Habs Hebdo: Canadiens’ Prospect at the top of the NCAA goal scorers !

Welcome to the latest edition of «Habs Hebdo», your weekly column on Montreal Canadiens prospects! For all previous chronicles: Habs Hebdo Section. For the french version: Hebdo CH Section

After a one-week break, the weekly chronicles on the Canadiens’ prospects are back! Several of the Canadiens’ prospects stood out this week, particularly in the NCAA. For those interested in prospects, I’d like to take this opportunity to remind you that this Wednesday, live on TSLH’s Patreon, the TSLH Espoirs will be releasing its first list of top prospects for the 2025 NHL Draft. We offer packages starting at $2 to access exclusive episodes, and for just $4, you can join the live recording and even participate by asking questions! Subscribe by checking the link here: TSLH Patreon.

Sam Harris: Canadiens Prospect of the Week

We’ve often talked about Sam Harris on TSLH, but on popular social media, there’s been little buzz about him. The forward had an excellent development camp with the Canadiens back in July, which sparked more attention. Last year, he had a breakthrough season at Denver in the NCAA. He stands out with his shooting ability and his knack for scoring goals near the net. He didn’t slow down in the playoffs either. Sam Harris continues to progress this season, taking on more responsibilities, with one major role: carrying the offense on his shoulders.

And he’s doing it in a very impressive way. Currently in the NCAA, the country’s top goal scorer is Sam Harris, with 9 goals in as many games. The winger has accumulated 13 points, which matches the excellent Gabe Perreault from Boston College. This week, Harris added 3 more goals to his total, moving into the top spot in the league for goals scored.

Sam Harris is 21 years old. The Canadiens’ fifth-round pick is only in his second year in the NCAA. Given his progress, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Canadiens offer him a contract at some point — whether that’s at the end of this season, next year, or the year after. His progression has been steady and upward since his draft year.

Jacob Fowler is on Fire

How many times did I write this last year? It continues for Jacob Fowler, who has been stellar this week. In addition to picking up a win in his first game of the weekend, Fowler recorded his 3rd shutout of the season. He’s already matched his shutout total from last year, and he’s done it in just 8 games. What he’s doing on the ice is incredible. It’s like he has nothing more to learn in the NCAA. The Montreal Canadiens need to sign him at the end of the season and either send him to Laval or get him into an NHL game or two.

Michael Hage: Little Warning !

Every year, I offer a word of caution about a prospect who gets a lot of « hype. » Michael Hage is having a very good start to the season at Michigan. He’s the offensive leader and has been given significant responsibilities as a freshman. The stats are following suit, with 9 points in as many games so far. He also caused some concern among fans when it seemed like he might be injured for a long time. In the end, it turned out to be less serious than expected, as Hage missed only one game.

Now, here’s my caution. The « reels » on Facebook and « shorts » on YouTube are great, but we should avoid falling into the trap of over-analyzing everything or constantly highlighting negative points. That being said, Michael Hage’s play this season has been fairly « soft. » We’ve said it before, but Hage needs to add muscle, as he’s not equipped to battle in traffic or win puck battles. Several observers have shared their thoughts on Hage’s rather weak play. One of them said, “Michael Hage is as soft as a cloud again this season.” With experience, this could improve — at least we hope so! On the positive side, Hage does have an impact offensively and contributes to his team’s success. There’s more positive than negative overall, but the fact that he’s « soft » and fragile could eventually hinder him in professional hockey.

FLASH NEWS

– Sean Farrell is officially the only Canadiens prospect who has not registered any points this season. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for him, and his morale seems to be completely gone.

– No points for Ivan Demidov this week, but his ice time ranged between 13 and 15 minutes per game. This was the case even though SKA played against weaker teams (Kunlun and Sochi) as well as one of the best teams (Avangard). Finally, some consistency!

– Jack Smith appears to be injured, as he hasn’t played in the last three games for the Minnesota-Duluth team in the NCAA.

– Vinzenz Rohrer is taking a break from the National League in Switzerland to represent Austria at the Deutschland Cup.

– Just like Rohrer, Aatos Koivu has been loaned out for an international tournament. In his case, it’s the Karjala Cup, which took place from November 7 to 10. Koivu registered two assists in this U20 tournament held in Finland.

– Owen Beck is producing very consistently, and his play in the AHL remains very effective. We shouldn’t be surprised to see him make his way to Montreal at some point during the season.

Statistics collected from November 3rd to November 10th inclusive.

Goalie