There aren’t a lot of CH prospects in action at the WJC which just got underway, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of interesting things for the CH fan to watch out for. Flannel.
Here are five that deserve our attention!
1. Sandin-Pellikka or Reinbacher?
Several media and fans spent a good part of the fall debating between Michkov and Reinbacher, but if we take for granted that Michkov did not want to play in Montreal and/or that the CH recruiters did not want to know anything about him, it It’s the comparison with the other excellent right-handed defender of this vintage, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, which becomes 100 times more interesting and 1000 times more relevant in my eyes.
Craig Button had against all odds ranked the little Swedish defender (5’10) 5th on his final list in 2023 and I for my part said this by ranking him 14th in my mock draft for the Penguins (the Wings finally drafted him at 17th overall):
Sandin-Pellikka is the best player still available in the stands and might as well become the best defender in this draft.
History has it that the Penguins instead turned to Brandon Yager (since traded to the Jets in return for Rutger McGroarty) and above all decided to rely on another Swede, more experienced this one, to support Letang, a certain Erik Karlsson…
Never mind, Sandin-Pellikka, 22 points in 25 games in Sweden’s best league (SweHL), started the competition on a high with a spectacular performance of 3 goals and 4 points against Slovakia, before losing flow smoother yesterday against Kazakhstan…
Finally, even if he couldn’t have played at this WJC because he’s already 20 years old, damn it’s sad for everyone that Reinbacher is injured at the moment!
2. Who is Rasmus Bergqvist?
Sweden is a club to watch for several reasons this year, and for Habs fan Rasmus Bergqvist is another. He also scored a great goal on Thursday against Slovakia:
Bergqvist, a 6’1 left-handed defensive back, modestly drafted in the 7th round at age 19 last June by Montreal, already plays regularly in the SweHL.
But no one is impatient at the idea of seeing it evolve in North America, it might even very well never happen.
At least we will have the chance to observe it carefully between now and the end of the competition to get a better idea….
3. Victor Eklund and Logan Hensler as top-10 picks?
Some lists place young Swedish winger Victor Eklund, William’s brother with the Sharks, in the top-10 for the next draft.
With 15 points in 24 games, the good Victor presents good statistics in the second Swedish league, better in fact than those of Michael Brandseeg-Nygard at the same date last year, my favorite player of the 2024 draft.
Contrary to MBN, Eklund is rather puny at 5’11, 163 pounds, but he makes up for it with more creativity and agility.
Blanked against Slovakia in the curtain-raiser on Thursday, the little #18 scored yesterday at the mouth of the net against Kazakhstan in addition to adding an assist:
It will be interesting to look back in more detail on his performances at the end of the tournament. We will then perhaps be better able to determine whether it will be worth it for a club like the Canadian – which is likely to “select” between 6th and 10th place – to pay a little more attention to Eklund .
That said, he will really have to stand out with his talent between now and the end of the season, because he is not responding in fact has a specific need for CH.
As for Logan Hensler, we see him more as a future quality right-handed defensive defender, ultra-mobile with good size. Not a bad insurance policy, considering the many question marks that remain regarding the future of the right side of the Montreal defense…
But, would it be a good idea to use a top-10 pick on this kind of, let’s say, rather sober profile? Hensler, who played around fifteen minutes against Germany, will have to have a good tournament and especially a very good end to the season in the NCAA to convince me, he who shows not very exciting statistics (0 goals, 7 assists, -3 in 17 games) in a rather ordinary club in Wisconsin…
4. Cole Hutson or Michael Hage?
We won’t be scared off by Cole Hutson’s five-pass performance against Germany in a 10-4 massacre, but Lane’s brother remains quite the hockey player.
Nothing new here, I’ve been saying this for several months, having ranked him 8th on my final personal list for the last draft and 17th (for the Capitals… who finally chose him at 43rd!) in the mock draft concocted in the company of Marc-Olivier Beaudoin.
Of course, Michael Hage won’t have the opportunity to do himself justice against Hutson during this competition, having not even been invited to the Team Canada junior camp, but it doesn’t matter, we’ll have these two at the look out for the next few seasons, as they are currently playing in the NCAA…
So far Hutson, slightly stronger than his brother and a little more orthodox in his defensive play as well as in terms of his skating, recorded a gleaming 14 points in 16 games as a “replacement” for Lane at Boston University.
For his part, Hage, who was at least expected to be ranked 21st in the last draft (for the Kings, before the trade with the Habs), is a hit at full throttle as a center player in Michigan with 10 goals and 18 points in 15 matches.
In light of Kirby Dach’s season, the CH should not regret its choice too much at present… But let’s admit that having the two Hutson brothers on the same team would have been likely to revolutionize ice hockey! #half-joker
5. Hagens, Schaefer, Martone?
Personally, with the general improvement in defensive play, the production of Laine and the numerical advantage, as well as the stabilizing arrival of Carrier, etc., I no longer see CH being drafted in the top-5.
But who knows exactly what can happen over the next few months with this team? We know, among other things, that there will probably be other “reconstruction” type exchanges which could weaken the team in the short term…
That’s why you need to keep an eye on this trio of top prospects at the WJC.
Hagens and Schaefer got the competition off to a flying start on Thursday, but with the serious injury suffered by the Canadian defender we will unfortunately not have the opportunity to witness a super duel between the two on December 31. We simply won’t see Schaefer again at the tournament, he who will be absent for two, three months…
For his part, Martone has played very little so far (only 7 minutes and dust against Latvia…) and could perhaps go down a little in the minds of recruiters following this competition…
An ordinary, even disappointing tournament on his part could even “help” him get out of the top-5. But let’s suspend judgment for now. Maybe the defeat against Latvia will motivate coach Cameron to give him a chance…
We’ll talk about all this and many other things at the end of the tournament!
