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One word to describe the Habs’ main prospects in Laval
Tony Patoine
One word to describe the Habs’ main prospects in Laval
Credit: Getty Images

We’ve had the chance to see a lot of Rocket hockey lately, including all the playoff games, two of which were in Laval, in person (!), at the always friendly Place Bell.

So let’s have a quick update on the Canadiens’ top prospects on the other end of the orange line.

One word to describe them. Simple as that.

Logan Mailloux: Questionable hockey IQ.
We could talk about good and not-so-good sequences in Mailloux’s case. For example, excellent against Cleveland, inconsistent against Rochester and atrocious against Charlotte(a little boo-boo?). But, more generally, as much as Mailloux is an excellent athlete capable of making big plays here and there (spectacular climbs, shots into the top corner, hard-hitting checks), he can also make two or three glaring and costly mistakes in the same game, not to mention his too many stupid penalties.

Here he is at his best:

But at the professional level, a defenseman isn’t allowed to commit turnovers galore on the blue lines, to “mismanage the puck” or to consistently miss his coverages in defensive territory. Mailloux also has trouble defending with his stick and controlling space and defensive angles against forwards.

In his second season in Laval, the 32nd overall pick in 2021 is still guilty of these kinds of sins, quite a bit every night. He’s almost become “predictable” in the wrong sense of the word… At this point, is it just inconsistency or simply a lack of hockey IQ?

Mailloux still has a lot of polishing to do if he wants to reach the next level. As much as we’d like to “use him to his strengths” as Anthony Martineau wishes, right now we wonder which NHL coach would want this kind of defenseman in his lineup night after night…

David Reinbacher: Smart.
Basically, everything Mailloux does wrong, Reinbacher does right. Of course, one might want to see more “big plays” from a5th overall pick. That’s normal, it comes with the territory. But short of repeated spectacular sequences, Reinbacher rarely makes “bad plays” and produces an industrial quantity of simple, effective, solid and intelligent little plays.

Defensive rebounds. Excellent stick. Defensive angles. Short, rhythmic passes out of the zone. Flair for supporting the forward out of the zone and into attacking territory. Regular shot that hits the net. Eliminates rival’s stick in front of net. Controlled strength. All things we see from him every game, several times a game. He even added a weberesque inbound shot from the right circle on the powerplay, a new string to his bow, a weapon we wouldn’t hate to see him polish further in the years to come.

Reinbacher is exactly the kind of player who will benefit from playing with better players who have more or less his intelligence. The perfect complement to Lane Hutson. Perhaps as early as next season.

Adam Engstrom: Intriguing.
Undoubtedly one of the Rocket’s best players against Rochester and Charlotte. The higher the stakes, the better the Swede. He particularly excels when on the move with the puck on his stick. As many have noticed lately, he’s fluid and agile on skates, reminiscent of Mike Matheson.

Not bad hands, not a bad shot either. Rather lanky, he needs to get a little stronger physically and sometimes fears the robust game. But he also knows how to pick his moments to put the opposition in check and, in all and everywhere, we regularly see him competing and trying to make a difference. The 92ndpick in 2022 remains ahead of Mailloux in my evaluations. A good summer of practice, a full season as the Rocket’s #1 or #2 defenseman in 2025-2026, and then who knows where Engstrom will be playing in 2026-2027… NHL games are on the horizon.

Owen Beck: As advertised.
At 21, this young player has the basic qualities to enjoy a successful career as a fourth-line center in the NHL, while also having the versatility to fill in elsewhere in the lineup as needed. Excellent on face-offs, the Ontarian, the 32nd pick in 2022, skates vigorously and hits his opponents hard. He’s like a faster, physically stronger Jake Evans. Beck also has an excellent wrist shot that he would benefit from using more.

For the rest, while he remains a fairly intelligent player, he lacks guile, finesse and raw talent. Can he reach another level in the AHL before making it to the NHL for good? That’s probably what we’re hoping for from the Canadiens.

Florian Xhekaj : Unicorn.

The proverbial “brother of the other” has been the flavour of the past few months in Laval. Not without reason. He scores, plays well defensively and isn’t particularly pleasant to play against. An intelligent player who positions himself well without the puck and executes rather quickly and efficiently with it. Not a bad feel for the game, nor a bad skate, nor bad hands.

In fact, this4th-round pick is exactly on his way to becoming the “unicorn” that Nick Bobrov spectacularly told us he would be in the 2023 draft. But he shouldn’t take anything for granted. No one is going to hand him an NHL job on a silver platter next fall. He’ll have to earn it. As with Beck, perhaps there’s still some polishing to be done in Laval before taking the next step in Florian’s case, whether at center or wing. But the Habs are in dire need of players like him in their line-up… and, when the time comes, it may not necessarily be on the 4th line…

Sean Farrell: Still alive!
Like good old Gerry, Sean Farrell must be the one “looking forward”. Because, against all odds, he’s not done yet. Farrell probably has the best vision, the best sense of the game and the best pace of play (big improvement here) among Rocket forwards. The man who “clicked” and recorded 35 points in his last 30 regular-season games is often half a second ahead of the other players. This allows him to quickly identify his team-mates, or to free himself in the enclave, where he can shoot without warning or deflect shots.

While he remains tiny on the ice, he has gained in explosion and power, which were his main shortcomings. In short, we’ll have to wait and see what kind of summer the Habs will have, who will leave and who will arrive, but Farrell just has to keep believing and working hard in the gym if he wants to “leave his mark”. A good practice camp, a few minor injuries here and there, and a path to the NHL could open up for “the one who goes for it, head in the brambles”.

Joshua Roy: “Yé mieux de comprendre”.
That’s probably what the subtle Michel Therrien would say to him(see White, Ryan)! Roy was undoubtedly the most disappointing player in the entire organization in 2024-2025. In fact, it was a REGRESSION. He lost an almost guaranteed position on the third line in Montreal. It started with a very bad practice camp and never really recovered. If there really hasn’t been any progress on the ice, the source of the problems seems to be off the ice in his case. Although he had a few good moments in the playoffs, this season in Montreal and Laval, the Beauceron often seemed a little hungry, a little distracted, a little disengaged.

The 5th-round pick in 2021 must focus on one thing this summer: practicing and becoming a true professional. That’s what another Beauceron is telling him: no more fooling around. He’s got to get stronger and more explosive, and he’ll have to eat tape at practice camp. Whether that happens here or elsewhere remains to be seen..

Good luck to the Rocket this spring! They’re “hard to play against”, these Checkers…

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