Welcome back to Catching The Torch, where we follow the Montreal Canadiens prospects in North America and how their development progresses week by week.
Day two of the 2022 NHL Draft brought a slew of new additions to the Habs’ North American talent pool, which includes plenty of high-risk, high-reward swings as well as arguably the most secure pick in the entire draft.
We’ll take a look at each of the seven additions to the lineup and rank each one based on pick quality, then break down their strong areas and the improvements that would boost their overall game the most.
#33 — Owen Beck, C, Mississauga (OHL)
Choice Value: B+
I love Owen Beck. He’s the textbook definition of a surefire pick, a surefire NHLer with so many facets to his game that at least one of them is sure to translate. His defensive play is among the best in the 2022 NHL Draft. The way he occupies space in the defensive zone, reads opposing plays two or three steps ahead and uses his stick to break and intercept makes him a prospect , who will at least nail down a role in the bottom six of any NHL lineup.
Owen Beck (MTL) checks off tons of boxes: above-average tools, inside drive, defensive skills, give-and-go game. It’s easy to envision him playing in the NHL and there’s plenty of room for improvement. pic.twitter.com/C5WeAPO033
— Mitchell Brown (@MitchLBrown) July 8, 2022
However, he still offers some promise as a prospect with relentless drive that excels in transition. There have been top prospects and picks soon after, such as scoring winger Jagger Firkus and right fielder Matthias Havelid, but Beck offers good balance to the crop as a bullpen in a sea of home run swings.
His offensive tools lack high-end pop, but it’s easier to build up from a solid foundation, and Beck has that.
#62 — Lane Hutson, LD, USNTDP (USHL)
Choice value: A
Ever since I first saw Lane Hutson, I’ve been a huge fan of his playing. While his small frame at 5’8” and 159 pounds could be an issue, he has without a doubt the best brain of any linebacker in this draft. He can take control of any given shift and display his silky hands, elite understanding of systems and open-ice exploitation to make play after play under pressure. The sequence below will more or less explain everything.
Oddly enough, he also brought an endocrinology screening to the Combine to show scouts that he still has about two inches of bone growth ahead of him. His main problem right now is how easily he gets out of the rush. Any forward with enough wingspan and strength to hit it wide ends up with an open lane to the net.
If Hutson works with Adam Nicholas to match the footwork on defense and drive opponents to the boards, the Habs could have a top-notch offensive defenseman here. I would argue that if Hutson was 6’0” or taller, he would be a solid top 10 pick.
#75 — Vinzenz Rohrer, RW, Ottawa (OHL)
Choice value: B
Vinzenz Rohrer’s physical dominance as a 5’11”, 168-pound forward is something rarely seen in the OHL. He uses great body positioning and stick work to catch much bigger defenders by surprise and turn pucks all around the ice. Although the Austrian forward has shown some flashes of playmaking, it is not a consistent element of his game and he tends to end up often on the fringes or fighting for position in front of the net as a result of his high-intensity forechecking game.
Another fun pick from the Habs. Vinzenz Rohrer is one of the most projected physical players in the draft. Buen, and more importantly, he always looks to get into the defenders position, then immediately makes the next play. Passing skill and defense as well. pic.twitter.com/L6AWuaDk5s
— Mitchell Brown (@MitchLBrown) July 8, 2022
He plays with speed, intensity and a mean streak. In this form, however, his offensive is relatively limited. If the Habs can add some mid-range scoring and an inside-driven playmaker to Rohrer’s game, the combination of that with his bulldog style of play will make for quite a handful at the NHL level.
#127 — Cedric Guindon, C/LW, Owen Sound (OHL)
Choice value: A
Cedric Guindon’s offensive contribution is truly a dual threat, as the prospect’s 30 goals and 29 assists in 68 games make clear. However, an elite brain and ability to push the pace is what makes Guindon’s game active.
He slows down, plays his passes quickly and right to the best option, and even the way he disguises his release while holding it shows the intelligence needed to beat defenders and goalkeepers on a regular basis. Off the puck, he supports his defenders, circles low and picks up speed to ensure every play is sped up and facilitated. There are many little things that he does very well.
Another small detail that Guindon displays regularly is his ability to hit pockets of space at the right time to clear loose pucks. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Guindon make the NHL in a middle sixth role in four or five years.
#130 — Jared Davidson, C, Seattle (WHL)
Choice Value: C+
I caught Jared Davidson on a couple of looks at other Seattle Thunderbirds prospects like Kevin Korczynski and Reid Shafer and wasn’t too impressed with his overall projectability. The older center has a strong release and led his team with a solid 23 points, but he’s not much of a lane leader and tends to shoot from up and down all over the place. I will watch him more closely this upcoming season and see if I start to enjoy his game more with a larger sample size.
#162 — Emmett Croteau, G, Waterloo (USHL)
Choice Value: TBD
I don’t have a lot of notes on Emmett Croteau as a prospect to be honest – I haven’t spent much time scouting netminders this year and I haven’t caught enough Waterloo games to have a lasting impression of his style of play. Stat wise, he was a top 10 netminder in the USHL and always seems to step it up a notch in the playoffs. The 6’4”, 194-pound point guard will be my first set of looks before fall training camp begins.
#216 — Miguël Tourigny, RD, Acadie-Bathurst/Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)
Choice value: A
This is a great pick for the Habs in this range. Although Miguël Tourigny is short at 5’8” and 178 pounds, his great skating and footwork make him a solid speedy defenseman and he is one of the most offensively productive blueliners in the QMJHL right now. The twice-over-age prospect follows the Habs’ recent trend of selecting re-entries from Quebec in the final rounds.
Riley’s teammate Kidney also plays with an edge and doesn’t shy away from activation opportunities on offense, which led him to finish second among QMJHL defensemen in goals (31) and points (80) in 65 games split between the Armada and Titan. I just wonder if he really has enough runway ahead of him to develop or if he has already reached his full potential. Regardless, he’s a great seventh-round swing for the Habs.
Thanks for reading. Follow me on Twitter @HadiK_Scouting for more on Habs prospects and to keep up with the rest of my scouting!
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