January was a good month for some Montreal prospects but a bad one for others. Many struggled in St. John’s but there were several other players in the lower levels that put forth some strong performances.
St. John’s IceCaps
1st Star: Sven Andrighetto – He didn’t spend too much time with the IceCaps as he was with the Habs for some of last month but he made the most of his time with St. John’s, finishing with the second most points in the month despite missing 40% of their games. He is taking the steps towards being a legitimate top line AHL’er which is a big step towards earning a more permanent promotion.
Stats: 8 GP, 3 goals, 4 assists, 7 points, -1 rating, 25 shots, 2 PIMS
2nd Star: Morgan Ellis – With Mark Barberio gone (and Victor Bartley’s stint not making it through a period), Ellis has become St. John’s #1 defenceman by default. The extra responsibility hasn’t slowed him down though as he has responded with some of his best work on the season. He earned his spot as a replacement at the All Star Game.
Stats: 13 GP, 4 goals, 4 assists, 8 points, +3 rating, 31 shots, 6 PIMS
3rd Star: Gabriel Dumont – If there was an award for the AHL’er that does well but never gets any attention for it, Dumont would win it hands down. He has picked it up offensively after a slow start to the year and lately has settled well into a checking line role. He’s no more than a depth guy in the NHL which is why he gets little fanfare but he deserves his due for his play with the IceCaps at least.
Stats: 13 GP, 4 goals, 5 assists, 9 points, -4 rating, 35 shots, 18 PIMS
Honourable Mention: Charles Hudon – It was far from Hudon’s best month but he had more good games than bad while picking up a few points here and there. It’s not a glowing review by any stretch but it was far from a good month for the IceCaps; it’s not as if there were a ton of strong performances to choose from.
Stats: 13 GP, 3 goals, 4 assists, 7 points, -4 rating, 23 shots, 30 PIMS
Other Prospects
1st Star: Jake Evans (Notre Dame, NCAA) – Evans is seeing his stock rise quickly after yet another strong month. He still isn’t receiving top minutes (though he’s playing on both special teams units) but that only makes his recent play and production all the more impressive. He’s hovering around the point-per-game mark as a sophomore which is very hard to do, especially when you’re not the go-to player.
Stats: 9 GP, 3 goals, 7 assists, 10 points, +2 rating, 2 PIMS
2nd Star: Martin Reway (Fribourg, NLA) – After a rough start (at the defensive end at least) when he transferred to the Swiss League, Reway has shown signs that he’s starting to adapt to the different style of play. And, of course, he’s still putting up the points at quite an impressive clip. A concussion late in the month will set him back for a little bit at least, however.
Stats: 6 GP, 3 goals, 4 assists, 7 points, even rating, 2 PIMS
3rd Star: Matt Bradley (Medicine Hat, WHL) – He got off to a slow start to his season (having a benign tumour removed from his nasal cavity likely had something to do with that) but over the past six weeks, Bradley has shown signs of the offensive potential the Habs thought he had when they picked him back in June. Whether or not he can maintain that in the months to come is the biggest question as the track record simply isn’t there yet.
Stats: 13 GP, 5 goals, 7 assists, 12 points, even rating, 8 PIMS
Honourable Mention: Jeremiah Addison (Ottawa, OHL) – The first half of his season was disappointing but Addison is starting to pick up his play in recent weeks. He already has surpassed his goal total from last season and should have a shot at setting a new career high in points as well. The 67’s don’t have a lot of offence so he should have plenty of opportunities over the final few months of the season.
Stats: 13 GP, 7 goals, 4 assists, 11 points, +1 rating, 42 shots, 19 PIMS