by Robert Rice, Senior Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine
TORONTO, ON — This week in review (March 4th – March 10th), top honours belong to a prospect who has flown under the radar this season.
Your comments are most welcome. If you have a question about any of the prospects email me, and perhaps it will be answered in the weekly All Habs Mailbag feature that appears on these pages on Thursdays.
The Three Stars
1. RW Patrick Holland
Patrick Holland like most of his teammates, has not enjoyed an overly strong campaign in the AHL this season as the Hamilton Bulldogs struggle, but he has enjoyed a strong stretch as of late. Holland would begin the week with an assist on the game-winning goal in a 2-0 victory for the Bulldogs over the Abbotsford Heat. Holland would next pick up another assist in a 2-1 loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins. Holland would mark his first two-goal game of the season in a 3-1 victory over the Peoria Rivermen, including scoring the game-winner. Holland would miss the scoresheet in his final game of the week in a rematch with the Grand Rapids Griffins in a 4-1 loss. Patrick Holland was drafted in the 7th round, 193rd overall by the Calgary Flames in the 2010 NHL Draft and was acquired by the Montreal Canadiens in the package that sent Mike Cammalleri to Calgary..
2. D Darren Dietz
It has been a banner year for Darren Dietz’s offensive numbers in the WHL and he does not seem to be content to sit on his laurels either as he helps the Saskatoon Blades late season surge. Dietz would score a goal and assist in a losing effort against the Calgary Hitmen in an eventual 9-5 loss to begin his week. Dietz would mark an identical contribution in the following game in a more satisfying 6-3 win over the Medicine Hat Tigers. Dietz would mark a goal for a 3rd straight game next, a wild comeback win for Saskatoon over the Regina Pats, an eventual 8-7 overtime victory after the Blades fell behind 5-1 early in the game. Dietz’s 23 goals this season lead all defencemen in the WHL and he is currently 3rd overall in league defensive scoring. Darren Dietz was drafted in the 5th round, 138th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2011 NHL Draft.
3. LW Charles Hudon
The captain of the Chicoutimi Saguenéens is aiming to have a strong finish to his season after some recent cold streaks. Hudon would go without a point in a 6-2 drubbing of Chicoutimi by the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, but would soon find his form in the next game. Hudon would score a goal and three assists to lead a 7-2 win over the Sherbrooke Phoenix, which also marked his 1st 30-goal season in the QMJHL. Hudon would finish the week adding an assist to his scoring totals to round out his week in a 7-1 victory over the Gatineau Olympiques. Charles Hudon was drafted in the 5th round, 122nd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012 NHL Draft.
On The Radar:
– LW Olivier Archambault scored three goals.
– LW Tim Bozon scored a goal and two assists.
– D Magnus Nygren was awarded the Borge Salming Trophy for being the best Swedish defencemen outside of the NHL.
– C Brady Vail scored a goal and three assists.
Question Marks:
– D Morgan Ellis has no points in his last 29 games.
– RW Louis Leblanc has 1 point in his last 5 games.
– D Dalton Thrower has 1 goal in his last 24 games.
NHL Graduates:
C Alex Galchenyuk: 19 years old, 6’0”, 194 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: Sarnia Sting – Team Captain
Season Stats | 33GP | 27G | 34A | +16 | 22 PIM |
RW Brendan Gallagher: 20 years old, 5’9″, 182 pounds, RH shot.
Season Stats | 36GP | 10G | 10A | -1 | 61 PIM |
Season-Ending Injuries:
LW Blake Geoffrion: 24 years old, 6’1”, 190 pounds, LH shot.
Season Stats | 10GP | 4G | 2A | -3 | 9 PIM |
C Joonas Nättinen: 21 years old, 6’2”, 187 pounds, RH shot.
Season Stats | 24GP | 5G | 4A | +6 | 8 PIM |
Complete Statistics for the week of March 4th, 2013
Legend
Skaters: Games Played, Goals, Assists, +/-, Penalty Minutes
Goalies: Wins, Losses, Overtime Losses, Shootout Losses, Goals Against Average, Save Percentage
Teams: Wins, Losses, Overtime Losses, Shootout Losses. For NCAA, Wins, Losses, Ties. For Elitserien/Allsvenskan/Extraliga, Wins, Losses, Overtime Losses.
Season Stats: Season scoring prior to the past week.
The AHL Report: The Hamilton Bulldogs have been the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens since 2002. It is the most common route for developing Montreal Canadiens prospects into full-time members of the organization. There are currently 9 members of the Hamilton Bulldogs that can be thought to have future consideration for an NHL position. The Hamilton Bulldogs are 24-29-1-5 this season, 5th in the North Division, 28th overall in the AHL.
D Nathan Beaulieu: 20 years old, 6’2”, 194 pounds, LH shot.
Season Stats | 53GP | 6G | 13A | -11 | 43 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 4GP | 0G | 1A | +1 | 7 PIM |
Complete Stats | 57GP | 6G | 14A | -10 | 50 PIM |
C Michaël Bournival: 20 years old, 5’11, 191 pounds, LH shot.
Season Stats | 48GP | 7G | 13A | +2 | 20 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 4GP | 0G | 2A | +3 | 0 PIM |
Complete Stats | 52GP | 7G | 15A | +5 | 20 PIM |
C Gabriel Dumont: 22 years old, 5’10”, 189 pounds, RH shot.
Season Stats | 52GP | 15G | 15A | +2 | 81 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
Complete Stats | 52GP | 15G | 15A | +2 | 81 PIM |
D Morgan Ellis: 20 years old, 6’1″, 202 pounds, RH shot.
Season Stats | 50GP | 3G | 4A | -12 | 51 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 4GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 2 PIM |
Complete Stats | 54GP | 3G | 4A | -12 | 53 PIM |
RW Patrick Holland: 21 years old, 6’, 175 pounds, RH shot.
Season Stats | 53GP | 5G | 12A | -8 | 4 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 4GP | 2G | 2A | +1 | 0 PIM |
Complete Stats | 57GP | 7G | 14A | -7 | 4 PIM |
RW Louis Leblanc: 21 years old, 6’, 190 pounds, RH shot.
Season Stats | 41GP | 8G | 4A | -8 | 35 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 4GP | 1G | 0A | -1 | 6 PIM |
Complete Stats | 45GP | 9G | 4A | -9 | 41 PIM |
D Greg Pateryn: 21 years old, 6’2”, 219 pounds, RH shot.
Season Stats | 21GP | 4G | 3A | -3 | 15 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 1GP | 0G | 1A | 0 | 0 PIM |
Complete Stats | 22GP | 4G | 4A | -3 | 15 PIM |
D Jarred Tinordi: 21 years old, 6’6″, 218 pounds, LH shot
Season Stats | 51GP | 2G | 9A | -6 | 49 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 4GP | 0G | 0A | -1 | 2 PIM |
Complete Stats | 55GP | 2G | 9A | -7 | 51 PIM |
G Dustin Tokarski: 23 years old, 5’11”, 198 pounds, Catches left.
Season Stats | 39GP | 21-10-4 | 2.31 GAA | .908% |
Weekly Stats | 2GP | 1-1-0 | 1.00 GAA | .966% |
Complete Stats | 41GP | 22-11-4 | 2.25 GAA | .912% |
The Juniors Report: The Canadiens currently feature prospects playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the Western Hockey League (WHL). These leagues can be considered the primary conduit towards professional hockey in North America.
QMJHL:
LW Olivier Archambault: 19 years old, 5’11”, 184 pounds. LH shot.
Junior Club: Drummondville Voltigeurs
Team Record: 36-25-2-2
Season Stats | 59GP | 28G | 34A | -4 | 46 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 3GP | 3G | 0A | -3 | 6 PIM |
Complete Stats | 62GP | 31G | 34A | -7 | 52 PIM |
LW Charles Hudon: 18 years old, 5’10”, 171 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: Chicoutimi Saguenéens – Team Captain
Team Record: 29-30-2-5
Season Stats | 51GP | 29G | 35A | +13 | 66 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 3GP | 1G | 4A | 0 | 0 PIM |
Complete Stats | 54GP | 30G | 39A | +13 | 66 PIM |
OHL:
C Brady Vail: 19 years old, 6’, 195 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: Windsor Spitfires – Alternate Captain
Team Record: 26-31-2-6
Season Stats | 63GP | 18G | 32A | -24 | 41 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 2GP | 1G | 3A | +4 | 0 PIM |
Complete Stats | 65GP | 19G | 35A | -20 | 41 PIM |
WHL:
LW Tim Bozon: 18 years old, 6’0”, 183 pounds, LH shot.
Junior Club: Kamloops Blazers
Team Record: 45-20-2-3
Season Stats | 64GP | 32G | 49A | +29 | 54 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 3GP | 1G | 2A | +1 | 4 PIM |
Complete Stats | 67GP | 33G | 51A | +30 | 58 PIM |
D Darren Dietz: 19 years old, 6’1”, 195 pounds, RH shot.
Junior Club: Saskatoon Blades – Alternate Captain
Team Record: 43-21-2-3
Season Stats | 66GP | 20G | 29A | +9 | 96 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 3GP | 3G | 2A | +1 | 2 PIM |
Complete Stats | 69GP | 23G | 31A | +10 | 98 PIM |
D Dalton Thrower: 19 years old, 5’11”, 200 pounds, RH shot.
Junior Club: Saskatoon Blades
Team Record: 43-21-2-3
Season Stats | 51GP | 5G | 20A | +20 | 89 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 1GP | 0G | 0A | -2 | 0 PIM |
Complete Stats | 52GP | 5G | 20A | +18 | 89 PIM |
US College Hockey (NCAA) Report: The Canadiens have drafted a number of college players in recent years, these are generally ‘project players’ who benefit from additional years in lower level hockey to develop their skills.
D Mac Bennett: 21 years old, 6′, 180 pounds, LH shot.
NCAA Team: University of Michigan Wolverines – Alternate Captain
Team Record: 15-18-3
Season Stats | 24GP | 5G | 11A | +1 | 4 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 2GP | 1G | 0A | -2 | 0 PIM |
Complete Stats | 26GP | 6G | 11A | -1 | 4 PIM |
RW Danny Kristo: 22 years old, 5’11”, 188 pounds, RH shot.
NCAA Team: University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux – Alternate Captain
Team Record: 19-10-7
Season Stats | 32GP | 20G | 24A | +13 | 22 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 2GP | 1G | 0A | -1 | 0 PIM |
Complete Stats | 34GP | 21G | 24A | +12 | 22 PIM |
C Mark MacMillan: 21 years old, 6’, 183 pounds, LH shot.
NCAA Team: University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux
Team Record: 19-10-7
Season Stats | 34GP | 12G | 12A | +10 | 20 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 2GP | 1G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
Complete Stats | 36GP | 13G | 12A | +10 | 20 PIM |
Czech Extraliga Report: The Extraliga is the top professional league in the Czech Republic.
C Daniel Pribyl: 20 years old, 6’3”, 193 pounds, RH shot.
Extraliga Team: HC Sparta Prague
Team Record: 29-19-4
Team Playoff Record: 1-1
Season Stats | 42GP | 12G | 10A | +14 | 10 PIM |
Playoff Stats | 2GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
Elitserien Report: The Elitserien or Swedish Elite League is the top professional league of Sweden. A prospect playing well in this league is a typical indication they may be ready for the NHL. The Allsvenskan is the secondary professional league of Sweden, playing directly under the Elitserien.
RW Sebastian Collberg: 18 years old, 5’11”, 180 pounds, RH shot.
Elitserien Team: Frölunda HC
Team Record: 29-21-5
Season Stats | 34GP | 6G | 3A | +1 | 6 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 1GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
Complete Stats | 35GP | 6G | 3A | +1 | 6 PIM |
Allsvenskan Team: Örebro HK
Season Stats | 15GP | 6G | 2A | +4 | 2 PIM |
D Magnus Nygren: 22 years old, 6’1”, 191 pounds, RH shot.
Elitserien Team: Färjestads BK
Team Record: 34-14-7
Season Stats | 50GP | 13G | 18A | +10 | 49 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 1GP | 0G | 1A | +1 | 0 PIM |
Complete Stats | 51GP | 13G | 19A | +11 | 49 PIM |
RW Erik Nyström: 19 years old, 5’11”, 176 pounds, LH shot.
Allsvenskan Team: Karlskrona HK
Team Record: 12-38-2
Season Stats | 23GP | 5G | 6A | -3 | 4 PIM |
Weekly Stats | 0GP | 0G | 0A | 0 | 0 PIM |
Complete Stats | 23GP | 5G | 6A | -3 | 4 PIM |