The Eyes on the Prize alum, David St-Louis, makes an appearance on the podcast to discuss the options for Montreal Canadiens in this year’s draft.
One of the main prospects to discuss is Justin Carbonneau where there has been some discussion about his hockey IQ. Elite Prospects and David St-Louis are higher than many other scouting services and we get a long discussion about why (around six minutes in). The discussion centres around whether it lack of hockey IQ or is it a bit of hero hockey due to his surroundings. David thinks is it the latter and rates Carbonneau’s hockey sense above average. It shouldn’t be needed to trade up and trade capital to get Carbonneau, this is a prospect that could fall to Montreal even if Elite Prospects has him at 11. The upside is there, but it is important to remember that it is a prospect that needs development.
“Everyone in that range will have issues, the question is what issues you can live with and transform and erase,” he said.
If the board fell David’s way he would take Carbonneau in a flash, another target could be Braeden Cootes; “it is easier to project Cootes compared to Carbonneau but upside with Carbonneau is much higher.”
Another player that could be targeted is Logan Hensler; “Other people are down on Hensler, […] for someone like Hensler who needs to find his mark on the ice and play in a predicable system it was a bit hard for him. Still, he was one of the best puck retrievers in the draft, his mobility is really high end, he is physical, he can defend very well against the rush and he is learning to defend in-zone as well. The tools are really amazing, and he has the size.”
There is more talk about hidden gems and other targets for Montreal in the 2025 NHL draft, along with a hot take and a small discussion about the Top 25 Under 25. The podcast is a bit longer than the expected 20 minutes, but it’s worth it to hear David’s knowledge.
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