DON Posted July 19 Posted July 19 FWIW; Just EOTP listings of Habs youth and ballot if bored and wanted to chime in. 2026 Montreal Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: Community Vote Quote
DON Posted July 25 Posted July 25 D-men 2026 HabsWorld Prospect Position Rankings: Left-Shot Defencemen – HabsWorld.net HabsWorld.net -- The Canadiens have ample left-shot depth on their NHL roster with their top three options all signed for five more years. But how does this position stack up in their prospect pool? ... We all know he can hit like a truck and frankly, the scarcity of that skill set in Montreal’s system has him elevated a little higher than he should be in the overall rankings. But there is room for a reliable defensive defender who brings some intimidation to the table. We’ve seen how Martin St. Louis wants Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble to be stable defensively before anything else. If Protz can be that, he’ll jump ahead of those two on the depth chart. Quote
dlbalr Posted July 28 Posted July 28 Alexander Gordin has signed a new one-year deal to stay with his VHL team. I think he's 24 now and still not in the KHL yet. That's not a good sign. Quote
DON Posted July 28 Posted July 28 I guessed he was toast as a actual NHL prospect anyways. Assume Mooney a lock for world juniors and Runtso not so much. Habs Prospects Quote
DON Posted July 31 Posted July 31 What are Hughes expectations for Reinbacher i wonder. Prefer to give him easy minutes in NHL or big minutes in Laval? Engstrom seems ready, do they see him as a 3rd pairing RH-d, to pair with a physical Struble/Xhekaj/Guhle, over Reinbacher? Who would be penciled in at moment? Again, always good to have depth on the d, most teams normally end up playing 9-11 d-men over a season due to injuries. Habs dressed 9 the last 2 years and 11 the year before. 2026 HabsWorld Prospect Position Rankings: Right-Shot Defencemen – HabsWorld.net ... Reinbacher might not be a top-pairing blueliner in the NHL and for a number-five pick, that’s not ideal. But with Dobson in the fold long-term, he doesn’t need to be that for the Habs. I’d say he’s on track to be a quality two-way second-pairing player and still be a part of Montreal’s core moving forward. Habs Prospects August 1 game United States U20 at Canada U20 4:00 pm - World Junior Summer Showcase (Windsor, Ontario) LJ Mooney -Timmy Runtso - July 30 game Sweden U20 5 United States U20 2 (Final) - World Junior Summer Showcase (Windsor, Ontario) LJ Mooney - one goal (1)Timmy Runtso - wasn't in the lineup Quote
Commandant Posted July 31 Author Posted July 31 I think Reinbacher will be given every opportunity to make this team out of training camp, with Engstrom his main competition. To me they both have had enough AHL time. 1 Quote
GHT120 Posted July 31 Posted July 31 13 minutes ago, Commandant said: I think Reinbacher will be given every opportunity to make this team out of training camp, with Engstrom his main competition. To me they both have had enough AHL time. If Reinbacher makes the team I would be tempted to START him on the third pairing with Guhle, put Carrier with Matheson and make Dobson-Hutson the first pairing Quote
Commandant Posted July 31 Author Posted July 31 20 minutes ago, GHT120 said: If Reinbacher makes the team I would be tempted to START him on the third pairing with Guhle, put Carrier with Matheson and make Dobson-Hutson the first pairing Id be tempted to.start him with Matheson and play Hutson-Dobson as the number 1 pairing. I think hed learn a lot playing with Matheson and that could accelerate the development. And you could always move Guhle or Carrier into that spot in the last ten minutes of a tight game. Quote
GHT120 Posted July 31 Posted July 31 28 minutes ago, Commandant said: Id be tempted to.start him with Matheson and play Hutson-Dobson as the number 1 pairing. I think hed learn a lot playing with Matheson and that could accelerate the development. And you could always move Guhle or Carrier into that spot in the last ten minutes of a tight game. An option, and don't hate it ... I wasn't suggesting an extended third pairing period by any means, just a short stint to simplify his adaption to the NHL Quote
tomh009 Posted July 31 Posted July 31 13 minutes ago, GHT120 said: An option, and don't hate it ... I wasn't suggesting an extended third pairing period by any means, just a short stint to simplify his adaption to the NHL I like the idea of Hutson-Reinbacher (allowing Dobson to stay with Matheson), too, but it's probably not the right one for Reinbacher at this point. Commandant's suggestion of Matheson mentoring Reinbacher seems like the best option. Quote
Commandant Posted August 1 Author Posted August 1 21 hours ago, GHT120 said: An option, and don't hate it ... I wasn't suggesting an extended third pairing period by any means, just a short stint to simplify his adaption to the NHL Yes its all about the adaptation period. My thought was give him the vet to mentor him. But third pair makes sense too. I trust Marty with the decision. Quote
GHT120 Posted August 1 Posted August 1 On 7/28/2026 at 6:37 AM, DON said: Assume Mooney a lock for world juniors and Runtso not so much. Could he become a key prospect in trade talks post WJC? He is from a Pittsburgh suburb, might be a perfect piece in the Crosby trade at the deadline if Pittsburgh fails to repeat unexpected 25/26 ... 😉-ish Quote
DON Posted August 2 Posted August 2 LJ Mooney is Cole Caufield sized, but 7g 23a last season so must be much different player. Will he excel in pro hockey at that size? From ‘the compound’ to the Canadiens: Behind the rise of top prospect LJ Mooney - The Athletic His compete level was also “off the charts.” When the team would bag skate, he’d take it as a badge of honor to beat his teammates by a zone and a half. His natural quickness was also on display on local soccer fields and in flag football as a kid. He played the latter until 15. “He absolutely loved flag football, and I think that’s such a great sport because you play offense and defense and you never leave the field,” John said. “He was never sitting still. It was always something, playing something.” Quote
tomh009 Posted August 2 Posted August 2 Same height and weight as Caufield. But he's only 19 so likely to put on some weight yet. He's always been more of a playmaker rather than a sniper. Quote
DON Posted August 4 Posted August 4 Another month and KHL fires up. I assume Gleb will be playing in the KHL his season also. Alexander Zharovsky enjoyed his Montreal experience | TVA Sports Moreover, he is already at work with Salavat Yulaev of Ufa, as reported on Monday on Instagram by this Kontinental League (KHL) team; The 2026-2027 campaign will begin on September 7. Quote
Prime Minister Koivu Posted August 9 Posted August 9 He realistically wouldn’t make Montreal’s roster this season anyway. I have some hype for this guy - I’m impressed by him in the 3 or 4 times I’ve watched him play. Quote
dlbalr Posted August 9 Posted August 9 I'd have liked to have seen him show more of an effort to play in North America but if the numbers being thrown around contract-wise in Switzerland are true, then I completely get why he wants to play out there instead of in Laval. If true, he'll get more money there than he would have if he was with the Habs (let alone Laval) which is unfathomable given the year he just had. Quote
DON Posted August 9 Posted August 9 He will still be attending Habs training camp? Guess not. Habs Loan Vinzenz Rohrer to EV Zug in Switzerland – HabsWorld.net Quote
dlbalr Posted August 11 Posted August 11 To be fair, it's only preseason practices which don't necessarily mean anything. That said, Zharovsky should be a top-six player so he should have good linemates. Quote
DON Posted August 12 Posted August 12 Cant see this fella amounting to much, he is large and seems biggest reason he was drafted, but was the 130th pick so worth a shot perhaps. 2026 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #24 Tyler Thorpe Standing 6’5″ and weighing in at 220 pounds, Thorpe is a massive obstacle on the ice, able to use his reach and frame to win board battles while closing space quickly with his skating. With that size he was able to generate a heavy shot during his WHL tenure, making him a strong scoring option. The offence didn’t make the professional leap with Thorpe this year, as he started the year on a 25-game goalless streak, during which he tallied just five assists. Quote
DON Posted August 14 Posted August 14 Cant see this fella amounting to much, he is large and seems biggest reason he was drafted, but someone saw something worth trading up to 69 for him. 2026 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #22 Hayden Paupanekis Coming in at number 22 is Hayden Paupanekis, a hulking 6’5″ centre from the WHL. The Montreal Canadiens have struck a solid balance of adding size and skill with their picks at the NHL draft, and the former was what they had in mind when they traded up to get Paupanekis in the third round in 2025. Quote
dlbalr Posted August 14 Posted August 14 He's big but toolsy. If some of the tools develop, then there's something there. He's definitely a project prospect. Quote
Prime Minister Koivu Posted August 14 Posted August 14 Much of what Hughes does seems to be big swings at the fence, even if many swings don’t make it. Paupanekis seems to be one of those. I hope he makes it Quote
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