CANADIENS ROOKIE RECAP: XHEKAJ FIGHTS, HUTSON AND ENGSTROM SHINE
The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday afternoon, the first leg of back-to-back games that will close out the team’s rookie camp.
Prior to the start of the game, the Canadiens announced Logan Mailloux would serve as captain, with Sean Farrell and Riley Kidney as his alternates. It should be noted Quentin Miller, the only drafted goalie at camp, did not play as he’s still nursing a shoulder injury that will require a surgical intervention. The only change made to the projected lineup was Filip Mesar lining up on the wing rather than as the second-line center.
The Leafs would emerge with a 4-3 shootout win, but there are plenty of Canadiens highlights to get to, so let’s dive in.
Early Afternoon Fight
There was a lot of rust at play in the first instances of the game, particularly when it came to the play of Adam Engstrom and David Reinbacher on the second pairing. Florian Xhekaj decided to give his team a little more time to deal with the jitters by engaging in some early fisticuffs with Leafs prospect Ryan McCleary.
While most of the attention this weekend will be given to Mailloux, Hutson, and Reinbacher, we can’t forget Adam Engstrom has almost 120 games of professional hockey experience under his belt. It’s not North American experience, but we’d be foolish to ignore that he’s probably the most polished of the "big four" defensive prospects at camp. His skating, in particular, is elite, as we saw when he opened the scoring for the Canadiens. Full marks to Justin Larose and Charles Savoie for setting up the play.
The second Canadiens goal was courtesy of fifth-round pick (2024) Tyler Thorpe, who scored via a great one-timer that was set up by Riley Kidney and Lane Hutson. I don’t want to send too much praise Hutson’s way, because I feel like we’re reaching a point where the hype is getting out of control, but there’s no doubt he was the catalyst to the goal, as he kept the play alive long enough to wear down the Leafs defenders.
Shortly thereafter, Memorial Cup MVP Owen Beck ensured the Canadiens would head to the second intermission tied with the Leafs. It wasn’t the best shot, nor was it a display of quality goaltending, but good players find open ice in the offensive zone, and better players find shooting lanes in such situations. Beck did both.
Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks
Seeing as this is a rookie game, we will take the results with a grain of salt, but that doesn’t stop us from discussing the potential and individual growth of the key Canadiens prospects.
The most evident takeaway from Saturday’s game was Hutson’s excellent play. Things will become much more difficult for the top prospect if he does start the season in the NHL, and that will come with an acclimatization period, but it was clear Hutson was the best player on the ice against the Leafs.
His penchant for opening up time and space for his teammates should lead to great things on the powerplay, but we shouldn’t discount his impact during even-strength play. He’s got the elite puck handling and high-even vision necessary to drive the play whenever the opportunity arises.
Engstrom also looked quite good thanks to his effortless skating and offensive prowess. That’s not to say Reinbacher and Mailloux played poorly, but they didn’t necessarily stand out as their defensive partners.
The top line of Beck, Emil Heineman, and Sean Farrell pulled their weight, with the former Saginaw Spirit forward doing most of the heavy lifting. The third line of Xhekaj, Thorpe and Luke Tuch performed well, both when it came to physical play and sustained offensive zone presences.
The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Sunday, as they will once again face the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
More must-reads:
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- The '1976-77 Montreal Canadiens' quiz
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