It’s that time of year when every publication is scratching its head to find hockey content to discuss, and, as is often the case, multiple prospect rankings are coming out. In an earlier article, I discussed Corey Pronman’s take on Jacob Fowler, and in this one, I will take a look at NHL.com’s top five Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings.
Last Saturday, Adam Kimelman, NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor, published the list of what he believes to be the Canadiens’ top 5 prospects right now. To be honest, it was a surprising one, as it went like this:
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1-David Reinbacher
2- Michael Hage
3- Jacob Fowler
4- Gleg Pugachyov
5- Alexander Zharovsky
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First and foremost, I cannot agree with the idea of having Reinbacher as the organization’s top prospect right now. Back when he was drafted fifth overall in 2023, maybe, but since then, he has lost some of his shine. When the Habs selected Reinbacher with that pick, they hoped he would be a top-pairing defenseman and Lane Hutson’s partner, but three years on, it seems highly unlikely. It’s not Reinbacher’s fault, but he’s suffered a few injuries that have slowed his development, and as things stand right now, he’s not the Habs’ top prospect. While the organization hasn’t given up on him, I believe they have revised their expectations, given not only his injury history but also what he’s achieved so far in Laval.
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Right now, for the Canadiens, an organization that desperately needs a top-six center, Michael Hage must be the top prospect. He’s the one who could fill a pressing need and the one who Kent Hughes is probably asked about most often. Even though he passed on making the jump to the NHL at the end of last season, the organization’s enthusiasm for the youngster hasn’t wavered, and Jeff Gorton made that clear by discussing his situation and trying to keep the hope of his arrival this season alive.
Fowler would be a worthy choice as the second-place prospect. The netminder has already proven that he can perform well at the NHL level, and the calm and technique he displays in net are already making him look like an NHL pro. Whether it’s in Montreal or not, it seems clear to me that Fowler will one day be an NHL starting goaltender.
In third place, I would put Zharovsky. He may only have been picked in the second round, but the Canadiens had him down as a first-round pick and judging by the chatter around the league, he was a real steal. He was the rookie of the year in the KHL last season, and he looks set for a bright future. He’s still raw, but he showcased some great ends at development camp, and while his skating wasn’t all that impressive, the Canadiens have the right personnel to work on that with him. Even Ivan Demidov’s skating wasn’t great when he joined the Habs; he had a very strange skating stance, but that’s now been fixed, and he’s improved by leaps and bounds in that department.
Reinbacher’s right spot is in fourth place, not because he is a bust or anything of the sort, but because he has simply been overtaken by other members of the organization. It will be up to him to prove me wrong at training camp, but I believe that, when all is said and done, he’ll spend yet another season in Laval. He’s missed so much time over the last few years that it only makes sense.
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Finally, I would put Pugachyov in fifth place, not only because he’s the youngest of the bunch, but also because we’ve been told he projects as a middle-six forward, which means that he’s not labelled as a definite top-six forward and he has yet to play a full season against grown men. His season in the MHL was good, but before he can be parachuted up in the prospect rankings, he needs to show more.
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