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Here we are, already in the thick of the “dog days of summer,” as the English say…
This is usually a pretty quiet time of year for hockey news. But for us, as is tradition, it coincides with our “Top 15 CH Prospects” list!
Let's start off gently today with the departures, the graduates, and the honorable mentions.
Joshua Roy, AG
The “Bionic Beauceron” had a very strong start to his professional career with the Canadiens organization. After being ranked 7th in our summer countdown in 2023, he even climbed to 5th place a few weeks later during our post-camp review. But, for mysterious reasons, his luck ran out in the fall of 2024, and it's as if his rise had come to a halt right there in the Montreal system.
A player who's hard to pin down: he displayed superb hockey sense during his first stint in Montreal, but his skating was average, and a lack of pace and commitment often made him invisible. We'll now wish him good luck with the Utah Mammoth organization. A fresh start could do him some mental good.
Luke Tuch, RW
No, Luke Tuch's presence in Laval didn't serve to lure his brother Alex to Montreal. Instead, Luke was traded for Hunter McKown on June 25!
Luke had reached 12th place in our rankings in the summer of 2021, but we never saw him in those waters again after that. His lack of game sense and skills could never be compensated for. His fans can now follow his adventures with the Columbus Blue Jackets organization…
William Trudeau, GM
The Varennois player never managed to break into the top 15 of our rankings despite showing decent consistency, versatility, and reliability at the AHL level. In addition to having average footwork, Trudeau never possessed a standout quality that set him apart enough from the others to climb the defensive ranks. He was traded to the Rangers organization in exchange for Brett Berard…
Graduates
Oliver Kapanen, C/D
By the standards of our rankings, Kapanen has relatively few NHL games under his belt to qualify for the “Graduates” category. As proof, even after 200 games, we still hadn't promoted Juraj Slafkovsky last summer!
But, as we've seen, the difference is that Slafkovsky was a year younger and clearly hadn't yet hit his stride—which he did starting in November before finally being promoted last spring.
In the case of the Finn—a late second-round pick by Trevor Timmins in 2021, who turns 23 next week—it's already doubtful that he'll ever score more than 22 goals in an NHL season.
Let's just say that his shooting percentage is unlikely to be replicated, and his chances of playing alongside Demidov and Slafkovsky for an extended period are pretty slim.
Overall, he may become more consistent, effective, engaged, and useful here and there, but he won't reach the same level as Slafkovsky once did—and as Demidov undoubtedly still can—who will remain in this ranking this summer.
If he remains a forward capable of contributing around 30 points per season—as he did in '25–'26—the Canadiens, or another NHL team, will benefit from him.
Kapanen, who has been a regular on our honorable mentions list over the years, surprised many people last season, earning himself a generous 8th-place ranking in our spring edition at the end of March…
Jakub Dobes, G
Here's a prospect of a completely different caliber, whose importance to the organization is closer to that of the team's top players.
Following Marco Marciano's promotion on January 28, Dobes ranked among the NHL's elite at his position, even leading the league in “saved expected goals” during the playoffs. He's undoubtedly one of the best goalies in the world at covering the bottom of the net, and he's improved significantly in terms of his stability, which helps him better cover the top of the net.
Of course, there's no guarantee that Dobes, 25, will have a career as dominant as what he showed us between late January and late May. But like the Habs' management—who have just signed him to a contract worth approximately $16 million for the 2027–28 through 2029–30 seasons—we're fairly confident that the Czech goaltender will at least remain among the top 10–15 goalies in the NHL during that time.
That should give everyone time to see if he deserves another contract with the organization. To do so, Dobes will have to stay ahead of a certain Jacob Fowler…
If Dobes were to falter, given the level of excellence he's already demonstrated to the entire NHL during his rookie season, there will always be a team interested in his services…
Either way, the Canadiens are in good hands in goal.
Honorable Mentions
Brayden Klimpke, DG
A standout for an average team in Saskatoon last year, Klimpke was perhaps the player who had the puck on his stick the most during the recent development camp. Extremely mobile, Klimpke skates effortlessly and has excellent vision. He's a “puck mover” in the truest sense of the word, though he isn't quite in the elite category. He doesn't seem particularly interested in shooting on goal, but that can be worked on… All in all, a nice little “gem” selected in the fourth round of the last draft. A player who possesses at least one exceptional quality always has a chance to make his way to the NHL, and that's certainly the case for Klimpke.
Luke Mittelstadt, GM
Casey's brother had a solid run at the University of Minnesota, putting up four strong seasons ranging from 18 to 21 points, while posting a cumulative plus-minus of +46. Not too shabby for a player selected in the 7th
round in 2023, when he was already 20 years old… After a successful run late in the regular season and in the playoffs in Laval, he's a solid insurance policy on the left side of the defense. Much like William Trudeau, Mittelstadt does a lot of things well without excelling in any one particular area—except perhaps his reading of the game.
Bogdan Konyushkov, D
At 23, Bogdan continued his development in the KHL last year, recording 7 goals and 38 points with Torpedo. Despite the two-year contract he just signed with the Canadiens, the Russian will still be playing for Torpedo next season. But he could join the Habs or the Rocket as early as spring 2027. I'm far from convinced that the right-handed Konyushkov will ever manage to establish himself in the NHL. But much like Mittelstadt on the left wing, he could be a valuable asset to the farm team for as long as that lasts.
Yevgeny Volokhin, G
The Russian goaltender, drafted in the 5th round in 2023, just had a stellar season in the VHL (the Russian equivalent of the AHL), where he posted impressive stats (1.51 GAA and a .948 save percentage). We're already looking forward to seeing him in North America, which should happen at the end of the '28–'29 season… Let's just say that should give him time to show what he's made of in the KHL. We'll be keeping an eye on him.
Alexis Cournoyer, G
Here's another goaltender who's generating a lot of excitement and adding depth to the position. The 6'4”, 205-lb behemoth dominated at Cornell University last year and will play for a much more prestigious program at Wisconsin next winter. We should see him in Laval before long…
Arseny Radkov, G
For now, we have no choice but to rank Radkov behind Cournoyer and Volokhin in the organization's goaltending pecking order. His journey in the QMJHL hasn't gone as planned so far; he moved from Blainville-Boisbriand to Saint John while posting a rather modest record last season. But let's not forget that Radkov isn't even 19 yet. The Russian will get a fresh start with Val-d'Or, which is expected to field a very competitive team starting this fall.
Quentin Miller, G
Another goaltender set to change teams next season, Miller had some standout moments at the University of Denver last year, but he lost his No. 1 spot to the diminutive John Hicks, who ultimately led his team to a championship at the Frozen Four last spring. So it's at Western Michigan University that Miller, a fourth-round pick in 2023, will try to establish himself as the starter next year.
Conclusion
As we've seen, there are no major losses to report on the departures front, even though Roy once gave us some hope.
Furthermore, we can assume that if any of the four goalies mentioned makes it to the NHL, it will be a win for the Habs. Looking at the career of Jakub Dobes, a fifth-round pick in 2020, it's not impossible. The goalies are clearly one of the organization's greatest strengths.
As for the defensemen, Klimpke, Mittelstadt, and Konyushkov provide solid depth, even if it's hard to see how they might break into the Habs' lineup in the foreseeable future. If he develops well, however, Klimpke could prove useful or be a valuable asset when the time comes…
As for the rest—those we haven't mentioned who aren't in the top 15—it's not impossible that players like Vincenz Rohrer, Tyler Thorpe, and Owen Protz could make an impact in Laval next year and eventually earn a call-up with the Canadiens, or that players like Hayden Paupanekis (NCAA, who had a tough season last year in the WHL), Sam Harris (NCAA), and Filip Eriksson (SHL), Rasmus Bergqvist (SHL) establish themselves or show encouraging signs in their respective leagues. But for now, we don't really see a future for them at the next level.
We'll be back shortly with picks 15 through 13!
