Montreal Canadiens Organizational Players of February

NHL Player of the Month: Nick Suzuki

I’m not sure what types of conversations Nick Suzuki had with the league’s elite during his days in Toronto for the NHL All-Star Game, but he returned to the Montreal Canadiens with a new mindset to take control of each game he played. He left for the event a great player, and came back looking like one of the best in the NHL.

Normally when writing these monthly profiles it’s about how the player performed relative to his fellow Habs, but this time a comparison with the rest of the players in the league is more appropriate. In 11 games, Suzuki had 17 points, ranking seventh behind only Kirill Kaprizov, Nikita Kucherov, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top three forwards, and a man in a league of his own, Connor McDavid. Suzuki’s 11 goals were two fewer than Auston Matthews’s 13 over 12 games, and that span included back-to-back hat tricks for the Leafs player on pace for the highest goal total since Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny hit 76 in 1992-93.

Opposing coaches look at the Canadiens’ lineup and see there’s one trio they need to lock in on. Even then, Suzuki has been able to manufacture offence, despite the power play taking a step back following the departure of Sean Monahan and Cole Caufield very obviously playing through some type of ailment. Just two of Suzuki’s goals came on the man advantage, with the other nine scored at even strength.

Now up to 59 points in 60 games, it’s looking more likely that he will hit his pre-season goal of 82 points despite losing Kirby Dach shortly after making that prediction. If he does, it will be the first such campaign since Alex Kovalev had 84 points in 2007-08.

Honourable mention: Juraj Slafkovský

A lot of the talk regarding Slafkovský in February was on some struggles he had with discipline and his play slipping in certain moments. Through all the discourse, he was a point-per-game player as well, with six goals and five assists.

The standard has changed for Slafkovský as the season has gone along. It used to be that the notable games were the good ones while he was adjusting to the level of play. Now, it’s the poor moments that stand out among long stretches of great play. He’s a top-line player, and on the rare occasion that he doesn’t play like it, a quick correction is necessary — from the coach or more likely himself — to get back to the level everyone now knows he’s capable of.

— Justin Blades

AHL Player of the Month: Jakub Dobeš

Through the first four months of the season, Jakub Dobeš finished a game with a .920 save percentage 11 times in 26 appearances, encouraging performances for the netminder in his rookie season. He hit that mark nine times in 11 games in February, saving his best for the Laval Rocket’s last game, a 4-0 win in Bridgeport that served as his first professional shutout.

Thanks to that run, he has gotten his save percentage up over .900 on the season, making the type of progress you want to see from a first-year professional. Reminiscent of the rapid improvement we saw from Samuel Montembeault over the past few seasons, he’s managed to rein in his raw athletic abilities, not zipping all over the ice to make each save, but being much better positioned to defend the net while still retaining his skill to make some impressive saves when positioning alone isn’t enough.

If Laval is going to make the playoffs, Dobeš is going to be the top reason why. It’s a young team learning on the fly, and it would be great to see the players get the experience of a post-season appearance.

Honourable mention: Philippe Maillet

Philippe Maillet was signed after playing a couple of seasons in the KHL to give the Rocket a veteran scorer, but things got off to a slow start for the 32-year-old. with only four goals at the Christmas break. Since then, he’s been the player the team was hoping for, notching 10 goals. He has points in seven of the past eight games, and registered nine in a month when the team had issues scoring.

You’d rather see one of the young prospects leading the way in terms of points, but with so many of them all playing together, it’s tough to compete in a very good league. As long as the players are learning from his example and staying competitive in games thanks in part to Maillet’s offensive contributions, progress can still be made.

— Justin Blades

European Prospect of the Month: Oliver Kapanen

Kapanen scored 12 points (4G, 8A) over 15 games, nine with KalPa and three with the national team, for which he had an assist. He has taken a step forward in his production and overall play, but he is still a streaky forward.

It is clear that Kapanen relies on his hockey IQ in many situations and his strength is defensive play along with his transition play. He has benefited from increased usage on the power play, but it is consistency that he is lacking. Hopefully his confidence gets a boost from scoring 12 of his 31 points on the season in February. KalPa has qualified for the play-in series in Liiga and can reach a quarterfinal and the playoff proper with a win, so there’s a chance to keep the offence going before his season comes to an end.

It is still tough to project Kapanen, but he can become a fourth-line centre with a bit of offensive upside down the line. He is big and can play on both wings and the centre position, which should increase his chances of making the NHL.

Honourable mentions: Filip Eriksson & Yevgeni Volokhin

Filip Eriksson’s performance in HockeyAllsvenskan is extraordinary and deserves an honourable mention. He was just behind Kapanen with 11 points (6G, 5A) in 11 games, but Kapanen’s national team duties brought him to the top spot.

Yevgeni Volokhin, the standout goalie in the MHL, gets his first honourable mention as the playoffs are about to start for Yugra. There are still some technical issues to work on, but his play will bring his team deep into the playoffs.

— Patrik Bexell

North American Prospect of the Month: Owen Beck

Beck’s 17 points in 11 games with the Saginaw Spirit in February have earned him the title this month. After a deadline trade landed him in Michigan to continue what should be his final OHL season, he has developed solid chemistry with his linemates and has comfortably settled into his special-teams roles.

The progression with Beck has mainly been in his tendency to drag pucks to the middle of the ice, and to create rush chances off of his own stick rather than delegating at the offensive blue line. His in-stride wrister has always been an under-exploited strength, and now he’s cashing in on that tool. His ever-present defensive engagement, his astute positioning in all three zones, and the remarkably mature habits that permeate his all-around game have made Beck the most solid add of Saginaw’s recent spending spree ahead of the 2024 Memorial Cup.

As the Spirit prepare to host the tournament, Beck will face increasing levels of competition. To further his offensive development, he’ll need to avoid defaulting to a shutdown role and continue to trust his offensive tools.

— Hadi Kalakeche

PWHL Player of the Month: Claire Dalton

Although it was a successful month for Montreal, going 2-1-1-1 in their five games, they only scored 12 total goals, six of which came in their final game of the month. They moved into first place in the PWHL, and of those 12 goals, four came off of the stick of Claire Dalton.

Considering she started the month on the fourth line, you could be forgiven for not thinking the 23-year-old would end up in this spot, but Montreal head coach Kori Cheverie moved Dalton to the top line, and she delivered. First, she scored the team’s first power-play goal in 10 games, then finished the month with a hat trick against Ottawa. More critical than her production was her ability to just create chances. Even though she was playing with top players like Marie-Philip Poulin (5 assists) and Laura Stacey (2 goals, 2 assists), Dalton was the one your eye was drawn to.

Montreal desperately needed someone other than Poulin, Stacey, Maureen Murphy, and Tereza Vanišová to step up offensively, and Dalton did that when they needed it most.

Honourable mention: Elaine Chuli

For a second straight month, we need to give goaltender Elaine Chuli a mention. She went 2-0 with a 0.98 goals-against average and .957 save percentage. She remains the only PWHL goaltender to have not lost a game (among those with decisions) and has given the team the opportunity to give Ann-Renée Desbiens games off without losing any sleep.

— Jared Book

Players of January
Players of December
Players of November
Players of October

EOTP Players of the Month archive