NHL Player of the Month: Juraj Slafkovský
You could see that Juraj Slafkovský was beginning to take command of the game as November was coming to a close, leading a line with Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen. The aim of that lineup decision was to give the rookies a boost and help them win more puck battles as the Habs dealt with a handful of injuries in the forward corps. The result was helping Demidov claim NHL rookie of the month honours with 14 points in 15 games, and a point-per-game showing from Slafkovský himself. He not only helped complement his two new linemates, but also rejuvenated a power play that had started to go cold with his exceptional passing.
Juraj Slafkovsky with some great patience, gifts a goal to Oliver Kapanen. 4-1 #Habs
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) December 11, 2025 at 10:40 PM
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December is a month defined by the number of tough road games on the Montreal Canadiens’ schedule, and no one performed better than Slafkovský in the seven games played away from the Bell Centre. He scored three goals at even-strength and added five assists in that situation of seven total road helpers for 10 total away points, leading the team. Without his performance, some of the close wins the Habs claimed would have been losses instead, and we would probably be discussing Montreal’s hopes of clinging to a wild-card spot rather than still looking at a chance to claim the division crown.
Honourable mention: Lane Hutson
Hutson put in a month worthy of the top honour as well, and would have taken it if Slafkovský hadn’t put in the best stretch of his career. The defenceman tied for the team lead in road points with 10 assists and led with a +10 rating in other teams’ building where the matchups weren’t in his favour. Overall, Hutson paced the Canadiens with 18 points in December, tied for eighth in the NHL. He completed the 2025 portion of the season on 38 points, one behind Cole Caufield and six off Nick Suzuki’s leading total.
If he were two inches taller, that performance wouldn’t even have his inclusion on Team USA’s Olympic roster in question, but it seems that he’s not going to be named to the squad. That will be welcome news to the other 11 teams in the tournament who won’t have to contend with the darting playmaking skill that has made him one of the NHL’s best defencemen.
— Justin Blades
AHL Player of the Month: Alex Belzile
December was an up-and-down month for the Laval Rocket. They ended it on a three-game winning streak over divisional rivals, but also mixed in a rough-looking three-game losing skid following a benches-clearing brawl mid-month. Perhaps the biggest reason for the Rocket’s success is the incredible play of their top line, driven mainly by the resurgence of Alex Belzile as one of the AHL’s most dangerous forwards.
Despite a three-game suspension for leaving the bench to accost a Toronto Marlies player, Belzile managed to tally nine goals and three assists in just eight games. On the year, he has 16 goals, good for third in the AHL and perhaps most impressively is he is getting his scoring done primarily at even strength.
He continues to be beyond versatile for the Rocket offensive attack as well, rotating between the back of the net, to the slot, all the way out to the faceoff dots. He is a threat to use a heavy slapshot or to pick corners with a quick wrister as well, all while adding a nasty physical edge that makes him a fan favourite.
Joshua Roy sets up Alex Belzile and the Rocket have a power play goal!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) December 31, 2025 at 4:29 PM
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With Belzile and his linemate Laurent Dauphin driving the ship, the Rocket find themselves in the driver’s seat in the AHL’s North Division as 2026 begins.
— Scott Matla
European Prospect of the Month: Alexander Zharovsky
The Russian winger had 11 points (4G, 7A) in 11 games in December, and this honour has become a one-horse race this season.
The important bit isn’t the goals and assists, even if they are nice. It is his adaptation to the professional level and the increasing ice time. While about 20% to 25% is power-play time, and there is no time on the penalty kill, the trend is positive, and is shows the careful management that Viktor Kozlov has with regard to the raw talent that Zharovsky has.
Looking at the chart a few things stand out. He usually plays between 13 and 18 minutes, he gets to play every game (since his return from an injury at the start of the season), and the TOI trend line is going upward. This is the most important bit in his draft-plus-one year. Montreal couldn’t have asked for anything more.
A recent comparison for Zharovsky was Eeli Tolvanen based on points per game (.879 to .735) and while I don’t think it was the intention of the writer to use Tolvanen as a comparison for more than that number, it is important to know that many thought that Tolvanen was a lock when he came over to Nashville, and while he is a serviceable NHL player he hasn’t broken clear as many thought given his KHL numbers.
Another note is that in 2017-18 the KHL was the cream of the crop in Europe. Every good player went there, and the competition was at a whole different level than where it is following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It is important to let Zharovsky develop at his own pace, and under a smart coaching team. Right now it looks like Salavat is that place for both reasons. He is under contract for next season with Salavat, and one can only hope he stays with the team to develop in the same way that he is now.
— Patrik Bexell
North American Prospect of the Month: Bryce Pickford
Michael Hage barely misses out on taking this title for the second time this season, despite earning a spot in Canada’s top six and scoring eight points in four games so far at the World Juniors. Instead, another prospect has forced our hand — a defenceman who tallied 14 goals and 22 points in nine games in December.
This is something else. #Habs prospect defenseman (!!!) Bryce Pickford has a 5-game multi-goal streak in the WHL and leads the league in goals with 24 in 30 GP. Has 42 points now on the season (5th in league), 2025 3rd round draft pick (81st). #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/BsZY3gewD1
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) December 14, 2025
Bryce Pickford is hitting another level in the WHL of late, with only his last two games falling short of multi-point performances. The 19-year-old right-shot blue-liner started the year off with five consecutive multi-goal games, including an incredibly eventful night against Moose Jaw in a 6-5 overtime win: 28 minutes of ice time, 21 shot attempts, two goals, two assists, and a whole bunch of chippiness.
Pickford’s shot is possibly the best in the WHL. Incredible upper-body torque on one-timers and a fluid catch-and-release wrister make him a lethal threat on the power play, where the Medicine Hat Tigers intelligently use him on the half-wall instead of at the point. He picks spots on netminders, attacks downhill with timely pace, uses give-and-goes to access the slot, and brings both volume and accuracy to the table — a translatable scoring combination.
Beyond the offensive punch, Pickford’s defensive game is slowly but surely trending in the right direction, while his physical game has started bordering on downright violent. He clobbers opposing forwards on pinches along the wall, erases gaps much more effectively in transition, and layers body checks into his pokes along the boards to create even more separation between opponents and the puck.
Pickford, from a scouting standpoint, is the most fascinating case study in the Habs’ system; no defenceman currently in the NHL fits him as a comparable. A highly active half-wall shooter with aggressive physical tendencies and only average mobility, Pickford has some way to go before being ready to face NHL forechecks and point pressure, but there’s enough of a toolkit in his arsenal to build a serviceable profile in a contending roster. The better question is whether Pickford is in the Habs’ power-play plans, as that is his most effective role and it is currently occupied by two of the best point-patrollers in the NHL.
— Hadi Kalakeche
PWHL Player of the Month: Marie-Philip Poulin
The Victoire had a strong start to the month, winning three straight games with contributions up and down the lineup, including from backup goaltender Sandra Abstreiter. The offence dried up as the team finished a long road trip and came back home from the West Coast, but captain Marie-Philip Poulin led the way. She had one goal and three assists in the five games to lead the team in scoring. Her goal came in the team’s 4-2 win in Vancouver, the first team to defeat the expansion Goldeneyes on their home ice.
Poulin will likely not be happy with her play away from the puck, which is something she prides herself on. Despite her offensive production, she was -3 in the five games in December, and -3 in the team’s two losses at the end of the month. The team asks a lot from its top line, but it’s also completely fair to expect more from their captain, and you know she expects more from herself.
— Jared Book
