Habs Prospects

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Riley Kidney off to a good start with the Acadie-Bathurst Titans.  5 goals & 4 assists, to start the season.

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Kaiden Guhle's Team, the Prince Albert Raiders, started off the season with 4 straight losses, giving up 21 goals. In Guhle's first game, he recorded 2 assists, as the Raiders beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 3-2.  Here's hoping that Guhle has a monster season!

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Joe Vrbetic, off to a good start with the North Bay Battalion, who are 3-1.  Vrbetic is 3-0 with a 2.33 GAA.

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Joshua Roy off to a sizzling start with the 4-2 Sherbrooke Phoenix. Tied with the league lead in points @ 12, after 2 goals & 2 assists in a 7-6 win over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar..

Roy has 5 goals & 7 assists. Roy impressed at both the rookie camp, and the main camp. Left handed LW. 6 feet. 186 pounds.

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HC Vita Hästen 1 Kristianstads IK 4 (Final)

Frederik Dichow - 1 goal on 19 shots - First career Hockey Allsvenskan win

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Another goal & 2 assists for Joshua Roy.  Now has 15 points in 7 games.

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Barrie Colts 6 North Bay Battalion 4 (Final)

Joe Vrbetic - 6 goals on 26 shots (replaced by Dom DiVincentiis at 13:39 of the 2nd period)

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Riley Kidney another goal. Now has 6 goals & 6 assists in 7 games.

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On 10/16/2021 at 11:00 AM, electron58 said:

Joshua Roy off to a sizzling start with the 4-2 Sherbrooke Phoenix. Tied with the league lead in points @ 12, after 2 goals & 2 assists in a 7-6 win over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar..

Roy has 5 goals & 7 assists. Roy impressed at both the rookie camp, and the main camp. Left handed LW. 6 feet. 186 pounds.

Kid is looking more and more like a steal.

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On 10/16/2021 at 2:00 PM, electron58 said:

Joshua Roy off to a sizzling start with the 4-2 Sherbrooke Phoenix. Tied with the league lead in points @ 12, after 2 goals & 2 assists in a 7-6 win over the Baie-Comeau Drakkar..

Roy has 5 goals & 7 assists. Roy impressed at both the rookie camp, and the main camp. Left handed LW. 6 feet. 186 pounds.

7 hours ago, maas_art said:

Kid is looking more and more like a steal.

He will be an interesting one to watch - One of the youngest players in the draft turning 18 in August. Will have to watch his skating in future highlights. 

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Joshua Roy (in a nutshell)

For their last selection of the fifth round, the Montreal Canadiens went back to QMJHL to grab a shifty and smart center, Joshua Roy. He was perceived by many outlets to be a second- to third-round talent, so the Habs were lucky to get him in the fifth. Rough around the edges, Roy will be a long-term gamble for the club.

Birthplace: St-Georges-de-Beauce, Quebec
Date of birth: August 3, 2003
Shoots: Left
Position: Centre
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 190 lbs.
Team: Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL)

His 2020-21 campaign was split between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Sherbrooke Phoenix, being traded to the latter during the year. In 35 games, he put up 35 points. 21 of those being goals. In the playoffs, Roy was again a point-per-game player with four points in three games.  He has an interesting pedigree, as he was a first overall selection in the QMJHL Draft. He was also one of the youngest players in the 2021 NHL Draft with his birthday coming being in August.

One of Roy’s main tools is his heavy shot. He is primarily a shooter as seen in his uncanny ability to beat goaltenders cleanly at the Junior level. He is often found waiting for his teammates to find open lanes for scoring opportunities to prey on. He is deadly on the power play because of this. He shoots hard and fast and has the reflexes.

He isn’t a small player by any means. His stature and weight allow him to remain a physical threat and an excellent puck-protector. Using his speed and low center of gravity, He is able to use his size to his advantage to block defenders from stealing the puck from his control. He is not afraid to drive the net to cash in rebounds or broken plays.

He’s also a decent puck-handler, who understands when to thread passes and make plays through heavy physical contact. His anticipation is also good, knowing when to be more aggressive or more defensive. He reads the ice well, picking up plays quickly and has a propensity to make defenders create turnovers.

While not being the best playmaker of this draft, Roy has decent vision of the ice, backchecking to support his defensemen and displaying a great awareness in all three zones. He is able to use his IQ to engage defensively and read the defensive plays unfolding before him, but it’s not among his strengths.

At the Junior level, it is often something that has to be worked on a lot. As a center, he will need to keep developing his 200-foot game if he wishes to reach the NHL and have a real impact on the ice. He makes up for average skating speed by knowing how to position himself, which helps him stay within the plays that are unfolding before him.

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Riley Kidney  (in a nutshell)

For the 63rd selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, the Montreal Canadiens looked to their own backyard so to speak, taking Riley Kidney from the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL. The general consensus around Kidney is that he will be more of a long-term project for the club, but there is a lot to like about his game.

Birthplace: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Date of birth: March 25, 2003
Shoots: Left
Position: Centre
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 168 lbs.
Team: Acadie-Bathurst Titan (QMJHL)

Riley Kidney is a name to remember. One of the better two-way centers in the draft, he relies on his work ethic to outperform others. Kidney, the 11th overall pick of the 2019 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Draft, has held his own and risen up the draft rankings. While other centers may be more efficient in point production, he takes pride in his skill set and ability to be an impactful center who can do more than just produce points.  

Kidney will have to take his skating, or lack thereof, to the next level to be able to really stand out, as his skating is the only thing keeping him from being mentioned a lot higher. Kidney does have a quick first step, then he seems to glide along with the play, but his clean edging and good footwork are top-notch. He concentrates on defense first but does have a hard, crisp outlet pass that gets the play going the other way. He can quickly process the play around him and keep one step ahead of the play. One of the things he is best at is zone entries and breakout plays, often resulting in a good scoring chance. He often shows deception, which allows him to find lanes around defenders. His 6.9 breakouts per game and 6.9 zone entries were tops in the league before the covid break, playing only six games.

Another thing that makes Kidney stand out is his playmaking ability. He can create in the offensive zone, whether on the power play or regular strength and make passes through the skates of the defense onto the stick of a teammate. While his playmaking ability is his calling card and he can also shoot as well. His shot lacks a bit of power, but it is accurate.  Kidney has an incredible hockey IQ, and it shows on the ice with his creativity and ability to find the open teammate. He has the hockey sense to read the ice prior to the reception of the puck and adapt to the situation on the spot. While Kidney does have an amazing upside, time will tell if he lives up to his full potential.   

Kidney looks to be a 3rd round pick in this draft. A two-way center who is capable of fitting into any team’s top six, he has all of the tools to be successful. He could be a defensive specialists and play a 3rd line role, or he could be a top-line point producer once he reaches the NHL. If Kidney can fix his ability to skate faster, with that said, there are plenty of NHL players, Hall of Famers included, that have had skating issues but resulted in successful, lengthy careers.

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Riley Kidney    Bathurst    GP 10    G 7    A 9    TP 16      Joshua Roy    Sherbrooke  GP 9    G 6    A 10    TP 16

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Jan Mysak    Hamilton  GP 7    G 3    A 4    TP 7

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15 hours ago, electron58 said:

Jan Mysak    Hamilton  GP 7    G 3    A 4    TP 7

Mysak has another year in the world junior tournament and will probably captain the Czech team - hard worker - his progress will be interesting but he’s likely a long shot to make the nhl 

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Riley Kidney         Bathurst            GP 12    G 7    A 10    TP 17      Joshua Roy    Sherbrooke  GP 10    G 6    A 11    TP 17

Xavier Simoneau Charlottetown    GP  9     G 5    A 11    TP 16

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Xavier Simoneau i(n a nutshell)

Xavier Simoneau was in his third and final year of NHL Draft eligibility. Those players don’t usually get drafted, and when you factor in his height (anywhere between 5’6” and 5’7” depending on the source), you can see why he has gone so long without having his name called.

Birthplace: Gatineau, Quebec
Date of birth: May 19, 2001
Shoots: Left
Position: Centre
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 174 lbs.
Team: Drummondville Voltigeurs/Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL)

Simoneau has already played four full QMJHL seasons, and was the captain in Drummondville for the last two years. He was traded to Charlottetown on June 23, and that team now holds his QMJHL rights. You don’t get on the NHL radar as a small player without production, and Simoneau has proven to be a key player at the Junior level. In 204 career QMJHL games, he had 73 goals and 155 assists for 228 points. His final three QMJHL years have all been over a point per game. Simoneau wasn’t ranked in our consensus rankings in 2021, as he didn’t have the five required sources to qualify. He was ranked as high as 128 in our 2019 consensus rankings, his first year of eligibility. His highest ranking in 2021 came from The Athletic’s Corey Pronman, who slotted him at #106. On the ice, he plays bigger than his size. He is a competitor, and a tenacious forechecker. In the last two years, he has focused less on the ability to agitate the opponent, but at the pro level he will not be a top-six player, so he will have to channel that part of his game again. His work ethic allows him to be a top penalty-killer, as he is not afraid to step in front of shots. He does have a good deal of skill as well, but likely not enough to play an offensive role full-time at the professional level.

In their 2020 NHL Draft Guide, Elite Prospects had this to say about Simoneau. Easily recognizes coverage assignments and contains bigger opponents on D-side. Simoneau can feather passes with both forehand and backhand just as proficiently. His speed improves with the usage of multiple crossovers. He’s a high-energy forechecker, although he finishes hits he doesn’t need to (should look to use his stick more).

Small players don’t usually get on the radar if they aren’t great technical skaters with speed, and that’s a knock on Simoneau. He doesn’t have that elite part of his game, and it holds him back in his evaluation. With a sixth-round pick, you’re looking for players who can surprise, and Simoneau has done that throughout his hockey career. He may be undersized, but he has played that way his entire career. The obvious comparisons will be made to another late-round over-age pick by the Montreal Canadiens who also happened to be undersized: Rafaël Harvey-Pinard. Even reading the above paragraphs sure sound a lot like the player who earned an NHL entry-level contract through his play with the AHL’s Laval Rocket this year. There are a lot of similarities between the two, both on and off the ice.

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6 points in 2 games for Habs prospect Sean Farrell to start his NCAA career with Harvard University.

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Riley Kidney         Bathurst            GP 12    G 7    A 10    TP 17

Joshua Roy          Sherbrooke       GP 11    G 7    A 12    TP 19

Xavier Simoneau Charlottetown    GP 10    G 6    A 13    TP 19

Jan Mysak            Hamilton            GP  9     G 4    A 5      TP   9

Kaiden Guhle       Prince Albert      GP  7     G 0    A 8      TP   8

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Sean Farrell              Harvard             GP  2    G  3     A  4     TP   7

Jack Smith               Sioux Falls         GP  5    G  2     A  1    TP    3

Luke Tuch                Boston U.           GP  3    G  0     A  0    TP    0

Jordan Harris           Northeastern     GP  8    G  1     A  4    TP    5

Jayden Struble         Northeastern     GP  8    G  2     A  2    TP    4

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Arber Xhekaj           Kitchener    GP  8    G  1    A  5    TP  6

[maas_art]

On 10/31/2021 at 9:03 AM, electron58 said:

Arber Xhekaj           Kitchener    GP  8    G  1    A  5    TP  6

He's a very intriguing prospect.   Unfortunately he just got suspended today (5 games I think?) for a nasty slew foot. 

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Riley Kidney         Bathurst            GP 15    G 9    A 12    TP 19

Joshua Roy          Sherbrooke       GP 13    G 9    A 14    TP 23

Xavier Simoneau Charlottetown    GP 13    G 7    A 16    TP 23

Jan Mysak            Hamilton            GP  11     G 6    A 6    TP 12

Kaiden Guhle       Prince Albert      GP  9     G 0    A 11    TP 11

Arber Xhekaj        Kitchener           GP  8     G 1    A 5      TP   6

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and in some boring humdrum news, overseas........... Forward Alexander (i can't skate) Gordin was traded in the KHL from SKA Saint-Petersburg to HC Sochi.

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Coach's notes - Mattias Norlinder pulled back from Laval - may make his season debut against Detroit on Saturday night