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With October in the books, the season is underway for Montreal’s prospects. While some just started in recent days, there are enough who have played full months to hand out some accolades for the past month.
Laval
1st Star: Luke Mittelstadt – This is Mittelstadt’s first full professional season so it was going to be interesting to see how he fared. It’s a lot different than jumping in late in the year like he did down the stretch last season. How did he do? Mittelstadt won Rookie of the Month and led the entire league in scoring. Yeah, that’s a solid first impression. He’s playing big minutes in all situations and is going to force his way into recall consideration quickly if he keeps this up. What will especially appeal to Martin St. Louis is how well he thinks the game. Given how important that is in Montreal’s read-and-react approach, it’s going to be hard to hold him down for long.
Stats: 11 GP, 5 goals, 11 assists, 16 points, +5 rating, 34 shots, 6 PIMS
2nd Star: Reilly Walsh – A free agent signing this summer that largely went under the radar, Walsh has been as advertised. He’s an offence-first defender who gives some of it back in the defensive zone. But he’s helped with a dominant power play unit and isn’t afraid to join the rush in transition. Bryce Pickford’s nearing a return so it will be interesting to see how Walsh’s deployment changes but he has been exactly what Laval has needed so far.
Stats: 11 GP, 5 goals, 8 assists, 13 points, +3 rating, 24 shots, 2 PIMS
3rd Star: Sasha Pastujov – Another newcomer to the mix, Pastujov has also been as advertised. He has an above-average shot that’s NHL-calibre. And the rest of his game isn’t quite at the same level, though he has flashed some playmaking at times. The end result is that all of his goals have come on the power play. That’s not a bad niche, especially in an organization where the big club is lacking in power play production. The Habs should be pleased with Pastujov’s start.
Stats: 11 GP, 6 goals, 5 assists, 11 points, even rating, 38 shots, 6 PIMS
Honourable Mention: Laurent Dauphin – Yes, for those who are seeing this type of article for the first time, we include all players, not just prospects. Dauphin is what he is at this stage of his career, a slower centre but one who can still lock down a top-six role. He anchored the top line for most of the month with a more-than-point-per-game average to show for it. That’s a solid start, even if only one of his points was a goal.
Stats: 11 GP, 1 goal, 11 assists, 12 points, +5 rating, 26 shots, 12 PIMS
Other Prospects
1st Star: Michael Hage (Michigan, NCAA) – Yes, it should be noted that some of his point total last month came from freebie games, so to speak. However, when you’re flirting with two points per game on average for a full month, you’re doing something right. Hage is also way above last season’s faceoff rate and is trying to play a more complete game. These are the areas that will help him get ready for Montreal more than the production will so some early progress there is good to see.
Stats: 8 GP, 3 goals, 12 assists, 15 points, +12 rating, 25 shots, 0 PIMS
2nd Star: Brayden Klimpke (Saskatoon, WHL) – A smaller skilled defender is something the Habs have a few of in their system so he flew a bit under the radar when they drafted him in June. Klimpke should be on everyone’s radar now. Prior to a late-month injury, he was among the top scorers league-wide, not just among blueliners. This will be Klimpke’s final junior year as he’s college-bound next season but if he could hang around a point-per-game average this year, that’d be a great final season.
Stats: 10 GP, 2 goals, 9 assists, 11 points, +2 rating, 34 shots, 12 PIMS
3rd Star: Alexander Zharovsky (Salavat Yulaev, KHL) – Yes, his numbers aren’t quite as strong as last season. But that can still be the case while having a successful year. He’s not playing as much (this feels like another ‘extend and we’ll play you more’ situation) but Zharovsky is still one of their top scorers despite the minutes. If it weren’t for last season, we’d all be really pleased with his start this year. Simply coming close to last year’s production is still rather impressive for a teenager. Don’t be too worried about a lack of a jump in production; he’s doing just fine.
Stats: 11 GP, 4 goals, 4 assists, 8 points, +1 rating, 26 shots, 4 PIMS
Honourable Mention: Tyler Deakos (Penticton, WHL) – Deakos was a wild card for this season, switching leagues after an injury-plagued campaign in his second year of draft eligibility. It’s safe to say he has adapted quite nicely. He’s producing at a similar clip as last year while doing so at a higher level. Deakos is also spending a lot of time down the middle which is always intriguing. Another player who will go to college next season, he’s off to a solid start to his one and only junior year.
Stats: 12 GP, 4 goals, 8 assists, 12 points, +3 rating, 36 shots, 29 PIMS
