Top-15 CH prospects: positions 9 to 7

We’re already halfway through our top-15 list of the Habs’ most promising prospects!

We’ll start today by adding to last week’s line-up of defensemen (Barron, Mailloux and Xhekaj), Sweden’s Adam Engstrom, who, like the latter, will be fighting for a place in the top-4. It will therefore be up to us to justify his presence in this ranking a few hairs ahead of these more familiar figures.

Then, in 8th place, we turn to the bionic Beauceron, Joshua Roy. Rather like Engstrom, Roy seems to have the potential and confidence to aspire to a fairly important role within the organization, but after the congestion at the back, there will also be one up front…

Finally, with Kaiden Guhle at No. 7, we’ll start dealing with top prospects – impact players – whose current and anticipated use value marks a clear break with those of the previous ranks.

9. Adam Engstrom | Last ranking: 10th
Potential: 33.5/40
Insurance: 15/20
Use value (utility/rarity): 23/30
Trade value: 6.5/10

Total: 78/100

Perhaps you need to see Adam Engstrom with your own eyes to appreciate just how good he is.

I was at the development camp in Brossard in 2023, just a few feet from the rink, and along with Lane Hutson, Engstrom was by far the best defenseman on the ice.

Reinbacher, Mailloux and Trudeau were there too…

But those who saw him on Sweden’s first defensive pair at the 2023 WJC in Halifax will surely have fond memories of him too. They were also treated to a flawless performance; fast, intelligent, fluid execution in all directions, all with a well-balanced robustness, and all on a North American rink…

And for those of you less familiar with him, here’s a short video of his play last year with Rögle, showing his qualities and evolution. In particular, we notice an even higher level of poise with the puck (intelligence+confidence+calm).

If I compare him to Barron, Mailloux and Xhekaj, Engstrom is for me the most mobile, versatile, intelligent and talented defender of the lot in all three zones, or, if you prefer, the most complete. That’s what gives him this short lead.

Without necessarily being a candidate for the Montreal power play, this third-round pick, 92nd overall in 2022, can play against any opposing element. It’s not hard to imagine him earning top-4 minutes in the foreseeable future, not least by becoming one of the team’s best 5-on-5 and 4-on-5 players.

As comfortable on the right as on the left, Engstrom is a natural insurance policy for an oft-injured Kaiden Guhle and a Matheson who may have to end his career elsewhere.

If Matheson were to leave, Engstrom could make a hell of a shutdown pair in Guhle’s company. At least, in theory…

At worst, we could see Engstrom become a luxury^5th defenseman in a very strong brigade.

At this stage, we wouldn’t dare put too much trade value on Engstrom, since he has just about everything to prove in America. The transition of Swedish defensemen to the NHL often presents considerable, and in some cases insurmountable, difficulties (Norlinder!), so some will undoubtedly have reservations about Engstrom.

Engstrom will have to be even more airtight defensively, after all, he finished last season with Rögle with a -10 differential. But that was in a club where just about everyone had a negative regular-season record…

That said, given his impressive skill set, we’re confident that this Habs prospect’s North American transition will go off without a hitch.

If all goes according to plan, Engstrom, 21, will probably be playing in Laval in 2024-2025 and could even earn himself some games in Montreal in the event of injury, especially if the likes of Harris or Struble are traded along the way…

Let’s end with a shocking statement: Engstrom could very well be THE revelation of the next training camp.

8. Joshua Roy | Last ranking: 5th
Potential: 33.5/40
Insurance: 16.5/20
Use value (utility/rarity): 22.5/30
Trade value: 6.5/10

Total: 79/100

The organization officially had high expectations of Roy when he made his Laval debut last season. In the end, the Beauceron disappointed no-one, even earning himself a few call-backs in Montreal that left a lasting impression.

As expected, despite some more difficult game sequences, Roy’s superior game sense helped him make the transition to the pros. As is the case with those who have what it takes to get to the next level, he quickly became a one-point-per-game scorer in the AHL.

In the NHL, it only took Roy 2-3 games to get used to the speed of the game, and he quickly came into his own by consistently being in the right place at the right time– his trademark. Here’s a good example:

I mentioned back in 2022 that an early re-draft of the 2021 draft would likely put him in the first round. The Athletic agreed last month, ranking him 18th.

Not bad for a guy drafted 150th!

Roy clearly has the talent to play with anyone in the Habs line-up, and we now have the assurance, if not the near-certainty, that he’ll be able to reach his potential, which should be around 50-60 pts in the NHL.

That said, with what’s on the horizon in Montreal, he could struggle to find a place on the top two threes, and quality minutes on the power play could be in short supply…

But champions win every year with players like Roy on third trios or in more secondary roles. The same could be said of Newhook.

So it will be interesting to see whether Roy will spend his entire career in Montreal in this kind of role, or whether one day his talent will have to move to greener pastures elsewhere.

7. Kaiden Guhle | Last ranking: 4th
Potential: 33.5/40
Insurance: 16.5/20
Use value (utility/rarity): 24.5/30
Trade value: 7.5/10

Total: 82/100

It’s almost strange to find Kaiden Guhle once again in this tally. But the truth is, the 22-year-old Albertan still has a lot to show and prove to his employers, who have just signed him to a six-year, $33.3 million contract.

Firstly, Guhle played in just 114 of the CH’s 164 games in his first two NHL seasons, compiling 10 goals and 40 points in the process, and a dismal -27 record.

Secondly, while his coaches didn’t hesitate to make him learn his trade the hard way, pitting him against the opposition’s best players because they saw in him a great deal of strength of character, it can’t be said that Guhle came out of there with only stars in his book…

Despite some fine displays against the McDavids of this world and an improvement in his defensive game last season, the aforementioned opposing top players often took advantage of the opportunity to make him look bad, if not by hurting him altogether, like a certain Kucherov, the “beloved” of Montreal fans.

Some will say in Guhle’s defense that the Habs were one of the worst clubs in the NHL over the last two years and that, for lack of a better word, the Habs had little choice but to throw him into the lion’s den. Either.

But others will reply that, unlike the real young prodigies in his position (for some still refer to Guhle as one of them), he hasn’t done much to make his club better.

To put things in perspective and do him justice, let’s not forget that Guhle wasn’t drafted top-5. He was a good 16th-round pick who is looking more and more like… a good 16th-round pick, at best a top-12 as seen in our 2020 mock draft….

Scott Wheeler of The Athletic would reclassify him at 19th…

On the other hand, don’t count me in the camp of those who believe that Guhle’s contract will become a windfall for Kent Hughes. I’ll just be satisfied and happy that Guhle stays healthy and plays up to his contract.

Given the player’s age and potential, we obviously can’t compare his contract to those sadly offered to Gallagher and Anderson by Bergevin at the time. That would be unfair and stupid.

But just as was the case with these two warriors with their bruised bodies, I still see a lot of love for theindividual and his famous intangibles in the $33.3 M granted to Guhle, and there’s a risk that comes with that…

The Albertan already has a few concussions and other major shoulder and knee injuries to his credit, all before the age of 23, and He has yet to play a single full season since his draft year in 2020…

In all, he has played just 197 games in his last four seasons, including the WHL series and the World Junior and Senior Championships. That’s an average of less than 50 games per year…

The good news is that, as his contract suggests, his employers see him more as a third or fourth defenseman. The case is made, and as even his own agent acknowledges, Guhle will probably never play on the power play. On the other hand, he will often be entrusted with important defensive missions in which he is believed to excel.

So, Guhle is a true warrior with great mobility and excellent defensive skills. His leadership qualities, such as sacrifice and self-sacrifice, will make him the heart and soul of the Montreal brigade for years to come.

An ideal third, fourth defender in a winning club.

If the body holds out.

We’ll be in touch next week! In the meantime, you can read and reread all the articles that have already appeared, and continue to chat with me on Facebook and Twitter!