The Canadiens’ top prospects in 2020: few of them are still in Montreal

Recently, I came across this tweet (if some can say Club Price instead of Costco, I can say Twitter instead of X) from the Big Head Hockey account.

Basically, it shows The Athletic’s top Canadien prospects for 2020.

In 2020, just three years ago, the Habs had the second-best prospect pool in the NHL. And when you look at the composition of the list, it’s clear that there’s nothing, in retrospect, to write home about.

Here’s the list in question.

Obviously, I don’t think anyone can complain about the #1 pick. Cole Caufield has become the player everyone was hoping to see, and he’s at the heart of the Flanelle’s revival plan.

But let’s just say he hasn’t exactly been accompanied by the most admirable support.

I have absolutely nothing against Jordan Harris, who has been a regular on the blue line for the past year. That said, it’s crazy to think that this guy was the CH’s second-best prospect at the time, isn’t it?

Of course, Alexander Romanov became a member of the Islanders to welcome Kirby Dach.

But then? Seeing that Jayden Struble, a prospect who will have trouble breaking into the CH lineup, and Ryan Poehling round out the top-5 in a pool that was then the NHL’s second-best, makes it clear that it’s always easier to judge with hindsight.

Maybe it’ll be the same with the 2023 pool, and many current prospects won’t produce as expected, but…

But it seems to me that the likes of David Reinbacher, Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, Joshua Roy, Owen Beck, Sean Farrell, Riley Kidney, Jacob Fowler, Emil Heineman and Adam Engstrom inspire me more.

Is it just me or…

Anyway. All that to say that in the 2020 top-10, other than Cayden Primeau (who won’t start the season in Montreal) and Jesse Ylönen, no one is going to join Caufield and Harris full-time.

Struble might get some games, sure, but…

Even digging into the 2020 top-15 reveals the Brett Stapley, Cole Fonstad, Rhett Pitlick and Allan McShane of this world. That said, there’s also a certain Rafaël Harvey-Pinard.

If we were to start the ranking again today with the players who are still there, it would look like this:

• Cole Caufield
• Jordan Harris
• Rafaël Harvey-Pinard
• Jesse Ylönen
• Jayden Struble
• Cayden Primeau
• Mattias Norlinder (for what it’s worth)
• All the others

Like I said, everything is easier to determine with hindsight. On the other hand, this isn’t exactly the list of the year, and to see that only three prospects from that era are making an impact in the NHL isn’t ideal.

Let’s not forget that Marc Bergevin added more talent in his last two drafts. And since Kent Hughes arrived, he’s done his part too.

In gusto

– I don’t see him playing again this year… or in the future.

– Good news.

– RSEQ: excellent players at quarterback. [BPM Sports]

– It’s not the same club.

As soon as you set foot in the Remparts’ entourage, the realization is striking: a new era has begun.

What’s left of last year’s champion team? Not much!

Review here👇https://t.co/8Q0zqkRxoQ

– Kevin Dubé (@KDubeJDQ) August 22, 2023