After a long, busy summer in Montreal, the Canadiens were finally back on the ice.
Well, their prospects were as they closed out Day 1 of the 2023 Prospects Challenge in Buffalo, New York. As is the case with many early pre-season games, the 6-3 final doesn’t relay the whole story of the evening, as the Buffalo Sabres prospects toppled the Canadiens. Montreal was standing its ground well, but the elite, high-end talent of Matt Savoie eventually ended up the difference-maker as the Sabres prospect took part in two highlight-reel goals late in the game.
There isn’t much to recap, nor is the game the interesting part overall. Many folks just want those sweet, sweet immediate reactions (or overreactions) to prospects, and I’m happy to oblige!
The Good
Jakub Dobeš: His stat line last night isn’t going to be overly flattering, with six goals allowed on the evening, yet without his play the scoreline might have looked much worse for the Canadiens overall. Dobeš put together a strong technical outing, flashing a quick glove multiple times, and even quicker reactions with his pads to keep the game respectable for the Habs in the early going.
Dobeš did get caught a time or two overplaying the puck behind his net, and seemed to be scrambling a bit at points, but overall in his Canadiens debut it was a mostly positive showing. With two other goalies on the roster for this tournament it’s unclear if he’ll get another start, and if he doesn’t there was some really positive work to build on going into training camp.
Owen Beck: I could copy and paste what I wrote here last year at this tournament and it would all still be true. Owen Beck might be one of the smartest, craftiest prospects that the Habs have had in a long while. His constant scanning of the zone allows him to always find gaps and opportunities with or without the puck and he was showing that again on Friday. His chemistry with Joshua Roy was noticeable as Beck was happy to shoot through seams with the puck, and then give it over to Roy in the higher-danger areas for chances.
Beck’s defensive game is still in prime form, as he hustled back to deny the Sabres on short-handed breakaways and was just the go-to for any of the Canadiens’ needs on the night. He mentioned post-game that a few adjustments on the power play and the game would have looked different, and I’m not one to argue with him on that point.
William Trudeau/David Reinbacher: I’m lumping this pair in together because it’s a carbon copy sort of night for them. There were some gaffes at their own blue line, some rookie mistakes, but overall the good outweighed the bad. Trudeau wore the C on the evening, and Reinbacher (his partner) went out of his way to praise him for his leadership and that he deserves that letter on his sweater.
Both players showed off their smooth skating abilities, with Trudeau looking a step faster than he did last year. Both jumped into the fray to keep plays alive and distributed the puck efficiently throughout the night. There isn’t a ton of sizzle in their game, but both prospects showed that they offer a ton of stability going forward, and a nice counterpoint to some players like Lane Hutson when it comes to crafting future NHL lineups.
Xavier Simoneau: A bulldog.
I was talking to Matt Drake about how if Reinbacher is vanilla ice cream, Simoneau is Red Bull blended up with rusty nails and attitude. He opened the scoring early in the game, and then imposed himself physically when he sent Zach Benson flying into the Habs’ net behind the play. He might stand just barely 5’7″, but there is no one on the team that plays without fear like Simoneau. It would not surprise me to see him slide into a role alongside Michael Pezzetta for a few games this year, because he works his ass off to make an impact every shift.
The Not So Good
Logan Mailloux: Let’s clear this up very quickly, the following critiques are based solely on what I saw in front of me all night last night.
Mailloux did not have a good game in most facets. While he bounced back from an early goal against, he seemed to wilt after another went against him. Assuming he was going to get an icing call, he let up on a puck pursuit. The official waved off the icing and he lost the puck to a Sabres player. Moments later the puck was in the net, and he got an earful from the bench about not hustling out the icing.
The decision-making in certain cases also left a lot to be desired, as he opted to try a solo, high-risk effort, instead of using his teammates. It’s just one game that doesn’t matter in the slightest, and his offensive upside is still very apparent, but there is some critical development that still needs to happen.
Filip Mesar/Sean Farrell: I expected a lot from both coming into this game, Farrell had a few brief sequences on the power play but was relatively quiet. Mesar never kicked himself into a higher gear to show off his speed. Their line also featured Riley Kidney, making for three playmaking type players, which didn’t work. Shifting Emil Heineman or Joshua Roy to their group might help fix that issue.
John Parker-Jones: He drew three penalties by being a menace to smaller players, but overall a guy who is seemingly only on the ice to try to start fights feels unneeded in a prospect showcase. Especially with a prospect like Ty Smilanic fighting for a pro contract in this pre-season.
Special Teams: New season, same sad power play.
