Last year we saw eight players graduate or depart from the Top 25 Under 25 master list.
Dustin Tokarski, Mike Condon, Magnus Nygren, and Greg Pateryn graduated, whereas Patrick Holland, Maxim Trunev, Jiri Sekac, and Jack Nevins were either released or traded.
This season we only have three players that graduated off the list.
Graduates
| Player | 2015 Rank | 2014 Rank | 2013 Rank | Current Status |
| Mac Bennett | 25th | 26th | 24th | Graduated |
| Joel Hanley | 39th | N/R | N/R | Graduated |
| Joonas Nattinen | 38th | 31st | 28th | Graduated |
As you can see, the Canadiens did not lose much talent in terms of graduated players. Hanley had a solid stint with the St. John’s IceCaps last year, although he definitely projects as a depth defender. The same can be said for Mac Bennett, who is unsigned at the time of publication.
Departed
| Player | 2015 Rank | 2014 Rank | 2013 Rank | Status |
| Michael Bournival | 11th | 5th | 12th | Signed with Tampa Bay |
| Gabriel Dumont | 23rd | 22nd | 20th | Signed with Tampa Bay |
| Morgan Ellis | 27th | 24th | 16th | Signed St. Louis |
| Christian Thomas | 14th | 17th | 19th | Traded to Arizona |
| Jared Tinordi | 9th | 4th | 7th | Traded to Arizona |
| Devante Smith-Pelly | 15th | N/R | N/R | Traded to New Jersey |
| Darren Dietz | 24th | 23rd | 18th | Signed with Washington |
| Zack Kassian | 7th | N/R | N/R | Traded to Edmonton |
| Josiah Didier | 32nd | 33rd | 31st | Signed AHL contract |
| Stefan Fournier | 41st | 38th | 37th | Traded to Arizona |
There was a fair amount of turnover among players 25 and under, as evidenced by the list above. Fortunately, the Canadiens once again did not lose much in terms of talented players, although the IceCaps did lose their best defender last season in Ellis.
Newcomers
| Player | Acquired |
| Will Bitten | 2016 Draft |
| Mikhail Sergachev | 2016 Draft |
| Michael Pezzetta | 2016 Draft |
| Victor Mete | 2016 Draft |
| Casey Staum | 2016 Draft |
| Arvid Henrikson | 2016 Draft |
| Phillip Danault | Trade with Chicago |
| Max Friberg | Trade with Anaheim |
| Ryan Johnston | NCAA Free Agent |
| Charlie Lindgren | NCAA Free Agent |
| Tom Parisi | NCAA Free Agent |
| Michael McNiven | OHL Free Agent |
| Stefan Matteau | Trade with New Jersey |
With the help of the draft, the Habs definitely bolstered their under-25 prospect pool. Names like Sergachev and Bitten might join the team sooner rather than later. In Sergachev’s case, he joins the Canadiens with a lot of hype behind him, although from what we’ve seen the hype is well-deserved.
They also added depth by finding quality players in the NCAA, such as Johnston (who was signed after the voting process began last year) and Lindgren. As for professional players, the Canadiens acquired a few depth forwards like Friberg and Matteau, whereas the only NHL-quality player that joined the fold was Danault.
Several of the newcomers are sure to debut among the top 25 players on our list, whereas some will definitely miss the cut.
Who makes it? Who misses the cut? Stay tuned as we roll out the Montreal Canadiens Top 25 Under 25 throughout the next month, starting tomorrow with those who just missed the cut.
