The Habs have agreed to terms with another one of their defence prospects, announcing on Friday that they’ve signed Owen Protz to a three-year, entry-level contract that begins next season. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Protz was a fourth-round pick by Montreal back in 2024, going 102nd overall. The 20-year-old had just been moved to OHL Brantford at the time and showed enough promise in an expanded role down the stretch for the Canadiens to take a flyer on him.
Protz followed that up with a 32-point effort in 2024-25, decent offensive numbers for someone known for not being a big offensive contributor. That showing was enough to earn him an invitation to Canada’s World Junior summer camp. While he ultimately didn’t make the team in December, he was believed to have just missed out on an invitation to their main camp.
On a more loaded Bulldogs team this season, his output dipped to five goals and 18 assists in 64 regular season contests. He’ll likely produce at a similar clip in Brantford’s playoffs, which get underway tonight against Sudbury.
Of course, Protz isn’t known for his offence. Instead, he’s known primarily for his physical prowess, a dimension that the Habs don’t have a ton of organizational depth. That should give him a chance to carve out a role with Laval next season and continue to try to work his way up the depth chart from there.
The Canadiens had until June 1st to get Protz signed. Clearly, they’ve seen enough from him to give him his entry-level deal now. He joins Luke Mittelstadt as blueliners to sign future deals with Montreal this month but unlike Mittelstadt, Protz can only join Laval once Brantford’s playoff run comes to an end. As one of the top teams in the CHL, that probably isn’t happening anytime soon.