million next year. Dead space of $1.3 million can be easily managed for 8 years (as sad as that sounds). Hit the draft out of the park. Use the ample cap space the club will have and throw a huge offer at Tavares if he isn't signed. There will be enough space to pay him more than Carey, for example. If he signs elsewhere, there are competent short term UFA options that would make for better mentors. There are also a couple of RFAs that might be worth pursuing. Pray that the new regime recognizes what I, skilly, and a host of others do: Galchenyuk can play center. Let him play second fiddle behind Tavares or a guy like Thornton on a short deal. Dahlin pairs with Weber, Mete pairs with Petry, and your third pair is Juulsen/Benn/Lernout. I've done the math, and with Tavares at $10.5 million there's enough room to even consider replacing Pacioretty with a guy like Neal.

[folatre]

I agree with a lot of what you are saying, blny.

The Habs are going to be really thin down the middle. Tavares is not leaving the Islanders to play for a non-contender. If Bergevin is not fired, Drouin is 1C next season; Danault is 2C; Evans and Proehling are not NHL ready so it could be AHL ceiling material like De la Rose, McCarron, or Froese holding to down the 3C and 4C spots. Shaw is pretty good on faceoffs but honestly I do not see anything else about his game suited to playing centre. Plekanec is not good enough to get in the way of a tank, but at least he is a guy respected for his work ethic and with 1,000 games with the club people see him as a Canadien.

[NWTHabsFan]

Bitten showing speed and a shot on his goal tonight. He ended up 1+1 tonight.

[NWTHabsFan]

Well, why not give a top three prospect list for the last month or so? Not much to cheer about with the big club these days other than Gally’s goal scoring, so let’s look at a few kids who are doing well.

1. Cayden Primeau. G, Northeastern, NCAA. Bet I surprised a few of you with this pick. I do always like to profile a few of the underdogs every time I do one of these lists, so why not our seventh rounder from last year’s draft. He is actually having an amazing freshman season so far. He took over the starting goalie spot in November and has not looked back. His 1.89 gaa is 4th best in the entire NCAA and his .927 is one point from fourth best as well. He has by far the best freshman goalie numbers. Where are Woll and Oettinger in those lists? Way down! Yup, he has better numbers than both US goalies at the WJC. Grant McCagg is already speculating that he should be on the radar with Hockey USA for the next WJC team. We shall see. Lots of hockey to be played.

2. Will Bitten. C, Hamilton, OHL. Our 19 year old third rounder from 2016 has been on a tear after a slow start to the season and a down year offensively last year. This bodes well for the guy looking to lock up an ELC before June 1st. Including tonight’s two points, he has 28 points in his last 17 games. He has at least one point in 15 of those 17 games. I hear some comparisons to a Paul Byron with a better shot. Anyway, he is holding up his part of the bargain and playing a big role for his OHL team. I fully expect he will be signed before too long.

3. Nikita Scherbak. RW, Laval, AHL. He needs no introduction, but the 22 year old (as of last week) is having his best pro season to date. He missed a fair bit due to injury, but he has 20 points in his 15 AHL appearances this season to date. This is a big year for him, as he will have to clear waivers next year. He has managed to fairly consistently be a producer on a Laval team that has struggled to score for stretches. Injuries and call ups have left the team a bit short, but Scherbak has taken full advantage even without the best supporting cast at times. He will get his shot.

Honourable mention. Josh Brook. D, Moose Jaw, WHL. He missed a big chunk of the start of the season due to an injury in the rookie tournament. Since his return to action in late November, he has looked like he hit the ground in mid season form. This last draft’s second rounder has 13 points in his 13 games, which is great for a balanced two way defender. He is still only 18, his birthday is in June, so he is a younger draftee for sure. He plays on Moose Jaw’s top pairing and plays on both special teams. This is even more impressive considering they are the top team in the Dub and #2 ranked in the CHL in the last ranking, pre-Christmas. Grant McCagg is also flagging him for next year’s Team Canada in the WJC. Lots of prominent Hab prospect watchers and bloggers are taking notice. I am taking notice. This guy is on the rise for me and I plan on seeing him live this Saturday.

Cheers!

p.s. Bet I surprised you by not including the NCAA leading scorer and Spengler Cup champ on my list. Yeah, he gets a nod too! Maybe it is a top five list this time around!!

[NWTHabsFan]

WJC Semi final Thursday.

4:00pm ET. USA (Poehling) vs Sweden.
8:00pm ET. Canada (Mete) vs Czech Republic.

Draft watchers can also see Dahlin, Zadina, Tkachuk, and Quinn in these games. I bet TT and company are scouting these guys because they are in the mix for us given the current standings. Svechnikov was not used as much by his coach, but I am sure he was getting lots of viewings here and in Barrie since his return from injury. Only big name missing at this tourney was Boqvist.

All games on TSN.

[NWTHabsFan]

Before I forget, there will be some NCAA hockey on TSN2 this Sunday that involves Habs' prospects.

Sunday, January 7th. 3pm ET. Michigan at Notre Dame (Evans). TSN2
Sunday, January 7th. 7pm ET. St. Cloud State (Poehling) at Minnesota. TSN2

Note: Poehling may or may not be in the lineup depending on when he returns to NCAA action after the WJC. Today's game likely has a huge bearing on this.

Some future games to watch as well:

Saturday, January 20th. 6pm ET. Minnesota State at St. Cloud State (Poehling). TSN2
Friday, January 26th. 8pm ET. Notre Dame (Evans) at Minnesota. TSN2

[NWTHabsFan]

Here are both of Bitten's points last night. He shows speed on the wing, a good shot, and nice vision on his assist.

[NWTHabsFan]

Way to go Cayden. Told you I liked him above!!

[drkcloud]

Poehling on the ice for 3 of the 4 swedish goals in a 4-2 american loss including giving up the puck for the second swedish shorthanded goal in a minute.

Very uninspiring tournament from Poehling. May make the show but i dont see him being a difference maker. Certainly not a 1st or 2nd line center. Some smarts but not really nhl caliber offensive talent. That talent that cant be taught

[NWTHabsFan]

It was a disappointing tourney for both Poehling and Ikonen. I had fairly high expectations for the two of them. They had both been very good at the U18 level last year and both put up great performances at the Junior Summer Showcase (basically an evaluation camp and warm up tourney for this event). I watched some of their games in each, and liked what I saw.

Still lots of work to do with both of them, but they are still 18 and both should get another shot at the WJC next year in BC.

[drkcloud]

I guess my disappointment with Poehling is the expectation i had heard from some that he could be our future number one center. Cant teach what he seems to be missing but hopefully he becomes a good nhler. He's definitely a solid kid and seems to have the character we value so highly

[Willie Dog]

Watching Mete carry the puck into the offensive zone against the Czechs tells me CJ better not MThead him. Let him go and generate offence...

[NWTHabsFan]

Great goal by Zadina. Top five pick likely.

[drkcloud]

I wonder if the Habs have looked at Ducharme. A couple years of this tourney under his belt.. Qmjhl coach if the year... Memorial cup winner and a couple years coaching Drouin in Halifax.. couldnt do worse than the current group of assistants in Montreal

[Willie Dog]

Jan 4, 2018 20:52:00 GMT -5 drkcloud said:

I wonder if the Habs have looked at Ducharme. A couple years of this tourney under his belt.. Qmjhl coach if the year... Memorial cup winner and a couple years coaching Drouin in Halifax.. couldnt do worse than the current group of assistants in Montreal

Not as long as BurgerBrain is there...

[NWTHabsFan]

Berg at the Canada game.

[blny]

Jan 4, 2018 20:00:58 GMT -5 drkcloud said:

I guess my disappointment with Poehling is the expectation i had heard from some that he could be our future number one center. Cant teach what he seems to be missing but hopefully he becomes a good nhler. He's definitely a solid kid and seems to have the character we value so highly

The wjc isn't the be all end all. None of the USA squad looked particularly good in the semi until the refs started handing out penalties late in the game. That said, no scout I've read projects Poehling as a #1.

He's got a shot to be a #2. Craig Button compares him favorably to Jordan Staal. Ryan has more speed.

Sometimes guys just don't gel in short tournaments. Mittelstadt and Bellows had strong tournaments. Poehling had some good games defensively and in the face off circle. Regardless, he's having a strong year on the best team in the NCAA. I won't be writing him off just yet.

[NWTHabsFan]

McDonagh and others have looked pretty meh at past WJC, so I don’t get too concerned about an 18 year old not making a big mark.

Poehling did some things well, and needs to work on doing a number of things better. That is normal.

I still was expecting more “impactful” play from both Poehling and Ikonen based on their past success wearing their national jerseys.

[NWTHabsFan]

Great PK shift for Poehling. Win the face off and end up roofing it for the goal!!

[seventeen]

Hope Canada finds some energy. They look slower than Sweden and are giving up possession too easily. Tied up on shortie after a loss of possession carrying the puck in.