NHL Player of the Month: Cayden Primeau
At the beginning of the season, receiving the odd start in the Montreal Canadiens’ three-goalie tandem, Cayden Primeau found success on the road, beginning the campaign with four consecutive wins as a visiting goaltender, but dropped his first three decisions at the Bell Centre.
The theory was that the pressure of playing in front of a home crowd was something he struggled with, and his performance, and his own comments about dealing with confidence issues, backed up that claim. But while most analysts were talking about how detrimental the lack of playing time was for everyone involved, Primeau was working behind the scenes on his technical game and learning to accept that some goals are inevitable. By the time Jake Allen was traded at the deadline, Primeau was in a much better position to succeed, ready to be a more regular NHL starter.
As we reach the final portion of the season, Primeau is looking very comfortable in front of lively crowds at home. On Thursday night, he was 61 seconds away from earning a third consecutive shutout at the Bell Centre, getting a 4-1 win to run his monthly record to 3-1-1. His .939 save percentage from those five starts ranked eighth in the NHL among goalies with at least one start in March.
Primeau is running with the new opportunity he’s received, and just weeks removed from the talk of needing to get him more games as the backup, there’s quiet conversation about a goaltending controversy forming in Montreal. In the modern NHL that’s another thing that isn’t much more than a media narrative, with tandem mates essentially alternating starts. It’s also the case the the coaching staff has been picking his starts, usually against the weaker competition the Habs face in a particular sequence. Nevertheless, it’s a much different situation for Primeau to be in than he was at the beginning of the season when his waivers eligibility dictated his spot on the roster more than his play.
Honourable mention: Nick Suzuki
A significant portion of Primeau’s season was spent practising rather than playing, facing shots from his own. He told Guillaume Lefrançois in a recent interview that while Cole Caufield has the hardest shot of all the forwards, Nick Suzuki’s is probably the best.
In March, we saw that more often now that Juraj Slafkovský is settling into his playmaking role on the top line. Suzuki led the team with six goals while none of his teammates had more than two. The Habs had a tough time scoring last month in general — just 30 goals in 13 matches — but that didn’t apply to the captain. He has been one of the league’s top goal-scorers since the All-Star Game, tied for fourth in the NHL with 17 goals since play resumed, and only two back of Zach Hyman in terms of even-strength markers. In March, nine of Suzuki’s 10 points were scored at equal strength, all while facing the best players on some very good teams.
— Justin Blades
AHL Player of the Month: Jakub Dobeš
The Laval Rocket currently find themselves in a dogfight to hold onto the final AHL North Division playoff spot, and a huge reason they’re even there at all is the stellar play of rookie goaltender Jakub Dobeš.
With a 6-4-1 record on the month, he’s been the stalwart keeping the Rocket in games when they’ve struggled to generate offence, or when the defence is finding itself on the back foot. Last month, Dobeš set the Laval Rocket franchise record for most wins in a season, and continues to add to that number. All of this on the back of already being one of the most-used goalies in the AHL, and facing the second most shots overall.
It’s been an incredible season of growth for Dobeš. He started out shaky with the Rocket, losing his net and bearings easily as he scrambled all over to try to deny opposing teams any goals. Since roughly December, we’ve seen a Jakub Dobeš who is composed between the pipes, confident with his glove (and sometimes his head?), who uses all of his massive frame to frustrate opponents. He’ll stare down opposing teams’ toughest players, and not flinch when they get right up in his face either.
That swagger has helped fuel the Rocket during a period where they’ve struggled to sustain regular offence, and it’ll be needed as the Rocket welcome two tough foes to Place Bell to start the month of April.
— Scott Matla
European Prospect of the Month: Oliver Kapanen
It was expected that KalPa would win the wild-card series to get into playoffs proper, and KalPa lived up to the expectations, knocking out Sport in two straight games.
In the quarter-final, KalPa faced Ilves. a team that finished second in the league and 26 points ahead of KalPa in the regular season, and experts (and others like yours truly) expected the series to finish fast. However, KalPa had a different opinion, knocking Ilives out four games to one.
In the middle of that storm stood a tall Montreal Canadiens prospect who played the best hockey of his career. Kapanen has been a big part of the offence that KalPa has produced, and while the offence stands out, it is in the defensive end that Kapanen has make his biggest impression. He has marshalled his teammates and often carried his line, making it secure while always looking for a counter-attack. He has also become a focal point for the offence, getting close to the net, using his shot to good effect, but also being the one who leads the cycle play, and who can find his teammates in space and with time.
Kapanen leads the playoffs in points with 10, and is tied for the lead in goals with five. This is remarkable as he hasn’t produced at such a consistent level before. It remains to be seen if he can continue his strong play against the Battleaxes from Tappara, who play hockey based on a safe, secure defence and following the system set up by Rikard Grönborg.
Honourable mentions: Filip Eriksson & Adam Engström
Filip Eriksson was recalled from Nybro to go straight into Väsjö’s second line, where he has preformed at the same level as in Nybro, but the bounces haven’t gone his way.
Adam Engström has quietly become the defensive rock in Rögle, having been moved to his off-side to pair up with former Canadien Brandon Davidson. He has been the lock in front of the net and making sure the counter-attack starts with a good outlet pass.
— Patrik Bexell
North American Prospect of the Month: Owen Beck
The move to the Saginaw Spirit has continued to light a fire under Owen Beck. With a staggering 24 points in his 13 games in March, he earns the honours for this month. More impressive than the point totals has been the consistency of his offensive output. He hasn’t been kept off the scoresheet in the last 22 games, a streak that dates back to February 9. He also ended the month with six consecutive multi-point games, scoring two points four times at the end of the regular season and three points twice in his first two playoff games of the year, for an output of 14 in his last six games.
Back in January, after his trade to Saginaw, I wrote about Beck’s progress, his need to develop chemistry with his linemates and how important it was for his progress that he settles into a more offensive role. Mission accomplished. Whether on the second power play with the likes of Joey Willis and Rodwin Dionicio, on the top line with Hunter Haight and Matyas Sapovaliv, or in the middle six with Josh Bloom and Alex Christopoulos, Beck has made himself a key cog in the well-oiled machine that is this year’s Spirit.
Beck’s versatility and adaptability continue to be a major part of his success. He can play on any line, occupy any role, and he will find a way to elevate his teammates’ strengths. When deployed next to a playmaker, Beck moves off the puck, finds pockets of space, and fires off one-timers. When playing next to a scorer, he’ll draw pressure to him and maximize the space his teammate has to work with. This will continue to be a strength as he makes the jump to pro hockey, which should come this fall.
Honourable mention: Jacob Fowler
The only thing that stood between Fowler and this month’s honours was the seven-game sample. Fowler has been nothing short of stellar. A 2.14 goals-against average and .928 save percentage in March was one thing, but doing it the way he has, against the opponents he faced, is another. Fowler was a key part of Boston College ragdolling the Hockey-East playoffs’ teams on their way to winning the conference, and has been outstanding so far in the first two games of the NCAA playoffs to secure BC’s Frozen Four slot.
Fowler’s Hockey-East final performance against Lane Hutson’s Boston University was one of the best goalie performances I saw all year, all leagues combined. His game management, awareness, composure, puck-tracking, positioning, technique, and determination were on full display in that spirited bout between two long-time NCAA rivals. On March 31, Fowler became the first freshman goaltender in NCAA history to record 31 wins in a single season, surpassing former Hab Al Montoya’s 30-win mark from 2002-03. Everything about Fowler screams NHL starter, from the mental fortitude to the physical tools. I think he gets there.
— Hadi Kalakeche
PWHL Player of the Month: Marie-Philip Poulin
It’s perhaps indicative of the way last month went for PWHL Montreal that despite missing three games, Marie-Philip Poulin led the team in scoring by a significant margin. In three games, she had two goals and three assists. The team lost the three games she missed, but also the game she got injured in, a 3-0 loss to Toronto.
She remains third in PWHL scoring despite missing time, and is expected to play for Team Canada at the upcoming World Championships before rejoining Montreal for the stretch run after the tournament, with five games before the post-season begins.
Perhaps the best news for Montreal is that Poulin’s absence has opened opportunities up for other players to create offensively, despite the team not having the success in the win column. Erin Ambrose, Laura Stacey, Gabrielle David, and Maureen Murphy all had a goal and two assists in March. Mélodie Daoust, Kati Tabin, and Kristin O’Neill also had their first goals this month as well. That will be a big help when the captain is back in the picture.
The team went 2-0-1-3 (RW-OW-OL-RL) in March, and currently sits third in the league.
— Jared Book
Patrik Bexell, Jared Book, and Matt Drake discuss March’s honoured players in the latest episode of Habsent Minded. You can listen to it below, or wherever you get your podcasts.
| NHL Player | AHL Player | EU Prospect | NA Prospect | PWHL Player | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | Cayden Primeau | Jakub Dobeš | Oliver Kapanen | Owen Beck | Marie-Philip Poullin |
| February | Nick Suzuki | Jakub Dobeš | Oliver Kapanen | Owen Beck | Claire Dalton |
| January | Sean Monahan | Logan Mailloux | Filip Eriksson | Lane Hutson | Marie-Philip Poullin |
| December | Juraj Slafkovský | Jakub Dobeš | Filip Eriksson | Jacob Fowler | |
| November | Alex Newhook | Brandon Gignac | Adam Engström | Jacob Fowler | |
| October | Cole Caufield | Joshua Roy | Oliver Kapanen | Cedrick Guindon |
Players of February
Players of January
Players of December
Players of November
Players of October
