The Athletic’s Corey Pronman has released his list of the 155 best NHL players and prospects under 23. To qualify for the rankings, players had to be 22 years old or younger by September 15, 2024. In other words, forget about Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, they are old news, well, for this list at least.
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He broke down his list in seven tiers: elite NHL player, bubble elite NHL player and NHL all-star, NHL all-star, bubble NHL all-star and top of the lineup player, top of the lineup player, bubble top and middle of the lineup player and middle of the lineup player.
The Montreal Canadiens have eight players on the list and at the top of the class is Juraj Slafkovsky who comes in at 15 and in tier three NHL all-star. Fittingly, he is the highest ranked player drafted in 2022, meaning Kent Hughes and co. did make the right pick if anyone was still doubting them.
Then comes the teams most recent fifth-overall pick Ivan Demidov, still in the NHL All-Star tier. To be fair, I think a true assessment of what he has to offer will only be worthy once we’ve had a chance to watch entire games of his and not just highlights, but so far, from what we’ve seen he certainly appears to have the potential to be at least an all-star.
Related: Canadiens: Ivan Demidov Should Spend Time in the AHL, According to Chris Peters
The next two Canadiens come all the way down to tier six, bubble top and middle of the lineup player. Unsurprisingly, they are two blueliners, Kaiden Guhle gets the 61st rank. After two full seasons in the league, it already feels like he is a veteran. His poise with the puck is impressive and he’s a highly reliable in his own zone.
Untested in the NHL, David Reinbacher comes in at 69, but at 19 years-old, he’s got plenty of time to improve and climb the ladder. With 11 games of AHL experience in which he looked solid and comfortable, the best has yet to come.
Related: Canadiens: David Reinbacher Will Soon Be Back in Town
The final four Habs are all in the seventh and last tier middle of the lineup player. NCAA graduate Lane Hutson comes in at 87, mainly because the journalist fears he won’t have the necessary attributes to play a good defensive game contrarily to his offensive game.
Justin Barron is next at number 99 and Pronman believes he’ll have a long NHL career even though he hasn’t exactly got a defined role just yet. It’s hard to argue about his mobility and ability to facilitate the transition game, but the writer is spot on about his limited offensive output.
Center Michael Hage is next up at 118. While still very young, Pronman reports that he has above average puck skills and shots which sure can come in handy for a forward. His hands allow him to make tough plays at full speed and make him tough to handle for defensemen.
Finally, right-shot defenseman Logan Mailloux comes in at the 120th spot. His first pro season in the AHL pretty much went as well as one could have hoped. He produced and ended up representing his team at the league’s All-Star-Game. Pronman mentions a high end shot, which is always a wonderful tool to have.
It will be interesting to see how well all these youngsters perform this year be it in Montreal, Laval or St. Petersburg. One thing is for certain however, the future is bright for the Canadiens.
Related
David Reinbacher: “I have to prove to the coaches and the staff that I belong there”
The Canadiens’ Next Crop of Defensemen Is Here
Canadiens: A Demidov Update
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