Top 20 Prospects 2007-2008

[Habsfan84]

(Carey Price)

A new hockey season has started and hopes remain high for the Canadiens farm system after enjoying an exciting year last season that saw them win a Calder Cup, a host of awards for top prospect Carey Price including a gold medal at the World Juniors and several prospects having breakout years. Jaroslav Halak, Ryan White, Siarhei Kostitsyn, Ryan O’Bryne, Matt D’Agostini and others really turned heads with some great plays.


Andrei Kostitsyn has graduated from the list as he looks to have a full time job in the NHL. Older prospects like Yann Danis, and J-P Cote aren’t counted due to their age and Cedrick Desjardins, Jon Gleed and Thomas Beauregard aren’t counted either since they are only signed to AHL contracts.
Top 20
1. Carey Price
2. Ryan McDonagh
3. Max Pacioretty
4. Kyle Chipchura
5. Siarhei Kostitsyn
6. Mikhail Grabovski
7. Ryan O’Byrne
8. David Fischer
9. Matt D’Agostini
10. Maxim Lapierre
11. Jaroslav Halak
12. Ryan White
13. Ben Maxwell
14. PK Subban
15. Alexei Emelin
16. Mathieu Carle
17. Pavel Valentenko
18. Duncan Milroy
19. Yannick Weber
20. Philippe Paquet
HM J T Wyman, Cory Urquhart, Joe Stejskal
1. Carey Price- G. After the year Price just had he remains at the top of the Canadiens prospect list. The CHL goalie of the year, WJC gold medal, WJC MVP, WJC top goalie award, MVP of the Calder Cup which he was the youngest player in history to win that award. For his efforts he has now made his NHL debut and what a show he put on getting the win against the leagues top player in Sidney Crosby. It will be interesting to see how much ice time Price gets with the team and how they handle him over the course of the season as they have to the chance to develop an elite prospect which is something we haven’t seen in Montreal in many years.
2. Ryan McDonagh- LD. A standout player in the USHS, McDonagh won the Mr. Hockey title during his draft year and was MVP of the state tournament during his junior year that saw his club CDH beat out David Fischer’s Apple Valley. Reports from his first weekend of action in the NCAA were positive with him being left off the scoreboard but had a good physical presence while playing on the top pairing for Wisconsin. The Canadiens have high hopes for the Minnesota native taking him 12th overall, even trying to trade up to make sure they could get him but luck was on their side as they didn’t need to make a move to get their player.
3. Max Pacioretty- LW. The hulking left wing was selected 22nd overall this past summer after being named Rookie of the Year in the USHL. He made his debut in the NCAA this past weekend and displayed an interesting mix of physical abilities and skills, throwing his large frame around but also setting up plays with impressive passes. Hab fans should be excited about the prospects of seeing Pacioretty with the Habs down the road. Not only does he posses a large frame that will likely get at least somewhat larger if not more, but he can really move on the ice and appears to keep his feet moving every shift. In addition to his impressive physical abilities he’s clearly got the ability to feed to the puck to a teammate anywhere on the ice with hard, crisp passes. Look for him to be a tough player to play against but one that can create offense as well.
4. Kyle Chipchura- C. If Chipchura can find a way to translate the way he played in the AHL playoffs this past year, then the Canadiens are going to be very happy that they selected him 18th overall in the 2004 Entry Draft. Chipchura struggled a bit during his rookie season with his offensive consistency but in the playoffs he was outstanding and easily one of Hamilton’s top players at both ends of the rink.
5. Siarhei Kostitsyn- W. Kostitsyn was lights out in the OHL last year, after a slow start he just dominated the league putting up impressive numbers with the powerhouse London Knights. This year Kostitsyn has made the jump to the AHL and is already making a name for himself on the top line, showing he can put the puck in the net, setup plays with crafty passing skills and play sound defensive hockey.
6. Mikhail Grabovski- C. Grabovski enjoyed a successful first season in North America, leading the Hamilton Bulldogs in assists while forming a dangerous duo with fellow countryman Andrei Kostitsyn. This year he has yet to really make an impact in the NHL with his speed and offensive skills but it’s only a matter of time before he finds a way to put points on the board and cause defensemen problems with the jets he calls skates.
7. Ryan O’Byrne- RD. O’Byrne was one of the final cuts for the Canadiens after a solid performance at training camp and in preseason action. Last year the hulking blueliner made impressive strides when he went from playing around thirty games a season to over one hundred games at the pro level in Hamilton. In addition he stepped up his play in the playoffs where he was a rock in his own end and displayed a physical game that made life tough on opposing forwards. Things look to be going well for him in the AHL, playing some very good defensive hockey that should get him playing time in the NHL at some point.
8. David Fischer- RD. Fischer didn’t make headlines during his freshman year but what he did do was play solid positional defensive hockey and displayed the ability to move the puck with precision passes. Fischer has a good frame but needs to add mass and get stronger, he skates well with a nice stride and his speed helps him cover ground quickly. He doesn’t play much of a physical game and his offensive game last year was seriously lacking. This year he’ll be playing on the top pairing for Minnesota and should gain valuable experience playing against the top programs in the NCAA.
9. Matt D’Agostini- RW. Last season D’Agostini enjoyed a strong rookie year with Hamilton in the AHL that saw him play well at both ends of the ice. This year he came into camp in great shape as he had added some mass to his frame and so far it seems to be paying off him for him after turning heads during training camp and preseason action. After being sent to Hamilton he hasn’t missed a beat and is already among the team leaders in goals. The one time walk on at Guelph has come a long way in a short time and if he keeps it up it won’t be long before he sees action in the NHL.
10. Max Lapierre- C/W. When Lapierre was sent to Hamilton at the start of last season he wasn’t too happy so he went down and put on a show, consistently being one of the top players on the ice and always the hardest working. It didn’t take long before he was called up to the NHL and seeing regular action in the lineup. After his NHL season was over he went to the AHL and helped the Dogs win the Cup with more hard work. Things did not work go as planned for him at this year’s camp, so he was sent back to Hamilton to work on playing a new position, moving to the wing which he played a bit back in juniors with the Rocket. Once again Lapierre is sending a message that he wants to be in the NHL, as he has been a force with Hamilton and is leading the league in scoring to start the season.
11. Jaroslav Halak- G. For Halak not many would have expected to see him in the NHL after being selected in the ninth round, 271st overall at the 2003 NHL Entry draft but last year he was able to some games after the injury to Huet. What a trip it’s been for Halak, playing in seven different leagues since being drafted, from the Slovak junior league to the QMJHL, to the ECHL then the AHL and finally the NHL. At each level he was able to put up impressive numbers which his rapid advancement over the last four years but now the question is where does he fit in the plans of the Canadiens since they already have their goaltender of the future in Carey Price. For now Halak will need to continue to put up the good numbers like those he had last year in the AHL where he was the top rated goalie in the league before being called up to the NHL.
12. Ryan White- C. White enjoyed a breakout season last year with the Hitmen, at one point he was leading the WHL in scoring while also playing a solid physical game that somehow went unnoticed with Team Canada officials as he wasn’t even invited to the U-20 camp. This may have been the motivation that pushed him to have such a good year last season, although it seems it wasn’t enough to earn him a spot against Russia in the Super Series this past summer. Expect another big year out of White in what should be his last in the WHL before moving on to the AHL next year.
13. Ben Maxell- C. Last season was one that Maxwell might like to put behind him after a major elbow injury forced him to miss a large chunk of time, which was truly a shame since he was off to such a good start to the season. This year Maxwell will play out what should be his final season in the WHL before making the jump to the pros next year in Hamilton much like Ryan White.
14. PK Subban- RD. Subban won fans over with his charm and good nature at last summers draft when the Canadiens selected him in the second round, forty-third overall. Subban is a fun player to watch with his impressive speed and offensive skills, the Canadiens will keep an eye on his development over the next two years with the Bulls of the OHL as he will need to work on his defensive game but certainly is an exciting prospect in the farm system.
15. Alexei Emelin- LD. Emelin disappointed the club and fans when he chose to sign a two year contract with AK Bars in the Russian Super league, when there was much hope that he would make the jump to North America this summer along with fellow countryman Pavel Valentenko. Had he come over this past summer it would have been good for the two Russians to adjust to their new surroundings together, so now management will have to wait and see if they can find a way to get him over next summer. The Emelin story reeks of a Hollywood drama, after not getting paid for parts of last year, taking his club to court, to signing a deal in Russia when it was announced that he had two agents in separate countries working for him. The future is unknown for Emelin but there’s still hope that he can come over in a year or two as he is considered one of the top young Russian defensemen currently in the RSL, and he’s also getting valuable experience playing for the National team.
16. Mathieu Carle- RD. Things were looking good for Carle in preseason action this year until getting injured which will force him to miss up to eight weeks or so. Last year Carle was among the leading scorers in the QMJHL for defensemen as he clearly knows how to find open players on the ice with his impressive vision and passing skills. The question for Carle will be how he handles the play in his own end but with the lack of offensive defensemen in Hamilton he stands the chance to make an impact with the club this year.
17. Pavel Valentenko- LD. This summer Valentenko made the jump from the large ice surfaces in Russia to the smaller rinks in North America. The just turned twenty year old will have time to adapt to the AHL and so far he hasn’t looked out of place, playing a very physical game as he is often matched up with Ryan O’Byrne.
18. Duncan Milroy- W. Milroy finally had a breakout season last year, leading the Bulldogs in scoring as he was able to play his best season by far after struggling for his first three seasons in the AHL. He was rewarded for his efforts last season by getting a call up to the NHL where he played a simple game and didn’t hurt the club when he was on the ice. Its unclear what his future is with the club but another good season and some injuries on the Habs could see him get back into the NHL.
19. Yannick Weber- RD. Weber enjoyed a fine rookie season in the OHL last year with the Kitchner Rangers and so far this year he’s leading the team in scoring among defensemen playing sound two way hockey. For the recently turned 19 year old, this will likely be his last season in the OHL as he will be eligible to turn pro next year, so he could make the jump to Hamilton if all goes well for him this year. The Rangers will host the Memorial Cup this year, so Weber will benefit from that experience and hopefully he can build off that when he comes into camp the following season.
20. Philippe Paquet- RD. Paquet plays a mean physical brand of hockey, he seems to relish taking the body although one area he must work on is playing smart hockey as evidenced by his penalty totals at over 200 in just seventy-two games. The Quebec City native made the jump right from the USHS to the ECAC, and as a true freshman he has been able to play on the top pairing for Clarkson in only his second year. This season Paquet will be looked up to be one of Clarkson’s top defensemen, something he did in the playoffs last year where he was effective at both ends of the ice.