The Montreal Canadiens' rookie didn't have a great game against the Winnipeg Jets rookies on Saturday, but it was to be expected given the lack of top prospects on the Habs' roster.
The Montreal Canadiens rookie camp isn’t as exciting as it was in previous years when the likes of Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson dazzled fans. However, the organization still sent a team to take part in the prospects challenge alongside the Toronto Maple Leafs’, Ottawa Senators’, and Winnipeg Jets’ prospects. On Saturday afternoon, the mini Habs faced a talented Jets side that featured their eighth overall pick in the last draft, Viggo Bjorck; Brayden Yager, a 14th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2023; and Colby Barlow, the Jets’ own first pick, the 15th overall at the same draft.
In net, Arseni Radkov, the Canadiens' 82nd overall pick in the 2025 draft, was taking on Samuel Hrenak, the Jets’ third-round pick in the last draft. Unsurprisingly, Bjorck (in the first frame) and Yager (on a power-play goal in the second frame) gave Winnipeg a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes. The Jets made it 3-0 early in the third after Radkov spilled a puck in the crease, which Kevin He pushed into a wide-open net.
About halfway through the third, Alexander Legkov scored on the power play for the Canadiens, with Tyler Thorpe and Luke Mittelstadt providing the helpers. Legkov, signed as a free agent by the Laval Rocket, had a few impressive individual moments; he certainly has the skills. The undrafted 22-year-old spent the last season in the LPHL splitting his time between the Danbury Hat Tricks and the Pee Dee Ice Cats, where he put up 93 points in 58 games.
Thorpe and Owen Protz did land a few choice hits on the opponents, while Parker Trottier was quite visible on the attack, even though he was unable to thread the needle and beat Hrenak. The Canadiens did pull their goaltender in the dying minutes of the third, but even with the extra skater, they couldn’t find the back of the net. In fact, Hrenak, the Jets’ netminder, nearly scored in the empty net.
Mittelstadt wore the C for the game while Thorpe and Dillan Bentley wore an A on their jerseys. The Canadiens will now face the Senators on Sunday at 6:00 PM. The only team Montreal won’t face is Toronto, but it’s worth mentioning that the Leafs elected not to play Gavin McKenna, whose debut will have to wait until the preseason.
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