The regular seasons in Europe are winding down and there has been mixed success for the Montreal Canadiens prospects throughout the season; some good, some average and some that will have to struggle to get up in the Top 25 Under 25 rankings come August. At the time you read this, Filip Eriksson’s season continues as his Luleå won the third and deciding game in the wild-card series against Örebro, and will now face Frölunda in the quarter-finals.
Will Shoukri joins the podcast as we go through the main conclusions for the prospect evaluation and path going forward.
Alexander Zharovsky
Zharovsky’s season is still viewed as a success despite a quieter stretch in the second half. After a strong start, his production slowed, but that appears to be tied more to normal first-year pro adjustment than any real concern, along with the addition of Evgeni Kuznetsov to Salavat. Zharovsky is still very young, playing his first full professional schedule, and fatigue is highlighted as a likely factor. His overall numbers remain impressive, and his usage has stayed meaningful, including power-play time.
The broader takeaway is that he should not be rushed. He is in a good development situation, and the preference is to let him continue building stamina and rounding out his game in Russia rather than pushing for an early move. This is said with the caveat that he doesn’t move to a team like SKA or CSKA in the summer.
Bogdan Konyushkov
The defenceman continues to trend upward and is increasingly seen as a legitimate NHL-calibre defensive prospect. His offensive totals have taken a step forward this year, addressing one of the main concerns about his game. We describe him as a player with a broad, reliable toolbox rather than one elite standout trait, and that versatility is a major strength. He brings mobility, intelligence, leadership, and strong all-around habits.
There is a sense that he could become a very useful NHL defender, potentially even someone capable of top-four minutes in the right role. At the same time, because he remains under KHL contract for a while, there is some uncertainty about whether he ultimately arrives in Montreal or becomes part of a future trade conversation.
Makar Khanin
Khanin’s season has been difficult to evaluate because he has played very little. He showed some promise in development camp, particularly with his shot, but injuries or lack of opportunity have limited him to under 20 games. A move from Dynamo to SKA could open some different possibilities, but at this point he remains a long-shot prospect. As a seventh-round pick, the expectations are naturally modest, and the view here is that the selection was still reasonable given the upside swing late in the draft. This season has not given much momentum to his case.
Rasmus Bergqvist
Bergqvist is seen as one of the quieter success stories among the European prospects this year. He has carved out a regular place on the top SHL team and continues to project as a steady, defence-first blue-liner. His value is not tied to point production, but to defensive reliability, physical edge, and simple, effective play. He can move the puck well enough to help with breakouts, but his real identity is as a true defensive defenceman.
There is optimism that, with patience, he could eventually become a useful depth NHL option. The preferred path is a slow development arc: more years in Sweden, time in the AHL, and then a chance to compete for a depth role.
Filip Eriksson
Eriksson has taken a meaningful step forward this season. Even while moving around the lineup and spending significant time in a bottom-six role, he has remained one of the more productive forwards on his team. His game is built on skating, intelligence, defensive awareness, and versatility. He contributes on the penalty kill, can play centre, and does not rely on power-play production to create offence. The projection is that he should have a solid pro career, but his NHL path is harder to pin down because his archetype is more common. He is the kind of smart, reliable player organizations value, but there may be a lot of competition for that kind of role.
Yevgeni Volokhin
Volokhin’s numbers in the VHL have been outstanding, to the point of almost seeming unreal. Even though his brief KHL appearances were not especially strong, there is little concern because he is getting regular starts and developing well at a lower level. His long-term value lies in the fact that there is no immediate pressure; Montreal controls his rights indefinitely, so there is time to let him progress. In a system with a lot of goalie depth, he is easy to overlook, but the play this year suggests he remains a worthwhile prospect to monitor over the next few seasons.
Vinzenz Rohrer
Rohrer’s year in Switzerland has been disappointing statistically compared with last season, but the context matters. He had hoped to come to North America, and returning to Zürich after main camp may have disrupted his season somewhat. Even so, the view is that his underlying game remains good. He works hard, plays with pace, contributes on the penalty kill, and is trusted in different situations throughout the lineup. The puck simply has not gone in as often this year. Rather than seeing this as a major step backward, we feel that it is more a frustrating, circumstance-heavy season. It is the next season in Laval that should be viewed as the more important checkpoint for evaluating how far he can go.
Aatos Koivu
Koivu was described as the biggest disappointment of the group this season. His production in Liiga has been underwhelming, and his role has fluctuated between the men’s team and the U20 level. He has gotten some power-play time, but nothing has really clicked, and TPS as a whole has not provided a very stable environment.
The feeling is that something needs to change, because repeating the same situation may not help his development. There is still goodwill around him as a prospect, both because of his character and because there is still time for growth, but the current path is not producing the desired results. A move to another environment, or eventually to the AHL, is seen as a possible way to reset things.
