HabsWorld.net -- 

With a new season upon us it’s time to take a look at how the Montreal Canadiens prospects are performing in the various Euro leagues.  One of the biggest questions will be what kind of impact the NHL lockout has on the Euro prospects, as many former NHLers are taking important ice time away from the younger players. Canadiens GM Bob Gainey took steps to ensure that 2003 first round pick Andrei Kostitsyn was signed this summer and brought over to North America ahead of time.  Another prospect brought over this summer was Jaroslav Halak, as he was selected by Lewiston of the QMJHL during the CHL import draft, as Halak could not get a full time roster spot in the Slovakia men’s league.  There is one prospect headed back to Russia, as Alex Perezhogin was forced to return to the Russian Super league, after being handed a one year suspension by the AHL for his actions in a stick swinging incident during last years playoffs. 


 


 


 


Russia


 


Alex Perezhogin– (2001, 25th overall) After being suspended by the AHL for one year, Perezhogin got a late start to the season, as he missed several weeks due to having a court date and the unknown future of the NHL, as the Canadiens had hoped that Perezhogin would be allowed to play in the NHL this year but decided with the lockout it would be better for him to go back to play for Omsk the latest RSL champions. 


 


 


 





















Team

Games

Goals

Assists

Points

Pims

+/-


Vanguard Omsk

9

2

3

5

6

 


 


 


 


 


Konstantin Korneev– (2002, 275th overall)  Korneev enters his third season as a regular in the Russian Super league, despite being only twenty years of age, an impressive feat for such a young player. After spending most of last season playing on the fourth pairing for AK Bars, Korneev has seen increased ice time this year, and has even played on the top pairing at times.  


 


 


 





















Team

Games

Goals

Assists

Points

Pims

+/-


AK Bars

19

0

3

3

4

 


 


 


 


Mikahail Grabovski– (2004, 150th overall)  Grabovski was picked in the fifth round this past summer, a pick which might have left many Hab fans shaking their heads as the Canadiens went off the board with their selection.  The scouting staff must have seen something in Grabovski while watching Andrei Kostitsyn, as the two were teammates on the Belarus Junior National team over the past few years.  Last season Grabovski made the move to Russian Super league, as he was signed by Neftekhimik where he seemed to have an easier time adapting to the RSL then his former teammate Kostitsyn had.  This year Grabovski has found success in the goal scoring department, as he has equaled his total goal production from last season in less then twenty games played this year. 


 


 


 


 





















Team

Games

Goals

Assists

Points

Pims

+/-


Neftekhimik

19

6

5

11

6

 


 


 


 


 


Alexi Yemelin– (2004, 84th overall)  Yemelin was the third pick of the Canadiens this past summer, after coming off an impressive season where he played a regular spot in the Russian High league at the age of seventeen years old.  This year Yemelin has returned from a solid showing at the four nations U-20 tournament, where he played on the top pairing for Team Russia, and he recently made his Russian Super league debut for Lada, as he is the youngest player on the team.


 


 


 


 





















Team

Games

Goals

Assists

Points

Pims

+/-


Lada

3

0

0

0

0

 


 


 


 


 


 


Finland


 


Oskari Korpikari– (2003, 217th overall)  Korpikari enters his third season in the sm-liiga, after losing his spot with the team last year when he suffered a shoulder injury while playing for the Finnish National Junior team at the last world junior championships.  This year Korpikari has seen increased ice time with Karpat until a recent injury where he broke his ankle and will miss four to six weeks, which has to be tough for the young twenty year old, who was looking to make a name for himself this season and gain valuable experience.


 


 


 





















Team

Games

Goals

Assists

Points

Pims

+/-


Karpat

10

0

0

0

4

+2


 


 


 


 


Czech Republic


 


Tomas Linhart– (2002, 45th overall)  Linhart spent last season playing for a number of different teams, as he spent time in Czech junior league, the first liga and the extraliga, as well as the National Junior team.  This year Linhart started out in the first liga, but he didn’t stay there very long, as he was called up to the extraliga and has not looked back since as he’s been in the top men’s league for over a month now, and has already set career highs in goals, assists and points in the extra liga, as he played in only six games last year and was held pointless.


 


 


 


 


 


 





























Team

Games

Goals

Assists

Points

Pims

+/-


HC Moeller

12

1

1

2

6

+1


HC VCE Hradec

4

0

0

0

0

+3


 


 


 


 


 


Sweden


 


Marcel Hossa– (2000, 16th overall)  With the NHL lockout in place, Hossa looked overseas to play hockey, as he signed with Mora of the Swedish Elite league, where he will look to improve upon a tough season this past year while with the Hamilton Bulldogs.  Hossa decided not to play in his native country of Slovakia, but to play in a much stronger league where he could improve upon his overall game. 


 


 


 


 


 





















Team

Games

Goals

Assists

Points

Pims

+/-


Mora

8

4

1

5

18

 


 


 


 


 


Johan Eneqvist– (2000, 109th overall)  Eneqvist enters his second season with Hammerby in the tier-2 league, after leaving Leksand which at the time was in the SEL, but has since been regulated to the tier-2 league.  Last season Eneqvist was one of the offensive leaders of the team, one of the top teams in the league during the regular season, and he will look to do more of the same this year.


 


 


 


 


 


 





















Team

Games

Goals

Assists

Points

Pims

+/-


Hammerby

12

2

4

6

6

 


 


 


 


 


Christopher Heino-Lindberg– (2003, 177th overall)  Heino-Lindberg returns to Hammerby this season, after being loaned to Valentuna of the tier-2 league last season, the worst team in the league, where Lindberg would see up to fifty shots on goal at times, and wins were very rare at best.  This had to have been tough on the nineteen year old goaltender, but if it was he hasn’t let it effect his game, as he has started the new season on fire, getting two shutouts out of the twelve games he’s played, as he makes a strong case to be the starting goalie for Team Sweden’s Junior National team this December.


 


 


 


 


 


 





















Team

Games

GAA

Save %

Ga

Saves

SO


Hammerby

12

1.56

.9355

19

287

2