David Reinbacher
19y, EHC Kloten, NL, Switzerland
There is still no news about Reinbacher’s return to the ice. The fifth overall pick from the 2023 NHL Draft did turn 19 this week.
Vinzenz Rohrer
19y, ZSC Lions, NL, Switzerland
Averaging around 13 minutes in the three games, and adding a beautiful assist to his season totals shows the kind of player Montreal has on their hand: a player who can pitch in from a position on the bottom two lines in the NHL down the line.
Zürich coach Marc Crawford has pointed out during intermissions that the amount of work that Rohrer does every day will give him the opportunity to play in the NHL. Even reaching the world’s best league should be something of a win for the third-round draft pick.
Oliver Kapanen
20y, KalPa, Liiga, Finland
Kapanen got one of the easiest goals of his career this weekend as he was the last player on KalPa touching the puck as the opponents put it in their own net.
Adam Engström
19y, Rögle BK, SHL, Sweden
Engström’s defence is getting better, even if his plus/minus numbers are dipping. A couple of heavy losses for Rögle, along with getting that extra chance when Rögle has pulled the goalie, skews the data a fair bit.
It doesn’t help that while Engström is covering his player, other players on the team make a counting error, leaving an opponent alone with a chance to score. It’s something that happened in Saturday’s game against league leaders Färjestad.
Unfortunately for Rögle, they lost Saturday’s game in the dying seconds of the third period. The opponent clearly kicked the puck toward the net, but as a Rögle stick grazed the puck on the way into the net, the goal stood. A very typical thing to happen to a team that struggles.
Both Engström and Rögle have a positive shot-attempt share, however they are snake-bitten when it comes to PDO (on-ice save percentage plus shooting percentage). One of the most affected players on the team is Engström, who has a PDO of 92.7.
Filip Eriksson
18y, Växjö Lakers, SHL, Sweden
Eriksson was selected to the Five Nations U20 tournament in November, a dress rehearsal for the World Juniors. However looking at the players in front of him, and the potential addition of Leo Carlsson, Montreal fans should have realistic expectations on Eriksson making the team. What is a plus is his versatility; he can play in all situations, and that is what will earn him a spot on the World Junior team if he ultimately makes it.
I expect him to make a strong challenge for being selected, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he will be one of the last cuts and maybe get an opportunity, like Owen Beck last year, as a reserve at home.
Bogdan Konyushkov
20y, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, KHL, Russia
No points for Konyushkov this week. More important are some defensive issues, and a plus/minus that has gone from a slight negative to a major detriment during the month of October.
Konyushkov averages around 21 minutes a game, which is a cut of his ice time from the start of the season when he averaged almost 24. It is clear that the coach is using Konyushkov differently, and most likely the long season is starting to put a bit of wear on the young defenceman.
Yevgeni Volokhin
18y, Mamonty Yugry, MHL, Russia
Volokhin got one start this week and showed everyone what he can do when on his game. He gave up one goal and posted a .955 save percentage for his sixth win of the season. The only problem for Volokhin is that teammate Zavragin is marginally better and gets most of the starts. However, the Montreal prospect is closer than I thought at the start of the season and is making a statement of his own.
Petteri Nurmi
21y, HPK, Liiga, Finland
The good thing is that Nurmi is getting more reps on the ice again, but I’m not sure it helps him or the team.
HPK is set to be a club at the bottom of the table. It would be interesting to see what Nurmi could do on a better team.
Alexander Gordin
22y, Ryazan-VDV, VHL, Russia
Continued production in the VHL.
Dmitri Kostenko
21y, Khimik Voskresensk, VHL, Russia
One goal for Kostenko this week.
