Introduction
In a tier slightly above that of the long shots who have a slim chance of seeing time in the NHL is a group of players who show a bit more potential, but still have difficult paths to a career at the top level. These players have at least one projectable trait to help them achieve their dreams, but have work to do on the rest of their game to get into that conversation.
As is often the case, new draftees find themselves in these lower tiers when they first join the organization. Five of the nine prospects selected in the 2023 NHL Draft were featured in yesterday’s countdown from 54 to 41, and this article profiling the players dubbed “projects” begins with another.
#40 Quentin Miller
G – 18 – Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
It’s difficult enough to project the NHL ability of a goaltender, and even more so when that goalie played as a backup in his draft season. Quentin Miller only got into 20 games for the eventual Memorial Cup-champion Quebec Remparts, but a .911 save percentage in that time points to some good abilities to build upon.
The Canadiens have been able to find some intriguing netminders in the draft over the past handful of years, and Miller could be one of their latest. It was a position the organization keyed on at the draft, selecting three goalies in total, hoping one of Miller, Yevgeni Volokhin, and Jacob Fowler becomes the starter of the future.
We’ll get a better look at Miller’s quality in 2023-24 as he seems poised to take over the starting role from William Rousseau, who was traded to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies after the season. How Miller handles that elevated role will be reflected in the rankings in a year’s time.
#39 Rhett Pitlick
LW – 22 – University of Minnesota (NCAA)
Rhett Pitlick was selected back in 2019, but last year was just his second spent in the NCAA following two seasons in the USHL. The slow start to his collegiate career has impacted his ranking over the years, as he’s gone from an immediate debut within the Top 25 out of high school to a drop of three to five spots every year since.
The slow pace of his development may be discouraging for voters, but it’s been good to him. Decent NCAA production in his freshman year turned into a respectable 25 points in 40 games in 2022-23, increasing from five goals to 11.
He will have two more years of that methodical approach to his career before the Canadiens need to sign him. Another step forward in his offensive game could get his ranking trending in the opposite direction.
#38 Miguël Tourigny
D – 21 – Laval Rocket (AHL)
With nothing left to prove in the QMJHL after an 80-point season, Miguël Tourigny began his professional career in Europe. He got into 39 games with HK Dukla Trencin of the Slovak Extraliga, and contibuted 24 points. He tied for the lead among defencemen with a player who participated in 10 more games.
There’s no questioning the offensive talent, but the defenceman’s size is going to be the concern no matter how many points he puts up. He stands just 5’8″, and will have to prove at each new level that his style of play will hold up.
For the 2023-24 season, that test will be conducted in the AHL with the Laval Rocket. The Canadiens have taken advantage of the one remaining year of his signing rights to add him to the AHL team on a minor-league deal, waiting to see what he has to offer before committing to an entry-level contract. A Rocket team that struggled to score last season will welcome his services, and a good performance in his first North American pro season may earn him that NHL deal at season’s end.
#37 Nicolas Beaudin
D – 23 – Laval Rocket (AHL)
A potential defence partner for Tourigny this year, Nicolas Beaudin makes his first appearance in this project. He was involved in an early-season trade for Cam Hillis, and played 39 games in Laval after playing three for the Rockford IceHogs.
Beaudin was a first-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2018, and had 22 games of NHL experience with the club, but has largely been limited to AHL time. He seemed to enjoy the move to his home province last seasoni, registering 25 points to finish 14th on the scoring list.
It was a solid start with his new team, but not enough to earn a spot in the Top 25. He did outrank Hillis’s final appearance on this list at 41st a season ago, so from that perspective – and the fact that Hillis played his season in the ECHL – you can say that Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes won that October trade.
#36 Jared Davidson
C – 21 – Laval Rocket (AHL)
Jared Davidson was an over-age draftee like Tourigny, and therefore aged out of Junior before his signing rights were up. He could be signed to an minor-league deal, giving the Habs a relatively rare opportunity to evaluate a prospect at the AHL level before making a commitment to an ELC.
Davidson is an offensive player with some questions marks surrounding his physical tools. Those flaws could be covered up by his exceptional shot with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, but they can’t in Laval, making this year the true test of his skills.
The 2022-23 season wasn’t quite as impressive as his last, but it was at least consistent with the performance that got him drafted, and that allowed him to jump six spots from last season. His 42 goals were an outlier compared to his previous high of nine the previous year, but following up with 38 goals proved that that production was no fluke.
Now we’ll find out how well that offence, which in his case comes from a quick, whippy shot he can use from close to the net, will work in the second tier of North American hockey. He’s part of what management is expecting to be an injection of skill to the farm team, aiming to take more advantage of the chances the Rocket create.
#35 Bogdan Konyushkov
D – 20 – Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)
Konyushkov was the oldest prospect selected in June, but is still young by defence standards, and his season was no less impressive as a 20-year-old.
The defenceman became one of the few to receive playing time in the KHL at that age, and was given significant minutes in a key role to boot. He posted 25 points on the season, and five more in the playoffs, 10th in team scoring and one off the lead among defencemen.
Konyushkov is the first player o receive a vote in Top 25 from a staff member, and had more votes in th high 20s. Of all the players profiled so far, he has the highest likelihood of a rise in 2024, and it could be a significant one.
#34 Luke Tuch
LW – 21- Boston University (NCAA)
Tuch debuted in the Top 25 right after being drafted, then rose to 14 in 2021, but plummeted last year and falls further this time. That initial rise came following 11 points in 16 games in his freshman year, but he couldn’t match that total in 10 more games the next year, and was just a half-point-per-game player as a junior.
Injuries have been a major part of his story, but if he can’t find ways to contribute with his size in the NCAA, there’s not much hope that he will improve in the NHL, and that’s why he’s 20 positions lower than he was two years ago.
This is one of the lowest spots a player selected by Montreal in the first or second round has ranked in the 14-year history of this series. Only Joni Ikonen (35 in 2020) and Dalton Thrower (38 in 2016) have ever ranked lower.
#33 Cedrick Guindon
LW – 19 – Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
Despite a 59-point draft season, Cedrick Guindon only debuted at 36 in 2022, perhaps because the second-rounders, Owen Beck and Lane Hutson, grabbed all of the attention. Last season, Guindon eclipsed the point-per-game mark in both the regular season and playoffs with the Owen Sound Attack, but that only led to a three-spot jump in the rankings this time around.
It didn’t help his case that his goal total dropped from 30 to 22, or that Colby Barlow, whom Guindon finished in a tie with for the goal-scoring lead in 2021-22 , rocketed ahead of his teammate to finish atop Owen Sound’s scoring list.
Guindon will need one of those breakout years to keep the Canadiens interested in him after what will be the final season before his rights expire. It’s a situation faced by a lot of players in this category.
We’re still a long way from getting to number 25 in our countdown, but not so far from getting to players who have a proper shot at making the NHL. Those seven players will be the subject of tomorrow’s article, the near misses.
