Top prospect banks: The Athletic ranks Canada 10th

There are two ways of looking at this when talking about the Canadiens’ prospects and young players.

Firstly, you could say that the Habs are overflowing with choices, that their first NHL trio isn’t old (just like Kirby Dach and company), that their bank of defensemen is more than well-stocked, etc. Secondly, you could say that the Habs have a lot of young players.

It’s all very well if you see the glass as half full.

But we can also say that the Habs don’t have that big striker among their prospects who will change everything in the short or medium term. And since offense is a problem in this city…

So we wondered what Scott Wheeler, who covers NHL prospects for The Athletic, would think of the Habs and their youngsters.

After all, he currently ranks the league’s prospect banks.

For those interested, today he took on the Habs. Why today? Because today is the day the journalist was talking about the 10th position in his rankings.

The Habs may have moved up one spot from last season’s rankings, but still: the Habs don’t have a star up front, which prevents them from ranking higher.

And as you can see, there aren’t many forwards in the top ranks.

1. Lane Hutson
2. David Reinbacher
3. Jacob Fowler
4. Joshua Roy
5. Logan Mailloux
6. Justin Barron
7. Owen Beck
8. Jayden Struble

Filip Mesar and Sean Farrell may round out the top-10, and Emil Heineman, Xavier Simoneau and Riley Kidney may make the top-15, but we all know that’s not enough.

It’s worth noting, however, that Scott Wheeler isn’t necessarily in love with Reinbacher, whom he sees as a #3 or #4 defenseman.

It’s clear, then, that Wheeler’s decision to rank the Habs 10th is based on sheer numbers. He says the Habs could easily have a top-20 instead of a top-15 among the club’s top prospects.

But that big prospect is still missing up front. Will Kent Hughes draft him? Will he develop him through a trade? We’ll have to wait and see over the next few years – or months, ideally.

In bursts

– Possible.

– He’s doing well.

– Still.

– The Hawks didn’t want to.

– They’ll have a nice club in 2024.