Introduction
Having wrapped up his college career with the Northeastern Huskies last March, Jayden Struble was able to join the Laval Rocket for the final nine games of the 2022-23 AHL season, and played both post-season games for the team. In that time, he registered just a single point, which followed a rather lacklustre offensive showing in the NCAA, and he dropped in the Top 25 Under 25 last year.
Everyone was waiting to see what he had in store for his first full professional season. In just 13 games with Laval, he proved that he no longer had any need of the minor leagues. He was a +5 and had seven points, a rate of production that hadn’t been seen since his sophomore season at Northeastern. Combined with the strong defensive play he had built up at the collegiate level, he was ready to join the Montreal Canadiens.
It looked like even the NHL game was too easy for him when he arrived. He had an incredible opening stint with the Habs, including two goals in his first 11 games, one off the high he had during a season in university. After about a month of playing around 13 minutes per game, his ice time went up to around 18 minutes following the Christmas break. The increased defensive responsibility that came with that did appear to take its toll as the season progressed, bringing him back down to Earth. As the organization evaluated its talent to end the season, he was back up around 20 minutes per night in April, and ended the campaign on a two-game assist streak.
Voting
Struble didn’t receive a single vote from the panel this summer as low as his placement of 22nd in 2023. It’s a testament to him and his off-season work that he could go from dropping four spots with a disappointing AHL stint to rising up seven spots by proving he has what it takes to play in the NHL.
Some community members had a different order for the potential second-pairing defencemen featured in this section of the rankings, leading to more of a spread behind Struble’s average of about 16th. But the range doesn’t go much further back than that — among the readers or the staff — which is why he leads this particular group.
Top 25 Under 25 History
| 2023: #22 | 2022: #18 | 2021: #11 | 2020: #15 | 2019: #20 |
History of #15
| Year | #15 |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Sean Farrell |
| 2022 | Riley Kidney |
| 2021 | Logan Mailloux |
| 2020 | Jayden Struble |
| 2019 | Jake Evans |
| 2018 | Cale Fleury |
| 2017 | Will Bitten |
| 2016 | Jacob de la Rose |
| 2015 | Devante Smith-Pelly |
| 2014 | Tim Bozon |
| 2013 | Magnus Nygren |
| 2012 | Ryan White |
| 2011 | Andreas Engqvist |
| 2010 | Mathieu Carle |
Strengths
In this battle for spots on the blue line, Struble’s physicality gives him an upper hand. Neither Justin Barron nor Jordan Harris can claim that as one of the things they excel at, though Adam Engström does possess that element and will show it in Laval. Overall, Arber Xhekaj and David Reinbacher are the only other players in the countdown who shrug off opponents like Struble can, going into a corner and stopping a cycle or working his way free with the puck. He’s very stable on his skates, and is therefore able to skate right into trouble, bounce off contact, and keep going.
Xhekaj’s physicality has the side effect of a high amount of penalty minutes, something he says he needs to clean up. Struble’s story was similar throughout his development, but discipline wasn’t an issue in his rookie year. He amassed just 57 penalty minutes in 56 games, and that includes back-to-back games in mid-February when he was assessed late 10-minute misconducts. It wasn’t until his 15th NHL game that he was sent to the penalty box for the first time. Considering the issues Montreal had on defence and the penalty kill last year, a player who can toe the line as well as Struble did would be a valuable asset as the Habs aim to be more competitive this season.
Weaknesses
Forays into the offensive zone weren’t regular occurrences for him last season, but when he did decide to join in on the offence he was able to earn some quality chances. He had been an offensive player before going to university and working on his defence. It may not be so much a weakness as a talent that got put on the back burner during his development to make him a more complete player, so it’s an element he should be able to rediscover.
Even if he does bring that aspect back to the fore, there are currently six or seven defencemen ahead of him in the organization on the list of options to quarterback a power-play unit. It’s unlikely that it will ever be his offensive output that wins him a job over a fellow blue-liner, but it would round out his game and give Martin St-Louis a few options for his deployment.
Early in the season, first in the AHL and then in Montreal, it seemed as though every decision he made was the correct one. When to engage a player, how to move the puck up the ice, and when it was safe to activate offensively were all spot on, but that all slowly faded as the season continued. It looked like he was trying to do too much to find that earlier form, being too aggressive in his defending around the net and attempting transition plays that weren’t available. Those are things that can be corrected, but he will be feeling the pressure to prove himself again to stay in the NHL mix in the final year of his entry-level deal.
Projection
The key for him will be to play the game that made such an impression in the first two months of his first year in the pros. Offensive deployments will be reserved for other players who show more aptitude, but being able to contribute the odd point in largely defensive minutes won’t go unnoticed.
There are several spots locked up on the blue line for this season. Mike Matheson is still around to take major minutes, and with a new six-year contract that doesn’t kick in until 2025-26, Kaiden Guhle isn’t going anywhere. Xhekaj, with a new contract himself, has staked his claim to a spot, and David Savard is one of the few veterans around to help guide a young team.
After that, the competition opens up. Jordan Harris is a player a team trying to improve from last season can count on for stability. Justin Barron has signed for two more seasons and provides offensive prowess. Lane Hutson is going to receive every opportunity to become a core member of the team over the next few years in order to capitalize on his offensive talents, and Logan Mailloux is in a similar position. Then there’s Reinbacher who happens to be the highest-drafted prospect of them all.
Losing Rafaël Harvey-Pinard to injury for the first quarter of the season may have the benefit of delaying any decisions on these players, even waivers-exempt ones like Struble. With the defencemen in the system farther along in their development than the forwards, it’s hard to see the team not starting the year with eight blue-liners on the roster. The rotation on defence we saw to end 2023-24 may be back in effect to begin the season, allowing bubble players to get at least part-time duty.
Last season, we witnessed a big improvement in Struble’s play in the AHL after an off-season of work.. It’s not far-fetched to believe he could do the same in the NHL using the lessons from his first 56 games. His placement at 15th in these rankings, the sixth-best blue-liner under the age of 25 in the organization, is a measure of our confidence in his ability to take that step.
Top 25 Under 25, Number 15 – Jayden Struble, with Jared Book
1:30 – Jayden Struble waiver exempt, will he start in Laval?
5:30 – Montreal’s defensive depth and development.
10:00 – Jayden Struble – a Greek God, and overall strengths.
13:00 – What is there to develop?
21:00 – Will Laval make the playoffs this year?
