Now that the Montreal Canadiens’ season is officially over, club management and fans alike are turning their attention to the next step: the draft.
With the Habs once again having the fifth-best chances of drafting first overall, Kent Hughes and his team are guaranteed to draft a solid prospect even if the Tricolore don’t win the Macklin Celebrini lottery.
We can say thank you to the Coyotes and Senators, who won big games late in the season, allowing the Habs to finish 5ᵉ in the reverse standings.
In short, it’s time to take an even deeper look at and analyze the various prospects that could offer themselves as options to the Montreal Canadiens in the 5ᵉ,6ᵉ or 7ᵉ spot of the draft, depending on the lottery that takes place in early May.
Aside from the Cayden Lindstrom, Cole Eiserman and Berkly Catton of this world, one prospect who has been talked about more and more seriously in recent weeks is Tij Iginla.
The son of NHL legend Jarome Iginla has been climbing the prospect rankings for a few weeks now, thanks to his excellent WHL season and, above all, his stellar playoff series.
Speaking of WHL playoffs, Iginla’s team, the Kelowna Rockets, faced elimination last night, falling 3-1 behind in their second-round series against the Prince George Cougars.
Well, despite three points, including a goal, Iginla couldn’t save his team from elimination, as they lost 6-3.
Iginla stood up for his team as he earned a point on each of the Rockets’ goals, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.
Iginla’s dominant playoff run comes to an end, as he amasses nine goals and six assists for a total of 15 points in 11 games.
This currently places him fourth in the WHL’s all-time scoring list, and second in the all-time scoring list.
In short, it’s a shame for Iginla, who was really boosting his NHL draft stock with the excellent series he was enjoying.
But he showed just how much of a hockey player he is, and how much more he rises to the occasion when the games get even more important.
Iginla’s hard-working, gritty style of play will certainly appeal to many NHL teams, and perhaps sooner than you think.
Will Iginla really be THE target for the Montreal Canadiens at 5ᵉ, 6ᵉ or 7ᵉ rank?
Personally, I believe that if Cayden Lindstrom is no longer available, Iginla will be the Habs’ choice ahead of Eiserman, Catton and any defenseman.
The Habs wouldn’t have met him four times for nothing…
Iginla is a prospect who fits in perfectly with what the Habs are looking for: a forward with top-6 potential who can score goals with good size (six feet – 185 pounds) and a good work ethic.
Jarome’s son would fit in perfectly with the Tricolore culture.
The fact remains that, for the time being, Iginla isn’t ranked that high in the draft, when he usually ends up between the 8ᵉ and 15ᵉ spots.
Let’s see if Iginla can climb a few more ranks with his potential performances at the World Under-18 Championship.
It will be interesting to see if he receives an invitation from Canada.
Let’s not forget that Lindstrom and Catton won’t be at the tournament.
In short, all this will be very interesting to follow between now and the draft.
Remember that Iginla is one of the youngest prospects in the draft, turning 18 on August 1.
In a gust
– Today’s the big day! The Montreal women’s team takes on Toronto at the Bell Centre.
– Will at least one Quebecer lift the Stanley Cup this year?
– Incredible.
– Read more.
– Good for him.
More must-reads: