Habs Hebdo: Logan Mailloux Impresses and Several League Changes Among Habs Prospects

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

The week begins with an extra day off for Thanksgiving. For the Montreal Canadiens’ prospects, there was no break over the weekend as most of them played at least one game. In this week’s Habs Weekly, we will discuss the performances of various players from the Laval Rocket, who officially kicked off their season in Providence on Friday. We will then focus on the standout performances that caught our attention this week, as well as the various league changes that many prospects have undergone.

Logan Mailloux, Habs Prospect of the Week

The title of Habs Prospect of the Week goes to none other than Logan Mailloux. The defenseman possibly had the best game of his career in a 5-2 win to start the 2024-2025 season. The big defenseman was the most utilized by Pascal Vincent during the game and finished with 2 goals and 2 assists. On one of his two goals, Mailloux showcased his excellent hands by threading the needle right after. It was a nice play for someone who had just learned of his demotion by the Canadiens a few days earlier.

After the game, Logan Mailloux showed a lot of maturity by focusing his comments strictly on the victory. This was a recurring theme around the Rocket’s games over the weekend. For an excellent summary of the two games, complete with comments from players and coaches, check out my colleague’s article: Laval Rocket | A first weekend in the books. Most players who faced cuts from the Canadiens responded well in Laval over the weekend. Filip Mesar, who didn’t necessarily have expectations of starting in Montreal, finished his first weekend as a full-time AHL player with 4 points (1 goal and 3 assists). Adam Engstrom also scored his first professional goal by contributing offensively and pouncing on a rebound in front of the net.

Joshua Roy, where are you?

Unfortunately, in the wake of players who performed well, Joshua Roy is not on the list. His line with Sean Farrell and Brandon Gignac didn’t contribute much offensively in the two weekend games. Roy left those two games without a single point and with a poor plus-minus of -3. I know that this statistic isn’t always relevant for evaluating a player’s performance. However, when your team concedes five goals over a weekend and you finish at -3, it’s hard not to be disappointed. The Rocket’s head coach didn’t want to panic, but in his post-game press conference after Saturday’s match, he hinted that changes would be coming to the lineup.

Michael Hage keeps it going

The Canadiens’ prospect selected 21st overall in the 2024 draft continues his strong performance in the NCAA. Last week, he earned the title of Habs Prospect of the Week with 4 points in his opening weekend. Michael Hage continued to produce this week with the Michigan Wolverines, adding two goals to bring his total to 3 goals and 6 points in 4 games. Hage’s offensive contributions have been consistent since the start of the season, which bodes well. Last year, with the Chicago Steel, he was the offensive leader but sometimes lacked consistency in effort and production. He seems confident at Michigan, and his coaches are giving him a lot of responsibilities.

Several league changes to watch

Among the Canadiens’ prospects, there have been a few changes regarding the leagues they are playing in. First, forward Aatos Koivu was sent back to the U20 ranks this week after playing 12 games with the main team in Liiga. TPS ultimately decided to demote Koivu after many games where he received less than 10 minutes of ice time. In his first game back with the U20 team, Koivu immediately contributed with an assist. He had also registered an assist in his second-to-last game in Liiga. It’s not that he was playing poorly; we certainly hope he gets more quality ice time to showcase his offensive talent. Last year in the U20, Koivu finished the year with 31 points in 28 games, so we can expect him to dominate at this level now.

Makar Khanin on the move

A rather obscure pick for the Canadiens in the 2024 draft, Makar Khanin continues to make the rounds in Russia. The season is only a few weeks old, and he has already played in all three major Russian leagues. However, it’s a mixed bag. Called up to the KHL for the October 12 game, Khanin only saw one shift on the ice for a total of 1:39 of ice time. After being called up from the MHL for the occasion, Khanin also went through the VHL at the start of the season. Normally, he shouldn’t stay in the KHL for long given how he is being utilized. The 7th-round pick belongs to the Dynamo Moscow organization in the KHL, but he should be in the MHL with juniors. The development in Russia…

Rasmus Bergqvist in J20?

Another obscure 7th-round pick for the Canadiens in the 2024 draft, Rasmus Bergqvist, a defensively-oriented defenseman, has played the first nine games of the season in the SHL with Skelleftea. The team has several quality NHL prospects, including Axell Sandin-Pellikka (DET), Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (DET), and Oskar Vuollet (CAR). Generally, Bergqvist has played just under 10 minutes per game in the SHL this season. On EliteProspect, he has recently been listed as playing in the J20 in the Nationell. This means the 19-year-old defenseman could be playing games at the lower level very soon. He will need to assert himself and regain a rhythm.

Jacob Fowler starts strong

It was a good challenge for Boston College to kick off the season. Michigan State has a strong lineup for the 2024-2025 season, and it was another opportunity to see Jacob Fowler face off against his counterpart Trey Augustine (DET). In the first game of the weekend, Fowler started strong with a shutout, making 24 saves. Boston defeated Michigan State 3-0. The next day, Michigan State won 4-3, with Fowler facing 25 shots.

Once again this season, Boston has new faces on offense. With Will Smith leaving for the NHL, he has been replaced by James Hagens. Additionally, Teddy Stiga and Dean Letourneau, two prospects from the 2024 draft, have joined the team. Jacob Fowler will have the chance to be a real leader for his team. Although he lost his second game of the week, playing 2 games in less than 24 hours at the start of the year could explain a lower performance. However, that’s what I want to see this season with Fowler. I want him to have a very high workload, like last year, to prepare him for the AHL.

Flash News

– Ivan Demidov didn’t play much this week, and his performance has suffered. He had only three shifts in the October 10 game and then saw 7 minutes of ice time two days later. The situation is frustrating, to say the least…

– Mikus Vecvanags had a solid second start in the BCHL. However, it cannot be said enough: the Brooks Bandits are very strong. He receives plenty of support, but still. 2 goals on 25 shots is not bad!

– As mentioned recently, Yevgeni Volokhin has been traded and will soon start in the KHL with Sochi. He is moving from the best defensive team in the MHL to the worst team in the KHL. It will be worth watching, but for now, he has not yet made his debut in the KHL.

Statistics collected from October 7th up to and including October 13th.

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