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.
In this range, previous lists included players like Michael Pezzetta and Lucas Condotta, who ended up making their NHL debuts that same season. Last year’s list included players who remain in this group, while others moved their way out of it.
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 ‘DasLasagna’ and “Habimus Maximus III”(“Lasagna” and “Habimus”) are also listed along with nine EOTP staff members.
#54 Alexander Gordin
Forward – 23.0 – Gornyak-UGMK (VHL)
For the second straight year, Gordin is the lowest person on the list. 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 in 2022 before finishing 54th the last two years.
Gordin played with HK Rostov in the VHL, the second tier of Russian pro hockey. He had over 50 games with the same team for the first time since he played junior hockey. In 53 games, he had 18 goals and 22 assists. He was by far the most successful player on the team. No other player had double digit goals, and he finished 16 points ahead of the second-place scorer on the team. He finished 21st in VHL scoring.
This year, he will move to a different team, and with only one more year on this list, it will be interesting to see if he manages to move himself out of the last spot.
#53 Jack Smith
Forward – 22.1 – University of Minnesota-Duluth
Smith was drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft (102nd overall). Since being drafted, he struggled to put up the offensive numbers that would show he is capable of making it at the next level. Injuries and the pandemic played a factor, as he only played 57 games in the USHL in the two seasons after being drafted, with limited offensive production.
He is now set to enter his third season at UMD in the NCAA, and last season he played 34 games and only managed three goals and nine assists.
After debuting at #31 in 2020, it has been a steady decline to the bottom of the list. He was 52nd a year ago.
#52 Emmett Croteau
Goaltender – 20.6 – Dartmouth University
After debuting at 48 in 2022, Croteau was 51st last year before falling another spot to 52. Last season was a difficult one for Croteau. He played only six games at Clarkson University in his first NCAA season. He was 2-3-0, with a 3.53 goals against average and .835 save percentage. He will transfer to Dartmouth this season.
Croteau’s struggles are only one reason for his place on this list. The other is his place among goaltenders in the organization. There aren’t 12 spots or six spots like there are for forwards or defenders, so if you aren’t near the top of the depth chart organizationally, goaltenders tend to drop down the list.
A good season will go a long way in determining his future. Goaltenders are volatile and can take more time to develop.
#51 Dmitri Kostenko
Defence – 21.8 – Khimik Voskresensk (VHL)
In 2021, Kostenko debuted at #28. He fell 17 spots the next season and his drop has continued steadily since then. He was drafted in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft (87th overall) and showed promise as he was already playing at the senior level in the VHL.
Since then, he hasn’t really taken the next step. He spent the 2022-23 season in the KHL, but returned to the VHL last year and there was a little bit of promise when he was sent to Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. In 22 games with them, he had eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points. He added two goals and five assists in 19 playoff games. That’s in contrast to three goals and two assists in 20 games with Khimik Voskresensk, where he will return this season.
He’s a victim of the organization’s improving depth, but also a victim of his own stat line that has allowed him to get lost in the shuffle.
#50 Ty Smilanic
Forward – 22.5 – Unsigned for 2024-25
Smilanic made the decision to leave the NCAA before last season and spent the year in the ECHL with the Trois-Rivières Lions. He had one goal and six assists in 31 games, and is currently unsigned for next season. His rights with the Canadiens will expire on August 15 if the team does not sign him to an entry-level contract, and that should not be expected.
Smilanic has taken several leaves to focus on his mental health, and his ability to face that head on should be commended. Smilanic debuted at #27 in 2022 after being acquired in the Ben Chiarot trade from the Florida Panthers, along with draft picks. Since then, he has struggled to produce offensively and live up to his billing as a third round pick in 2020.
#49 Daniil Sobolev
Defence – 21.4 – Spartak Moskva (KHL)
At #49, Sobolev is the first person in this 2024 ranking to have moved up from last season. He was 53rd last year after a steadly decline from his debut at #31 in 2021. After playing his junior hockey in the OHL, he now returns to Russia to start his professional senior career.
He did have his best offensive season in the OHL as a 20-year old last year. He split the season between Niagara and Brantford and in 64 games, he had seven goals and 18 assists, both career highs. He added one assist in six playoff games.
Sobolev, after being drafted, said he came to North America to work on his offence since Russia doesn’t allow many defenders to play that style. His timing couldn’t be worse, as he came over for the 2020 season that was cancelled because of the pandemic. He still has the opportunity to play hockey professionally, but the NHL is out of reach for now.
#48 Joe Vrbetic
Goaltender – 21.8 – Unsigned for 2024-25
Like Sobolev, Vrbetic saw a modest increase of one spot from last year. For the second straight year, he spent it in the Canadiens organization with the Trois-Rivières Lions of the ECHL. In 33 games, he had a 10-14-3 record with a 3.52 goals against average and .891 save percentage. Those numbers were very similar to what he had the year before at that level.
At this point, Vrbetic simply may not have a spot in the organization. Like with Croteau, there is only so much space for a goaltender, and as of right now he doesn’t have a place to play. It’s possible he spends a third year in Trois-Rivières, but it’s perhaps more likely he leaves the organization.
#47 Mikus Vecvanags
Goaltender – 18.5 – Acadie-Bathurst Titan (QMJHL)
Vecvanags was the Canadiens fifth round pick (134th overall) in the 2024 Draft and is the first player to make his debut on the list. The Latvian goaltender opened up some eyes playing for his country at the 2023 Under-18s where he went 1-3 with a 3.84 goals against average and .894 save percentage. He was drafted by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the CHL Import Draft, and it is likely he moves to the QMJHL next season.
He spent most of last season with the HS Riga system in Latvia, and their Under-18 team plays in the Finnish system.
As a goaltender who doesn’t have much of a track record, it’s not a surprise to see him be the lowest ranked player from the 2024 Draft, even if others were drafted behind him. However, he may be one the players who can take a step up next season depending how he performs this season.
#46 Blake Biondi
Forward – 22.3 – University of Notre Dame
Biondi is taking advantage of his fifth “COVID” year of NCAA eligibility to transfer from Minnesota-Duluth to Notre Dame for next season. The 22-year old had eight goals and 11 assists in 34 games last season. He moved up one spot from last season’s ranking, but it is a fall from his debut at 32 in 2020. He was the Canadiens fourth-round pick in 2020 (109th overall).
It’s unlikely he earns himself an NHL contract at this point, but this season could allow him to get other professional opportunities in hockey. We have seen the Canadiens provide AHL or ECHL opportunities to players who were in the organization, and it a good season by Biondi could put him on that radar.
#45 Rasmus Bergqvist
Defence – 19.1 – Skellefteå AIK J20 (Sweden)
Bergqvist was the Canadiens’ final pick in the 2024 Draft, 224th overall in the seventh round. A defensive defenceman in Sweden is an intriguing player. He has played at the U20 level the last two seasons, despite being under-18. His numbers (four goals, eight assists in 36 regular season games, one goal, two assists in nine playoff games) don’t jump off the page, but at 6’2″, 181, he has good size.
There aren’t many expectations when you’re drafted as low as Bergqvist was, but sometimes that’s the recipe to rise up the rankings in the future.
#44 Ben Merrill
Forward – 18.7- Penticton Vees (BCHL)
Merrill was drafted in the sixth round (166th overall) by the Canadiens in 2024 and makes his debut on this list. Committed to Harvard University for the 2025-26 season, he will spend next season in the BCHL. Last season he played at the high school level, with two games with Chicago in the USHL.
The knock on Merrill is his skating, and it’s not unusual for late round picks to have (at least) one significant flaw. The Canadiens are betting on some improvement and on the rest of the package. It will be interesting to see how he performs at what will be a tougher level than the prep school level, where he had 18 goals and 19 assists in 25 games.
#43 Makar Khanin
Forward – 19.4 – Dynamo St. Petersburg (VHL)
Khanin was taken 14 spots ahead of Bergqvist in the seventh round (210th overall) of the 2024 Draft. He spent most of last season in the VHL (the second tier of Russian senior hockey), playing 35 games with nine goals and 18 assists (27 points). He spent a bit of time in the MHL junior league, and tore it up with seven goals and two assists in seven games. He added two assists in seven playoff games.
A player who had senior-level experience is intriguing and the Canadiens have the luxury to watch what happens and make a decision years down the road.
Jared Book and Patrik Bexell discuss this group of players on the podcast.
Timestamps:
2:55 – Alexander Gordin
4:25 – Jack Smith
5:00 – Emmett Croteau
7:05 – Dmitri Kostenko
9:30 – Ty Smilanic
10:50 – Daniil Sobolev
14:20 – Commercial
14.25 – Joe Vrbetic
15:40 – Mikus Vecvanags
16:50 – Blake Biondi
18:40 – Rasmus Bergqvist
22:10 – Ben Merrill
24:50 – Makar Khanin
28:55 – The two years evaluation of juniors vs. four years of NCAA/Europe will this change?
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.
