by Simon Servant, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine – translated by Chantal
ST-EUSTACHE, QC — Hello June. For many, June rhymes with Stanley Cup Final, but it also means the NHL draft! This year’s draft will be held on June 30 at the Prudential Center in Newark, and as usual it will be interesting to see who makes the cut, and more importantly to us, who will leave with a spanking new Habs jersey.
As I did last year, I decided to have some fun and write up my own mock draft. The Montreal Canadiens have eight selections this year, here are the rankings: 25, 34, 36, 55, 71, 86, 176, 206. The Habs don’t have any fourth or fifth round picks, lost via James Wisniewski and Davis Drewiske trades, but do have three second round and two third round picks.
Before we get started, do know that I am not a professional scout, nor pretend to be, and that I base my choices on my appreciation of players from what I have seen live, watched on video and read. Your picks are as good as mine. All player measurements mentioned here are provided by the teams they currently play for.
THE DRAFT
First round
Pick 25: KERBY RYCHEL – Windsor Spitfires (OHL). Left winger, shoots left, 6’1″ 200 lbs.
Season stats: 68 GP, 40 G, 47 A, 87 PTS, 94 PIM
Ranking: 20th ISS – 17th in North American Skaters by the Central Scouting Bureau
Son of former NHLer Warren Rychel, Kerby won the gene pool draw. He’s a natural scorer with a devastating shot and always manages to find the net. He’ll battle, play a physical game and drop the gloves from time to time. His style of play and leadership qualities remind me of Los Angeles Kings’ Dustin Brown. Rychel skates well, has a good work ethic and takes care of his defensive game.
He’s a power forward that would bring size to the Montreal roster, something fans seem to yearn for year after year. Size, scoring abilities, physical play, high defensive IQ, what more can you ask for?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKI28NUQK3g
Last 25th pick by the Montreal Canadiens: Alexander Perezhogin (2001)
Last three 25th picks in the NHL: Jordan Schmaltz (St-Louis), Stuart Percy (Toronto) and Quinton Howden (Florida)
Notable 25th picks: Mark Howe (1974), Brenden Morrow (1997), Cam Ward (2002)
Second Round
Pick 34: MADISON BOWEY – Kelowna Rockets (WHL). Defenseman, shoots right, 6’1″ 194 lbs.
Season stats: 69 GP, 12 G, 18 A, 30 PTS, 75 PIM.
Ranking: 22nd ISS – 32nd in North American Skaters by the Central Scouting Bureau
I have been a big Madison Bowey fan since the start of the season, nicknaming him « the second round Seth Jones ». Why? Because he possesses the same qualities as Jones, he’s just not as elite, needless to say. Great skater with a good offensive flair, he has a great first pass to quickly get out of his zone. Defensively, he reads the play well and has a physical game. He also got into a few fisticuffs this year. He had a good showing at the U18 tournament.
He still needs to improve both his offensive and defensive game, but the Habs could benefit from his contribution in the future, especially as a right-hander.
Last 34th pick by the Montreal Canadiens: Martin St-Amour (1988)
Last three 34th picks in the NHL: Ville Pokka (NY Islanders), Scott Mayfield (NY Islanders) and Dalton Smith (Columbus)
Notable 34th picks: Jeff Hackett (1987), Doug Weight (1990), Michal Neuvirth (2006)
Pick 36: JACOB DE LA ROSE – Leksands IF (Allsvenskan). Left winger, shoots left, 6’2″ 191 lbs.
Season stats: 38 GP, 6 G, 6 A, 12 PTS, 31 PIM.
Ranking: 7th in European Skaters by the Central Scouting Bureau
Here’s another player I’ve been keeping my eye on all season. He has surprising mobility and speed for such a big guy, and excels when he gets possession of the puck. At only 17 years old, he played the entire season with men twice his age in the second division Swedish league. What I like most about him are his quick hands and physical play while forechecking. He has a nice combination of talent and intensity that could help make Habs tough to play against. His good defensive play should be noted, too.
He wasn’t a game changer in the U20 tournament, but the future is bright for the Swedish player who just turned 18 in May.
Last 36th pick by the Montreal Canadiens: Ron Carter (1978)
Last three 36th picks in the NHL: Nicolas Kerdiles (Anaheim), Adam Clendening (Chicago) and Alex Petrovic (Florida)
Notable 36th picks: Rod Langway (1977), Tomas Sandstron (1982), Geoff Sanderson (1990)
Pick 55: MARC-OLIVIER ROY – Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL). Centreman, shoots left, 6’1″ 180 lbs.
Season stats: 65 GP, 29 G, 38 A, 67 PTS, 68 PIM.
Ranking: 54th in North American Skaters by the Central Scouting Bureau
Because I cover the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, some might accuse me of being a little biased here, but I can assure you Marc-Olivier Roy has showed impressive progress in the last year and a half. His hockey sense and vision are off the charts. He distributes pucks to his linemates very well, but isn’t afraid to go to the dirty areas and get the puck behind the goalie himself. He’s a decent skater with quick hands. As a bonus, his coach trusts him in defensive game situations.
His physical presence on the ice needs to improve, but overall, I’m convinced he would become an excellent second round pick for the Habs.
Last 55th pick by the Montreal Canadiens: None. Danny Kristo was selected 56th in 2008.
Last three 55th picks in the NHL: Chris Tierney (San Jose), Ryan Sproul (Detroit) and Petr Straka (Columbus)
Notable 55th picks: Al MacAdam (1972), Antoine Vermette (2000), Jason Pominville (2001)
Third Round
Pick 71: NICK MOUTREY – Saginaw Spirit (OHL). Left winger, shoots left, 6’3″ 208 lbs.
Season stats: 65 GP, 16 G, 27 A, 43 PTS, 44 PIM
Ranking: 58th in North American Skaters by the Central Scouting Bureau
I won’t lie, Nick Moutrey is wishful thinking at this point. At his age (he’ll turn 18 later in June), with his stature and talent, I can’t believe teams will pass him up for this long. He is the perfect power forward prototype, playing a hard physical game and dropping the gloves once in a while. Looking for a Milan Lucic type player in Montreal? He’s it. He has a good offensive potential that might make goalies cringe in a few years. Nick impressed recently during NHL testing.
He needs to improve his skating and his defensive game, but at 17, that’s definitely a project I would like to take on.
Last 71st pick by the Montreal Canadiens: Tomas Plekanec (2001)
Last three 71st picks in the NHL: Tanner Richard (Tampa Bay), David Honzik (Vancouver) and Michael Bournival (Colorado)
Notable 71st picks: Vaclav Prospal (1993), Sheldon Souray (1994), Erik Cole (1998)
Pick 86: PHILIPPE DESROSIERS – Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL). Goalie, catches left, 6’1″ 187 lbs.
Season stats: 22-8-5, 3.07 GAA, .900 save percentage, one shutout.
Ranking: 7th in North American Gaoltenders by the Central Scouting Bureau
Even though Montreal has a starting goaltender for years to come, they do lack depth at that position. I believe that the end of the third round is a good time to get that much needed depth. Desrosiers showed good things in his rookie season, topping it off by receiving the Raymond-Lagacé award, given to the year’s best defensive rookie. He’s a conventional style goalie, combative on rebound shots and quick with his pads. He was, in my mind, the best goalie in the U18 tournament, and I would like to see him develop in the organization.
Last 86th pick by the Montreal Canadiens: Steve Quailer (2008)
Last three 86th picks in the NHL: Colton Parayko (St-Louis), Joshua Leivo (Toronto) and Stanislav Galiev (Washington)
Notable 86th pick: Petr Klima (1983)
Sixth Round
Pick 176: EMIL DJUSE – Sodertalje SK (Allsvenskan). Defenseman, shoots left, 6′ 185 lbs.
Season stats: 35 GP, 3 G, 10 A, 13 PTS, 10 PIM
Ranking: 22nd in European Skaters by the Central Scouting Bureau
I don’t think Djuse will be available by the end of the sixth round, but if he is, I wouldn’t hesitate to call his name. He’s a very mobile defenseman with pure offensive talent. He has good vision and a good first pass. I compare him to a Mark Streit, on the power play. His biggest shortcoming is that he’s a very one dimensional player, but he can work of his defensive play, one would think.
He had a decent showing at the U20 tournament, but wasn’t as dominant as Wilkstrand, Nilsson and Hägg.
Last 176th pick by the Montreal Canadiens: Mark Wells (1977)
Last three 176th picks in the NHL: Petteri Lindbohm (St-Louis), Petr Placek (Philadelphia) and Samuel Carrier (Washington)
Notable 176th picks: Samuel Pahlsson (1996), Marek Zidlicky (2001), Patrick Kaleta (2004)
Seventh Round
Pick 206: ANTHONY DELUCA – Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL). Left winger, shoots left, 5’9″ 194 lbs.
Season stats: 67 GP, 22 G, 18 A, 40 PTS, 33 PIM
Ranking: None by the Central Scouting Bureau
I chose DeLuca as my last pick because his game has shown a lot of progress in the last three years and people are starting to notice him. He dominated in Midget AAA two years ago with the Lac St-Louis Lions and this year, even in a more limited role, he managed to score 22 goals. He has that goal scorer instinct. I’m also under the impression that Marc Bergevin and his staff might want to draft Quebec born players in the last rounds.
Last 206th pick by the Montreal Canadiens: Patrick Johnson (2008)
Last three 206th picks in the NHL: Tyrel Seaman (St-Louis), Derek Mathers (Philadelphia), and Ricard Blidstrand (Philadelphia)
Notable 206th pick: Anton Khudobin (2004)
The Big 30…
These are my picks for the Montreal Canadiens. Marc Bergevin might decide to trade a few of these picks to move up in the draft this year. I do believe it’s possible he will decide to pair one of his second round choices with his first round pick to move up in the first round, if he finds a good partner to dance with at the draft. Time will tell.
Until then, stay tuned for my complete three-part first round mock draft in the upcoming weeks.