It’s been said and written a lot over the last couple of years; the future is bright in Montreal, and it seems McKeen’s Hockey agrees. The outlet, which is an authority in the field when it comes to prospect content, has ranked the Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens]’ prospect pool as the top one in the league. They list the Canadiens’ top 10 prospects as follows: Ivan Demidov, David Reinbacher, Jacob Fowler, Michael Hage, Joshua Roy, Logan Mailloux, Oliver Kapanen, Owen Beck, Jakub Dobes, and Adam Engstrom. There’s no denying that’s an impressive list, and if they all meet expectations, they could make the Canadiens a perennial contender. Canadiens: Potential First-Round Pick – Logan Hensler [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-potential-first-round-pick-logan-hensler] Should The Canadiens Enter The Nikolaj Ehlers Derby? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/should-the-canadiens-enter-the-nikolaj-ehlers-derby] Canadiens: Kypreos Reveals Trade Target [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-kypreos-reveals-trade-target] I will admit I’m surprised to see Roy so high up, however. He’s quite inconsistent, and his effort level isn’t always satisfactory. To his credit, though, he did show up when he was needed in the playoffs for the Laval Rocket. It will be interesting to see how he does at camp this season. If he adopts the same approach as he did last season, he will likely achieve the same result. Which other prospect pools make up the top-five? The San Jose Sharks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/san-jose-sharks] come in second place with Sam Dickinson leading the way (Macklin Celebrini is no longer considered a prospect since he’s a full-time NHLer). Steve Yzerman’s Detroit Red Wings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings] get third place with Axel Sandin-Pellikka being their most prized prospect. The Chicago Blackhawks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks] are in fourth place, with Artyom Levshunov being top of the class, and the Anaheim Ducks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks] close out the top five with Beckett Sennecke and Tristan Luneau being the headliners. It will be interesting to see just how many of the Canadiens’ top 10 prospects compete for a spot on the team at the next training camp. It seems like a given that Demidov will make the cut, but who else could break through? If Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia are not re-signed, there will be chairs to fill. Can Roy elevate his game enough? Would there be room for both Beck and Kapanen? Kent Hughes has already said that he doesn’t want to stop his team’s organic growth by bringing in too many rookies at once. There will be some interesting battles come September… Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwo-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen], never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
