A few more prospects got into some game action in December but for the most part, some familiar faces find themselves atop Montreal’s top performers list from last month.
1st Star: Jakub Dobes (Omaha, USHL) – His month wasn’t quite as strong as November’s but it was still quite good. He allowed two or fewer goals in six of his seven appearances while he leads the league in GAA and is second in SV% (he moves to first if you back out backup goalies). Yes, he’s repeating the level but still, there’s nothing wrong with being the best goalie in the league and playing at a consistently high level almost every night.
Stats: 7 GP, 4-3-0 record, 1.96 GAA, .921 SV%, 0 SO
2nd Star: Jayden Struble (Northeastern, NCAA) – After a long layoff due to an injury last year and the pandemic, Struble didn’t miss a beat upon his return. The defenceman has been more involved offensively in the early going this season and his defensive game has shown signs of improvement as well. Unfortunately, his discipline (or lack thereof) continues to be an issue which is something that will need to be cleaned up. It’s one thing to play close to the line but he shouldn’t be crossing it too frequently.
Stats: 6 GP, 1 goal, 6 assists, 7 points, +4 rating, 10 PIMS, 18 shots
3rd Star: Sean Farrell (Chicago, USHL) – It’s more than clear that Farrell is too good for this level but with his eventual college destination (Harvard) not playing this season, he’ll get to keep racking up the points. I’ll give him credit, he’s not taking games off and he has been quite consistent; through the first two months of the season, he has been held off the scoresheet just once. It’s hard to ask for more than that.
Stats: 6 GP, 4 goals, 7 assists, 11 points, +3 rating, 4 PIMS, 14 shots
Honourable Mention 1: Jordan Harris (Northeastern, NCAA) – He picked up basically where he left off a season ago – logging a ton of minutes and chipping in a bit offensively. There isn’t a whole lot left for him to try to master at this level but finding a way to be more productive should be the final checkmark before turning pro. Harris is off to a decent start in that regard so far.
Stats: 6 GP, 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points, -1 rating, 0 PIMS, 16 shots
Honourable Mention 2: Rhett Pitlick (Muskegon, USHL) – Unlike Dobes and Farrell who have thrived while repeating this level, Pitlick has had a couple of bumps in the road. He had a bit of success in the goalscoring department (with an unsustainable shooting percentage) which helped him earn the final spot on this list but his performance so far has resembled that of his start to last year (before being traded midseason to Muskegon where things improved). It’s not a bad start to his campaign but it is a bit quieter than expected.
Stats: 8 GP, 6 goals, 3 assists, 9 points, +3 rating, 2 PIMS, 16 shots