December was a big month for Montreal’s European-based prospects.
Artturri Lehkonen and Martin Reway continued their professional campaigns, but both also suited up for their countries at the World Juniors
Meanwhile, Habs property Andreas Engqvist also had an eventful month that saw him get traded from one of the worst teams in the KHL to one of the best.
Martin Reway
Of all of the Habs prospect to suit up at the WJC, Reway was easily the best. He led a surprising Slovak squad to a bronze medal performance, contributing nine points along the way. Most impressively, he managed to put up three assists in the Bronze Medal match against the powerful Swedes.
In the Czech Republic, Reway is continuing his near point-per-game rhythm, with 21 points in 24 Games.
It remains to be seen if the forward will conclude his season in Prague, as rumours have him potentially heading to the Moncton Wildcats. While that would be a great boon for the Wildcats and junior hockey fans writ large, as Renaud Lavoie puts it, there is no more than a 10% chance of that actually happening.
Artturi Lehkonen
November was a rough month for Lekhonen and saw him go on a prolonged scoreless drought. That lackluster month unfortunately translated to the World Juniors, as the big Finn was only able to muster one goal in his six contests.
Back in Sweden, Lekhonen remains stuck at 11 points – the same total he had at the writing of our November article.
In fairness, there were reports of Lekhonen was still fighting off a mono, so hopefully that explains most of his recent rough patch.
Andreas Engqvist
Engqvist has spent the better part of the season as a bright spot on a less than bright Atlant side, leading the team with 26 points in 36 KHL contests.
While his strong play has yet to get him noticed by an NHL outfit, he was nonetheless rewarded a few weeks ago when he got moved from his bottom-dwelling side to division leader CSKA Moscow. The move has paid immediate dividends, as Engqvist has already put up four points in his first four games.