HW 3 Stars: November’s Top Prospects
November was a rough month for the Habs and unfortunately, it wasn’t a great month for a lot of their prospects. However, there were a handful that were able to turn in solid showings and earn a spot in our monthly three stars.
Laval
1st Star: Jared Davidson – Considering it came down to the wire before Montreal even signed him to an entry-level deal, few reasonably expected him to be a big difference-maker in Laval or in the recall mix. That’s exactly what he did last month, however, even after missing three games with an injury. Davidson led the Rocket in goals and tied for the team lead in points. Meanwhile, the edge he plays with lends itself well to the style of play the Habs want in their bottom six. We saw a couple of years ago Rafael Harvey-Pinard come up, make a difference in the bottom six, and move up from there. I could see Davidson doing something similar.
Stats: 10 GP, 7 goals, 3 assists, 10 points, +3 rating, 11 PIMS, 22 shots
2nd Star: Joshua Roy – While he didn’t exactly help his cause in his limited NHL action, Roy certainly earned his recall. I think the best way to describe his play last month would be relatively steady. There weren’t many moments where he dominated but at the end of the day, he produced like a top-line player should and that is the role he had. I’d like to see him become a bit more assertive but we’re still in the first half of his entry-level deal so there’s time for Roy to make even more of an impact, one that could give him a better chance at NHL success.
Stats: 10 GP, 4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points, +3 rating, 0 PIMS, 29 shots
3rd Star: Laurent Dauphin – Okay, he’s not really a prospect but Dauphin was another player who tied for the scoring lead in November. In an ideal world, he’s more of a secondary two-way option but this was a month where he showed that he can still be an impactful offensive threat for the Rocket as well. They haven’t hit on a lot of their veteran AHL deals in recent years but his contract is one that has worked out nicely thus far.
Stats: 10 GP, 5 goals, 5 assists, 10 points, +7 rating, 8 PIMS, 28 shots
Honourable Mention: Logan Mailloux – At the beginning of the month, he had just come back from being up with the Habs and got off to a nice start, showing there was no post-demotion lull as many players often have. However, Mailloux started to struggle offensively in the back half of November which knocked him down a bit in this ranking. (Those struggles have carried over to early December as well, by the way.) All that shows is that he isn’t quite too good for this level just yet and the Habs shouldn’t be rushing to make more of a permanent spot for Mailloux with the big club.
Stats: 10 GP, 7 goals, 3 assists, 10 points, +3 rating, 11 PIMS, 22 shots
Other Prospects
1st Star: Jacob Fowler (Boston College, NCAA) – After a dominant freshman year, a lofty goal for Fowler would simply be to maintain that level of performance. He certainly did that last month on the whole. He struggled a bit in a couple of games but no goalie is going to put up a high-end performance game in and game out, especially at his age. He also got himself ejected and suspended for throwing a punch. All that aside, I think the Habs have to be quite pleased with Fowler’s performance overall.
Stats: 8 GP, 6-1-0 record, 1.76 GAA, .936 SV%, 2 SO
2nd Star: Sam Harris (Denver, NCAA) – After a hot start, I was curious to see if he’d be able to maintain or if it was just a case of a player getting off to an unsustainable level of play early on. Turns out that it was the former as Harris continues to play high up the lineup and he picked up at least a point in all but one game. He’s going to be someone to keep an eye on now as one of those later-round flyers that might actually turn into a prospect of some intrigue.
Stats: 7 GP, 5 goals, 4 assists, 9 points, +7 rating, 4 PIMS, 16 shots
3rd Star: Michael Hage (Michigan, NCAA) – Offensively, Hage has shown that he’s already capable of not only keeping up with NCAA players but playing at a high level. Defensively, however, there’s a lot of work left to do. Half of his point production from last month came in one game but he was only held off the scoresheet twice. I note the consistency issue as while there could be a temptation to turn him pro next season, the smarter move might be one more year in college.
Stats: 7 GP, 5 goals, 5 assists, 10 points, +5 rating, 2 PIMS, 18 shots
Honourable Mention: Oliver Kapanen (Timra, SHL) – It’s not often that a player who saw action with the Habs winds up in this section of these columns but after Kapanen was sent back to Sweden early in the month, he went right back to playing in a top-line, all-situations role and didn’t take too long re-adjusting to international play. They made the right call to send him back for more playing time and now his offensive game should be set to improve over the next few months.
Stats: 7 GP, 0 goals, 5 assists, 5 points, -4 rating, 2 PIMS, 18:43 TOI