Introduction
The bottom part of the Montreal Canadiens Top 25 Under 25 is always a mixed bag of players who are playing out their time on the Reserve List, new prospects who are trying to work their way to a professional contract, and players who are working to take the next step toward the NHL.
It can be a place where the story starts for some players, including the most recent success stories of Jake Evans and Cayden Primeau, who have played key roles for the organization at the professional level. For others, their time with the Canadiens organization will end here.
Last year’s list included now-graduated Lucas Condotta, who made his NHL debut that season, as well as several players who moved up on this year’s list.
Notes: In the voting graphics in this article, and all articles in this series, the “EOTP” vote is the average rank from the hundreds of community ballots. Members “Dachmatic” and “GetEm” are also listed along with nine EOTP staff members.
#54 Alexander Gordin
Forward – 22 – Ryazan-VDV (VHL)
No player may highlight the improving depth of the Canadiens’ organization more than Gordin. The sixth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft debuted at 27 in the 2020 edition of this ranking. He fell to 29th the next year, and all the way to 51st last season. This year, he is the final player ranked.
No longer eligible for Junior hockey, Gordin played his first full season in a senior league. He played mostly with HK Rostov in the VHL, the second tier of Russian pro hockey, and had eight goals and four assists in 36 games. He also played six games for Sochi in the KHL, scoring one goal and adding an assist.
Considering he played fewer games in the KHL than he did in 2021-22, and failed to earn a regular spot on the worst team in the league, the upside and intrigue that once surrounded Gordin as an NHL prospect has all but vanished.
He is set to have two more years on this ranking, as his signing rights will not expire, so there is a chance he moves out of the last spot before leaving the list entirely.
#53 Daniil Sobolev
Defence – 20 – Unknown for 2023-24
Sobolev has been in a steady decline in this list since being drafted. The Canadiens selected him in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Draft, at 142nd overall. Notably, that is eight spots ahead of where they selected Joshua Roy, who is significantly higher in this list.
Sobolev came to North America right before the pandemic, which delayed his OHL debut with Windsor. He had a subpar first season with two goals and 15 assists in 62 games and followed that up with only one goal and eight assists in 48 games last season. He has fallen from his debut at 31 in 2021 to 47th last year to 53rd.
The Canadiens own his rights until June, 2025, and it seems unlikely he will get a contract with the team without some significant development. As of right now, he does not have a team confirmed for 2023-24 as it is unlikely he will play an over-age season in the OHL.
#52 Jack Smith
Forward – 21 – University of Minnesota-Duluth
Jack Smith made his NCAA debut last season after two years in the USHL out of high school. He had five assists in 24 games for UMD, and is still looking for his first goal.
Smith was taken in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, and because of his delay to enter the NCAA, the Canadiens have his rights until 2026. That may be enough time for him to improve his position within the organization. He had tremendous offensive numbers in Massachusetts high school, so there is the possibility he can improve that part of his game.
As it is, he moved ahead of Gordin and Sobolev, who finished ahead of him last year. Like those two, he faced a steep decline after debuting at #31 in 2020.
#51 Emmett Croteau
Goaltender – 19 – Clarkson University
After debuting at #48 a year ago, Emmett Croteau falls three places to #51 in this year’s list. He is coming off his best USHL season to date, with an 18-10 record in 28 games, with a career-best 2.46 goals-against average and save percentage of .917.
Croteau will likely make his NCAA debut at Clarkson this year, which will provide him with a chance to make more of a name for himself. Despite being drafted in 2022, he is behind all three goaltenders the team took in the 2023 Draft, as our voting panel and community saw more upside in those players.
Goaltenders have often been the position most likely to rise up from this spot, and with another solid season, Croteau can find himself in that situation.
#50 Dmitri Kostenko
20 – Defence – Spartak Moskva (KHL)
After being a fourth-round pick in 2021, Kostenko has seen the same steady decline as fellow Russians Gordin and Sobolev. Last season, he did make his KHL debut, spending the entire year with Kunlun on loan. He had two goals and two assists in 52 games. While he did have some games with minimal ice time (as is customary with U20 defencemen who play KHL minutes), he did see some games with as many as 17 minutes.
The Canadiens can afford to take their time with Kostenko and see if a future NHL player develops and only bring him over if that happens. It will be interesting to see how he builds on his KHL debut in his age-20 season.
#49 Joe Vrbetic
Goaltender – 20 – Unsigned for 2023-24
After a debut of 39 and modest rise to 34 a year ago, Vrbetic drops down 15 spots after his first professional season.
Vrbetic played 28 ECHL games with the Lions, with a 14-12 record, 3.30 goals-against average and .896 save percentage. He even played four AHL games, with a 2-1 record, 4.05 GAA, and .871 save percentage. Those numbers weren’t enough to allow him to make a positive impression on the panel.
The Canadiens have the 6’6″ goaltender’s rights until 2025, although with him likely spending the season outside the organization this year, chances of them signing him have to be considered quite low.
#48 Sam Harris
Forward – 19 – University of Denver
Harris is the first newcomer to the list to appear in this year’s ranking. The forward was taken in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, and is actually behind three players who were drafted after him.
Harris is coming off of a season of 30 goals and 26 assists in 56 games in the USHL with the Sioux Falls Stampede, and is committed to the University of Denver in the NCAA.
The combination of modest USHL numbers, being an over-age draftee, and the glut of forwards surrounding him in the organization likely all played a factor in Harris finding himself in this spot. Like so many others before him, he will have every opportunity to make a name for himself, but faces a steeper climb simply because of the depth currently in the organization.
#47 Blake Biondi
Centre – 21 – University of Minnesota-Duluth
Biondi debuted on this list at 32 before dropping to 34 and 37 the last two years, and now sees a 10-spot drop. He had an injury-plagued junior season with the UMD Bulldogs, playing only 17 games, scoring three goals and adding three assists. He was playing through a left shoulder injury before injuring his right shoulder in his final game of the season back in December. The end esult was requiring surgery on both shoulders.
He didn’t take part in full scrimmages or practices at the team’s development camp at the beginning of July, but he did skate by himself and take part in fitness testing.
The question for Biondi will be whether he can build on his sophomore season of 17 goals and 11 assists in 42 games. That will very likely determine his professional future, as well as his future in the Canadiens organization.
#46 Yevgeni Volokhin
Goaltender – 18 – Mamonty Yugry (MHL)
The second player from the 2023 Draft makes his debut at #46, and is already the fourth Russian on the list.
Volokhin is intriguing, to say the least. After playing for his hometown team at the U16, U17, and U18 levels, he made his U20 debut in the MHL, and put up great numbers. He had a 20-6-3 record and 2.12 GAA with a .927 save percentage in the regular season with a .931 save percentage in five playoff games.
It’s possible that Volokhin simply plays out the rest of his eligibility without a second thought, but it’s also possible the Canadiens found a diamond in the rough.
The voting panel is normally conservative with late-round picks in their debut years, and the 2023 fifth-round pick is no exception.
#45 Florian Xhekaj
19 – Forward – Hamilton Bulldogs
There might not be a prospect more intriguing than the Canadiens’ fourth-round pick in 2023. We all know the family link, and the two brothers play a similar game on the ice.
In his first OHL season, he had 13 goals and 12 assists in 68 games, and he will look to build on that. Just because his brother was overlooked and developed late doesn’t mean Florian will follow suit, but it’s perhaps easier to see his path because of the similarities to Arber.
At the same time, Florian will look to make his own name, and he will be judged on this list based on his own merits going forward. He can also look at a similar player on this list, as Michael Pezzetta worked his way from “long shot” to NHL player playing a similar style.
#44 Petteri Nurmi
21 – Defence – HPK (Liiga)
Nurmi slots in to #44 for the second straight year. He played his second season in Liiga, Finland’s top league, and had one goal and 14 assists in 48 games. Unlike some young players playing at the senior level in Europe, he surpassed 20 minutes a game quite often, and played regular shifts.
It’s perhaps noteworthy that Nurmi didn’t drop despite there being more players in this year’s ranking. He is set to play his third season with HPK, and it’s an important one as the Canadiens need to sign him by June, 2024 or they will lose his rights.
He was a seventh-round pick in the 2022 Draft, and played two games at the World Juniors but was injured and missed the rest of the tournament.
#43 Filip Eriksson
Centre – 18 – Vaxjö Lakers (SHL)
Eriksson is an interesting prospect. The 2023 sixth-round pick had an injury-plagued draft year, playing only 13 regular-season games, plus nine playoff games at all levels. Eleven of those regular-season games came in the Swedish U20 league. He had 10 points in 11 games at that level and made his SHL debut with two games before breaking his hand and missing a large part of the season.
He is expected to return and play a bigger role this year, and a solid performance can see him rise up the rankings. Vaxjö Lakers, one of the best teams in Sweden, saw enough in Eriksson to lock him up to his rookie contract, even without the 100 minutes of SHL typically needed, that will run until the end of 2024-25.
#42 Luke Mittelstadt
Defence – 20 – University of Minnesota
In his third year of NHL Draft eligibility, Mittelstadt finally had his name called, and was drafted by the Canadiens in the seventh round. He played his first year in the NCAA, with five goals and 16 assists in 38 games, and he also played seven games for Team USA at the World Juniors with three assists.
Mittelstadt had good offensive numbers throughout his high-school career, and it will be interesting to see how he builds on his freshman season at Minnesota.
At 5’11” and 174 lbs, he isn’t the biggest defenceman, and he will need to round out his game before being considered higher than this spot.
#41 Ty Smilanic
Centre – 21 – University of Wisconsin
Smilanic is in his second year in the project after being acquired from the Florida Panthers in the Ben Chiarot trade. He dropped 14 spots from #27 a year ago after a tough season.
After transferring from Quinnipiac to Wisconsin, he took a leave of absence from the Badgers to focus on his mental health. He ended the year with one goal and one assist in 14 games.
He credited the Canadiens and Rob Ramage with being supportive while he stepped away, and being able to let him take care of himself. He says the pressure to perform, among other things, had him step away and seek out therapy.
As he enters his junior season in the NCAA, it will be an important year for the forward both on and off the ice.
Top 25 Under 25: The Long Shots with Anton Rasegård and Patrik Bexell
Cracking the Canadiens roster as a regular would be an impressive feat for any of these prospects. Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at players who have a bit more projectable upside in the organization.
