HabsWorld.net --
It’s not too often that the Habs have enough prospects playing in May to do this piece. But there were just enough who played deep into the playoffs or internationally to allow us to cover the best of the rest who were still playing.
Laval
1st Star: Laurent Dauphin – First, the usual reminder that we put Laval’s top performers here, not just the prospects. (Good thing, too, or this section would have been tricky.) The Rocket went down in the first round without much fanfare but it wasn’t Dauphin’s fault. As he was for the bulk of the regular season, he was Laval’s top scorer and drove a lot of their offence. He’s already locked in for next season, ensuring one key cog will be back up front.
Stats: 4 GP, 2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points, +1 rating, 10 shots, 6 PIMS
2nd Star: Owen Beck: This wasn’t a great sophomore year for Beck as his performance largely ranged from stagnant to regression. But he was more productive and, perhaps more importantly, assertive against the Marlies. If he’s eventually going to take the next step and join the Habs full-time, he needs to be aggressive with his shot and play with consistent intensity. A short series isn’t enough of a sample size to say he’s ready but he showed he still has it in him, at least.
Stats: 4 GP, 3 goals, 1 assist, 4 points, +1 rating, 8 shots, 4 PIMS
3rd Star: Samuel Blais – His performance with Abbotsford last postseason gave me confidence that he could be a big performer in these playoffs. He didn’t get much of a chance with the early elimination but he made the most of the limited game action. If he wants to play somewhere where he can play a meaningful role, a return to Laval makes sense with the chance of being called up when needed. But if he wants to go somewhere with a better opportunity to stick in training camp, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him go elsewhere this summer.
Stats: 4 GP, 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points, +3 rating, 13 shots, 18 PIMS
Honourable Mention: Luke Mittelstadt – With the back end missing key pieces (Marc Del Gaizo and David Reinbacher missed time with injuries while Adam Engstrom was on recall for part of the series), Mittelstadt played big minutes in the series. This is someone who was still playing college hockey less than two months earlier but already had earned the trust of the coaches to play in all situations. And overall, he acquitted himself quite well. This should be a nice springboard to his first full professional campaign next season.
Other Prospects
1st Star: Yevgeni Volokhin (Khimik, VHL) – While his team ultimately came up short in the Petrov Cup Finals, Volokhin still had a pretty solid ending to his season. He has clearly demonstrated that he’s too good for the Supreme League level and needs to be tested more regularly as a KHL netminder. If he gets that chance next season, he could be jumping up prospect lists pretty quickly.
Stats: 9 GP, 3-6-0 record, 2.27 GAA, .928 SV%
2nd Star: Vinzenz Rohrer (Laval/Austria) – It was a tale of two months for Rohrer. Not fully healthy, he struggled with Laval against the Marlies although he played a regular role, generally on the third line. But when he joined Austria, he became a top-six all-around player while lining up down the middle, something that should be of interest to the Habs. His lingering injury cost him a game in the tournament but he was one of their better performers once again in that event, ending his year on a good note.
Laval Stats: 4 GP, 0 goals, 1 assist, 1 point, -1 rating, 0 shots, 2 PIMS
WC Stats: 6 GP, 3 goals, 1 assist, 4 points, +3 rating, 8 shots, 2 PIMS
3rd Star: Filip Mesar (Slovakia, WC) – Mesar was with Laval for the playoffs but, as was the case last year, he was out of the lineup when the postseason got underway. But with a weaker Slovak roster, he was added close to the start of the tournament and got to play in a fourth-line role. He didn’t look out of place despite that not being an ideal lineup slot for him. It’s hard to see Mesar being in Montreal’s plans moving forward and it wouldn’t be shocking to see them try to give the former first-rounder a fresh start in the coming weeks.
WC Stats: 7 GP, 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points, even rating, 11 shots, 2 PIMS
Honourable Mention: Andrew MacNiel (Kitchener, OHL) – This was not the post-draft season MacNiel or the Habs were hoping for. He didn’t take the big step forward, and wound up missing extended time due to a knee injury plus a six-day hospital stint for a respiratory infection in the playoffs. He was largely a sixth option during the regular season and playoffs, but he scored a couple of goals in the OHL Finals and was a regular in Kitchener’s lineup for their Memorial Cup title as well. Maybe he’ll get to play higher in the lineup next season but at least he got a deep run to make up for some of the lack of in-season reps and ice time.
OHL Stats: 5 GP, 2 goals, 0 assists, 2 points, +2 rating, 3 shots, 2 PIMS
Mem Cup Stats: 4 GP, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, +3 rating, 5 shots, 9 PIMS
