Montreal Canadiens Organizational Players of December

NHL Player of the Month: Jake Evans

Jake Evans has always been a serviceable player in his time with the Montreal Canadiens, one you could put on the ice for about 15 minutes a game and be fairly confident he wasn’t going to hurt the team’s chances to win. Evans has rarely been a reliable source of offence, making his impact by keeping the puck out of his net instead. That changed over the past few weeks.

Jake Evans gets the turnover shorthanded, RIPS it short side, top ched. 3-0 #Habs

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— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) December 28, 2024 at 3:37 PM

Evans had a five-game goal-scoring streak in late December, just snapped on New Year’s Eve as he was held off the scoresheet for the first time in seven matches. Two of his five goals were scored short-handed as he added an element of danger to a man-disadvantage unit that is already effective at keeping opponents from scoring, currently ranked eighth in the NHL. His now three short-handed goals and four point in those situations both slot him second on the league leaderboard.

He’s probably not going to score on 50% of his shots in the month of January as he did in December, but the offensive explosion just put a spotlight on the more unheralded play he brings each and every game. He’s helped put the Canadiens back in the playoff picture with six wins in the past seven games, and will be a key factor as they try to pull off this improbable climb to a post-season berth.

Honourable mention: Patrik Laine

Who knows where the team is currently standing if Patrik Laine had sustained a more serious knee injury and not entered the lineup on December 3? He joined a team with an 8-13-3 record, one point up on the Chicago Blackhawks for last place in the NHL. He’s witnessed the team go 9-4-0 in the 13 games he’s played, the fourth-best mark in the league over the last four weeks.

He grabbed hold of a power play that had already seen significant progress from last season — from the last decade — and ratcheted it up to an elite level with eight power-play goals. That includes a hat trick of them at the Bell Centre on December 17, which just so happens to be the start of this current 6-1 run the Canadiens are on.

There’s clearly still some rust after not playing for a full year, and his line with Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook is only just starting to find a footing at five-on-five, but his addition to the team, delayed a couple of months by injury, is providing the exact spark to the roster Kent Hughes envisioned when he traded for the Punisher of Pucks in August.

— Justin Blades

AHL Player of the Month: Adam Engström

It can be quite difficult to be an up-and-coming defencemen in the Canadiens organization, especially when Lane Hutson has set the bar so high in his rookie NHL season. However, for Adam Engström, his arrival from Sweden has been nothing short of a success so far for the Laval Rocket. His 16 points rank him in the top three among rookie defenceman, while he leads all Rocket blue-liners in scoring. His offensive output has been a fantastic addition to the Rocket who have seen last year’s star rookie, Logan Mailloux, take a small step back. Engström hasn’t felt the pressure and has continued to thrive under Pascal Vincent.

With one goal and six assists in December, Engström remained the steadying force in an unsteady month for the young team. His ability to elude opponents in all three zones saw him move up the depth chart, run the first power-play unit, and become a regular contributor on the penalty kill as well.

His first pass and ability to put pucks into dangerous areas have been the catalyst for many of the Rocket’s offensive outbursts. When teams began to key in on him, he adapted to open up new opportunities. It was even Engström who scored the annual Teddy Bear Toss goal in a thrilling win over the Toronto Marlies.

His continued trajectory might see him factoring into the Canadiens’ plans sooner rather than later, especially if a trade of David Savard comes to pass.

— Scott Matla

European Prospect of the Month: Oliver Kapanen

Since his European return Kapanen has been just as good as advertised. He is poised, handles the puck well, and drives play. His counter-attacks are vicious as his speed and size make things hard for defenders.

In December, Kapanen had 7 points (5G, 2A) in six games, which is impressive in itself, but the fact is that it is his overall play and consistency that have made him stand out. His defence has always been strong while having spotty offence in Liiga, where goals and points came in batches. In the SHL, arguably a better league, he has found that consistency to always produce, while showcasing his quick hand-eye coordination, his shot, and his speed.

#Habs Oliver Kapanen shoots a heavy shot, and grabs his own rebound off the wall and releases an absolute howitzer for his second SHL goal of the season. So far the best game in SHL since he arrived from Montreal.

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— Patrik Bexell (@zebhabs.bsky.social) December 7, 2024 at 10:50 AM

The sheer power of his shot is what has stood out and something that he has added to his arsenal this season. The overall transition game with zone exits and entries has also become better. He is more mature with the puck. Whether this is due to his confidence from last year or his time with the Canadiens is something that others will have to answer, but it bodes well for Montreal long-term.

If there is one thing that I would like to see Kapanen do, even if he will struggle to get a spot on the power play in Montreal, it would be to run the man advantage. He has shown that he can run a power play before, whereas in Timrå he is being used as a net-front presence.

With all the commotion that Jake Evens is bringing in Montreal with a season for the ages, it seems that the Canadiens have two alternative bottom-six options in the system: one in Timrå and Owen Beck in Laval.

Honourable mention: Ivan Demidov finished the month of December as he started the season in September with a strong showing it the last couple of games. It remains to be seen if he will get more time from the coaching staff and therefore have a chance to show some more consistency, especially against the better teams in the KHL.

— Patrik Bexell

North American Prospect of the Month: Owen Protz

Despite Michael Hage’s continued success in Michigan, Protz’s tally in the last month gives him a slight edge for this month’s top North American prospect. The highly physical defenceman managed to double his points tally on the season with nine points in nine games throughout December, bringing his season total to 18 points in 33 games for the Brantford Bulldogs.

While his physical shutdown game continues to be the main driver of his NHL upside, Protz chained together some impressive offensive performances last month. Three games stand out in particular: his two-goal game against Peterborough on December 6, and his consecutive three-assist nights on December 15 and 18 against Kingston and Brampton. The 6’3” left-shot defenceman has been a lot more proactive in leaving his blue line, activating and attacking downhill. He meticulously picks his spots to join the rush, looks off his passes, and identifies open teammates at the net-front off the cycle.

Protz’s offensive game is still mostly unrefined. He mainly focuses on off-puck route selection to create, rather than beating a layer of pressure himself or drawing opponents out of position, but the more time he spends activating and pushing up the offensive zone, the higher the odds that he figures out how to be a more confident and dominant puck-carrier. Meanwhile, he continues to be one of the most punishing defenders in the OHL, especially on retrievals — a strength that the Canadiens clearly covet in their blue-liners.

— Hadi Kalakeche

PWHL Player of the Month: Abby Boreen

With two goals and two assists in December (okay, one game was the last day in November but this is the first full month), Boreen showed why Montreal picked her in the third round of the 2024 PWHL Draft after spending some time with Minnesota last season. Boreen has a great shot and high motor and makes an impact almost every time she hits the ice. She provides the Victoire with an additional option to score key goals whether she’s on the first line or second line, or on the second power-play unit.

Added depth is a big reason why Montreal is in top spot in the PWHL entering 2025 and has won five of its first six games.

Oh, and do I really need to say anything else about this goal, where she dangled one of the best defenders in the world in Renata Fast? I didn’t think so.

Honourable mentions go to Claire Dalton (1G, 3A), and the goaltending duo of Elaine Chuli (2-0, 2.00 GAA, .918%) and Ann-Renée Desbiens (3-1, 2.21 GAA, .918%) who have combined to allow the fewest goals in the league so far.

— Jared Book

Players of November
Players of October

EOTP Players of the Month archive