Each summer after the Top 25 Under 25 countdown concludes we look at the changes we witnessed from one year to the next. It’s a quick summary of which Montreal Canadiens players are trending up in the organization, and who is beginning to fall out of favour. We saw a lot of movement last year as the pool rocketed up to the largest number of young players we’d seen in our time putting this project together, and there were several notable moves in 2023 as we increased that total even further.
Biggest Rises
It’s not easy to move up the list now with so many good players lined up at the top, but some impressive seasons from a few members of the organization saw them make major strides.
Adam Engström (+28)
2022: #40 → 2023: #12
It may be difficult to improve one’s standing, but that didn’t prevent Adam Engström from pulling off the greatest leap in project history, and not by a little. His 28-position rise was nine better than those made by Martin Réway and Cayden Primeau when the pool of players was 41 in 2014 and 45 in 2018, respectively.
We obviously had 2022’s 92nd overall pick too low last season to allow for such a move, though it was difficult to know his potential after just a solid-looking Junior season. The defenceman must have made a big impression on the amateur scouts in the organization last year to get the call in the NHL draft’s third round. Translating his goal-scoring ability and a complete overall game to the professional level raised his stock by a significant degree.
Largest year-to-year rises
| Player | Rank (Year) | New Rank (Year) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Engström | 40 (2022) | 12 (2023) | 28 |
| Martin Réway | 33 (2013) | 14 (2014) | 19 |
| Cayden Primeau | 36 (2017) | 17 (2018) | 19 |
| Sven Andrighetto | 26 (2013) | 8 (2014) | 18 |
| Charles Hudon | 28 (2012) | 10 (2013) | 18 |
| Alexander Romanov | 26 (2018) | 9 (2019) | 17 |
| Michael McNiven | 29 (2016) | 13 (2017) | 16 |
| Dustin Tokarski | 29 (2013) | 13 (2014) | 16 |
| Joshua Roy | 22 (2021) | 7 (2022) | 15 |
| Jake Evans | 35 (2015) | 20 (2016) | 15 |
| Morgan Ellis | 25 (2011) | 11 (2012) | 14 |
Lane Hutson (+7)
2022: #13 → 2023: #6
Engström wasn’t the only defenceman on a charge. On the western shores of the Atlantic Ocean, the 2022-23 prospect headlines were dominated by the exploits of Lane Hutson in his freshman season in the NCAA. Just 33 assists in 39 games probably would have been enough to boost him a few spots in the rankings, but the blue-liner also added 15 goals playing a roving style of game for Boston University. He may be small, but the thoughts of him doing similar things in the NHL promoted him to a status as one of the very top prospects in the organization.
Jared Davidson (+6)
2022: #42 → 2023: #36
Still a way off from entering the Top 25, Jared Davidson had one of the biggest jumps after proving that his draft-year spike in production was no fluke. After 38 goals and 44 assists in the regular season and 23 points in 19 post-season contests that propelled he and his Seattle Thunderbirds to a Memorial Cup berth, voters were intrigued by what that production would look like in the AHL. We’ll find out soon enough as he’s set to play in Laval on a minor-league deal in what will be the final year before the team needs to make a decision on an entry-level contract.
William Trudeau (+5)
2022: #32 → 2023: #27
Turning 20 just as the hockey season began, William Trudeau got his chance to play a regular role in the AHL after three season in the QMJHL. The defenceman didn’t even seem to notice the increase in level as he contributed seven goals and 20 assists as a rookie, good enough for 12th on the team and first among the defence corps. He’s yet to crack the Top 25, but another season with some of the top young prospects in the system joining the Rocket could move him up to that level next summer.
Honourable mentions (+4)
Owen Beck started his T25U25 journey at 14th as a player with a very projectable professional style. All he needed to add was more of an offensive touch. Approaching his draft-year point total through just half a season with the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads was evidence enough that the one missing element of his game was rounding into form, and now he’s a top-10 player as a result.
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard‘s production looked good in the QMJHL, but would that translate to the AHL level? It turned out the answer was ‘yes.’ After 56 points in 69 games in 2021-22 and 31 in 40 games last year he got his call to move up to the NHL. All he did there was contribute 20 points in 34 contests, including 14 goals; a 48-point pace over 82 games. Will he be able to replicate that success in 2023-24? Based on how smoothly he’s made every transition to a higher level in his career to date, there’s no reason to expect otherwise.
Logan Mailloux slipped a few spots from his debut at 15th last year, but a productive season and impressive post-season run have him back up to 16th on the list. His offensive game is now set to be put to the test in the AHL for the 2023-24 season.
It was the strong OHL playoff performance from Arber Xhekaj in 2022 that earned him a spot at 21 for his debut in the series. Expected to play last season in the AHL, the injuries on Montreal’s blue line allowed him to stay in the NHL lineup, where his shooting talents and physical prowess proved he could play at that level. Officially he climbs four spots, though the community had him moving up a lot higher.
Like Mailloux, Jakub Dobes is about to embark on his professional journey with a season in the AHL. He looked great in his two years in the NCAA, which took his continuous rise up the order into the Top 25 for the first time. There’s a history of rises coming to an end when a player shifts to the pro ranks, but can Dobes overcome that hurdle?
All 2023 rises
| Player | 2022 Rank | 2023 Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engström, Adam | 40 | 12 | 28 |
| Hutson, Lane | 13 | 6 | 7 |
| Davidson, Jared | 42 | 36 | 6 |
| Trudeau, William | 32 | 27 | 5 |
| Beck, Owen | 14 | 10 | 4 |
| Harvey-Pinard, Rafaël | 17 | 13 | 4 |
| Mailloux, Logan | 20 | 16 | 4 |
| Xhekaj, Arber | 21 | 17 | 4 |
| Dobes, Jakub | 28 | 24 | 4 |
| Heineman, Emil | 24 | 21 | 3 |
| Guindon, Cedrick | 36 | 33 | 3 |
| Dach, Kirby | 5 | 3 | 2 |
Biggest Drops
Cayden Primeau (-18)
2022: #11 → 2023: #29
It was a wild seven-year ride in the project for Cayden Primeau, who entered the organization as a seventh-round pick in 2017. Exceptional performances at Northeastern University and a good start in the pros moved him as high as sixth, a rise that remains the largest the rankings have ever seen.
Things haven’t followed the same trajectory since then as he’s plateaued as an AHL netminder and struggled significantly whenever he’s received the call to the NHL level. A technically-sound netminder when he’s engaged in the game, it’s the mental aspect of the sport that he seems to have the most trouble with. He’ll have to address that critical part of the game to progress from his current status.
Largest year-to-year drops
| Player | Rank (Year) | New Rank (Year) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brett Stapley | 23 (2021) | 46 (2022) | -23 |
| Alexander Gordin | 29 (2021) | 51 (2022) | -22 |
| Cayden Primeau | 11 (2022) | 29 (2023 | -18 |
| Dmitri Kostenko | 28 (2021) | 45 (2022) | -17 |
| Cam Hillis | 24 (2021) | 41 (2022) | -17 |
| Luke Tuch | 14 (2021) | 31 (2022) | -17 |
| Daniil Sobolev | 31 (2021) | 47 (2022) | -16 |
| Andreas Engqvist | 15 (2011) | 31 (2012) | -16 |
| Alexander Avtsin | 11 (2011) | 27 (2012) | -16 |
| Joe Vrbetic | 34 (2022) | 49 (2023) | -15 |
| Joni Ikonen | 20 (2019) | 35 (2020) | -15 |
| Mattias Norlinder | 16 (2022) | 31 (2023) | -15 |
Joe Vrbetic (-15)
2022: #34 → 2023: #49
A .906 save percentage in the OHL was enough to move Joe Vrbetic to 34th last year, but an .896 mark in the ECHL and a lower number in four AHL matches didn’t instill much confidence in an NHL future. With three goaltenders selected in the 2023 draft, that likelihood drops even further, and he’s been dismissed to a spot among the lowest tier of the pool.
Mattias Norlinder (-15)
2022: #16 → 2023: #31
Once regarded as the top defence prospect in the system, Mattias Norlinder came to North America with high expectations in 2021-22. The contract situation that dictated he had to return to Sweden if he didn’t make the NHL kept him in the press box for much of the season’s start as he didn’t crack the lineup, and he was limited to just 12 games that year.
He finally got to play nearly a full schedule last year — 67 of the Laval Rocket’s 72 games — with decent production of two goals and 17 assists. However, “decent” offensive totals aren’t going to work in his case; he needs to be a well-above-average point-producer to take a spot in the NHL. With nothing to lose in the final year of his ELC, perhaps we will see him embrace the creative style he was known for.
Ty Smilanic (-14)
2022: #27 → 2023: #41
Ty Smilanic’s production in the NCAA was good enough to finish just outside fo the Top 25 Under 25 last summer following his acquisition in the Ben Chiarot trade. He transferred from Quinnipiac University to the University of Wisconsin ahead of last season, playing 14 games before taking a leave to address his mental health. Hopefully he will be in a better state for the 2023-24 season, his fourth collegiate campaign.
Jan Mysak (-13)
2022: #19 → 2023: #32
Jan Mysak debuted in our list inside the top 20 and stayed there for three years, rising as high as 12th after a long stint in the AHL during the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season. He joined the pro ranks in an official capacity in 2022-23, but the results were underwhelming for the 2020 second-rounder, who scored just five goals in 40 games. Once looking like a future middle-six NHL centre, it’s difficult to see a future for him in the world’s top league, especially in an organization with so much depth down the middle.
Blake Biondi (-10)
2022: #37 → 2023: #47
The overarching theme of the Montreal Canadiens’ story in 2022-23 was injuries, specifically season-ending shoulder injuries for Cole Caufield and Arber Xhekaj. Blake Biondi had surgery on both shoulders during the season, ending his junior NCAA campaign after just 17 matches.
Debuting at 32nd back in 2020, Biondi has dropped each year since, and is now found toward the tail end of the prospect depth. He’s about to enter his final year with the University of Minnesota, where he will hopefully be able to play a full campaign.
All 2023 drops
| Player | 2022 Rank | 2023 Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primeau, Cayden | 11 | 29 | -18 |
| Vrbetic, Joe | 34 | 49 | -15 |
| Norlinder, Mattias | 16 | 31 | -15 |
| Smilanic, Ty | 27 | 41 | -14 |
| Mysak, Jan | 19 | 32 | -13 |
| Biondi, Blake | 37 | 47 | -10 |
| Ylönen, Jesse | 12 | 20 | -8 |
| Mesar, Filip | 10 | 18 | -8 |
| Farrell, Sean | 8 | 15 | -7 |
| Sobolev, Daniil | 47 | 53 | -6 |
| Kostenko, Dmitri | 45 | 50 | -5 |
| Harris, Jordan | 9 | 14 | -5 |
| Barron, Justin | 6 | 11 | -5 |
| Pitlick, Rhett | 35 | 39 | -4 |
| Struble, Jayden | 18 | 22 | -4 |
| Kidney, Riley | 15 | 19 | -4 |
| Gordin, Alexander | 51 | 54 | -3 |
| Croteau, Emmett | 48 | 51 | -3 |
| Tuch, Luke | 31 | 34 | -3 |
| Smith, Jack | 50 | 52 | -2 |
| Rohrer, Vinzenz | 26 | 28 | -2 |
| Roy, Joshua | 7 | 9 | -2 |
| Slafkovský, Juraj | 3 | 5 | -2 |
| Kapanen, Oliver | 25 | 26 | -1 |
