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Now that the dust has settled on an eventful start to November, let’s take a look back at last month and which Montreal prospects were the top performers.

Laval

1st Star: Laurent Dauphin – Yes, he’s not technically a prospect (or even signed by the Habs) but when it comes to Rocket players, we look at their best performers overall, not just among the prospects.  And Dauphin was their top performer.  Teams need to get a lot from their veteran players and in the early going, Laval hasn’t for the most part with the exception of Dauphin.  He was a true two-way centre to start the season, a role he should have for a while with some of their better prospects struggling in more limited roles.

Stats: 9 GP, 3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points, +8 rating, 25 shots, 8 PIMS

2nd Star: Jared Davidson – It wasn’t that long ago last season that Davidson was on the fourth line (which played a bigger role in that line scoring more than expected than people give him credit for).  He’s not in that role anymore as he has typically been on the second or third lines most nights.  He ended the month as Laval’s top goal-getter and has carried over his scoring streak into November.  One small concern is on the penalty front where he had six minors; while he plays a feisty game, the coaching staff will want to see that cleaned up.

Stats: 9 GP, 6 goals, 2 assists, 8 points, -1 rating, 29 shots, 17 PIMS

3rd Star: Sean Farrell – We’ve seen some of Montreal’s late cuts struggle in the early going this season but as far as forwards go, he hasn’t.  Farrell isn’t going to drive a line and he’s not the type of player you’ll necessarily notice shift-to-shift compared to someone like Davidson, for example.  But he remains one of Laval’s top playmakers if not their best passer.  That has allowed him to be productive in the top six compared to last season when, at this time, he was playing his way out of the lineup altogether.

Stats: 9 GP, 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points, +3 rating, 19 shots, 2 PIMS

Honourable Mention: Adam Engstrom – Statistically, the numbers don’t stand out (beyond him shooting a ton) but that’s not why he’s here.  With the Rocket icing at times arguably their worst back end in team history last month due to injuries and recalls, Engstrom was the player getting called on to do more and more.  He did quite well given the circumstances and has built off of what was a strong training camp with the Habs.  With David Reinbacher easing his way back into action, Engstrom is probably Montreal’s first recall option should they need to call someone up to play (compared to serving as a depth piece like Marc Del Gaizo).

Stats: 9 GP, 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points, +2 rating, 27 shots, 2 PIMS

Other Prospects

1st Star: Michael Hage (Michigan, NCAA) – Granted, a good chunk of his point total came from some early-season games against weaker competition (which isn’t entirely uncommon in the NCAA) but last month, Hage was the top centre on one of the top teams in Division I, scoring at a clip better than last season.  He’ll need to keep that up for a full season if he wants to have a chance to do like a few other Hab prospects have, signing a late-season contract that burns a year of the contract right away.  While this doesn’t apply to October, it’s worth noting that Hage was shifted to the wing a couple of weeks ago.

Stats: 9 GP, 6 goals, 9 assists, 15 points, +3 rating, 28 shots, 4 PIMS

2nd Star: Alexander Zharovsky (Salavat Yulaev, KHL) – Considering what happened with Ivan Demidov’s ice time as a teenager in that league last season, it’s fair to say there was some concern about how things would go for Zharovsky.  Aside from one game, he has been a regular in their top six, seeing some time on the power play, and producing at a better pace than Demidov was last season.  No, that doesn’t mean Zharovsky is better but he’s in a good spot and is making the most of it, making the high price they paid to trade up to get him look worthwhile.

Stats: 12 GP, 4 goals, 8 assists, 12 points, +3 rating, 23 shots, 8 PIMS

3rd Star: Yevgeni Volokhin (Spartak, VHL and KHL) – An offseason trade wound up seeing him get demoted from being a KHL regular to a VHL regular with sporadic KHL time.  Right now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing as it’s giving him more games and with young goalies, game reps are really crucial.  It also helps that Volokhin has been quite dominant which should make a case for more top-level time down the road.  He’s signed through 2027-28 now so Montreal will need to be patient but he’s an intriguing long-term project prospect.

KHL Stats: 2 GP, 1-0-0 record, 2.41 GAA, .892 SV%
VHL Stats: 7 GP, 4-0-3 record, 1.25 GAA, .952 SV%, 2 SO

Honourable Mention: Owen Protz (Brantford, OHL) – This is going to be an interesting season for him.  First, he needs a contract so there’s some extra pressure.  Then, getting on Hockey Canada’s radar for the World Juniors puts some pressure on.  Oh, and he’s on a top team in junior.  So far, so good though.  He’s not racking up the points but he’s doing well there.  Protz is also playing a strong defensive game and isn’t going to the penalty box all that often.  I wouldn’t say it’s likely he gets there but I don’t think he has played his way out of World Junior consideration with his early-season performance.  Not too shabby of a start to his season.

Stats: 11 GP, 2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points, +14 rating, 15 shots, 8 PIMS