Five habs prospects to watch in 2026

At just 21, Florian still has plenty of time to develop and establish himself in the NHL. And after a very successful 2025 in the AHL (22 goals and 12 assists in 62 games), he’ll have a chance to prove over the next few months that he deserves a full-time position in the Bettman circuit in 2026-27.

Let’s see if he does.

2. Adam Engström

Like Xhekaj, Engström finally got a chance to play in the show this season. It’s also been rather brief in his case, but we’ve seen a mobile and effective defenseman on the ice.

And when you look at his offensive production in Laval this season (five goals and 16 points in 20 games), you can see that he’s really turning the corner.

His year 2026 will be interesting to watch for many reasons. Not only will we have to see if he can prove that he can establish himself in the NHL for good… but we’ll also have to keep an eye on a possible transaction in his case.

With Mike Matheson having extended his contract in town, Engström could be surplus to requirements in the club’s future plans. The coming year will be decisive in his case.

3. Bryce Pickford

In the third round of the last draft, the Habs set their sights on Bryce Pickford. This was an interesting choice because Pickford, a right-handed defenseman, was a 19-year-old kid.

Except that, so far, this pick is making management look good. After coming into his own offensively last year, Pickford has hit a new gear this season.

Earlier this month, he scored 12 goals in a six-game sequence. Reminder: he’s a defender.

Considering that the Habs don’t have a ton of organizational depth in terms of right-handed defensemen (it’s pretty thin behind Noah Dobson, Alexandre Carrier, and David Reinbacher), a guy like Pickford could quickly establish himself as an important piece of the organization.

It would take quite a miracle to see him in the NHL in 2026… but he’ll have the opportunity to cement his place in the organization’s future plans if he keeps up the momentum.

4. LJ Mooney

Like Pickford, Mooney was drafted by the Habs in 2025. And what’s clear when you watch him play is that the talent is coming out of his ears.

He’s not (really) the biggest or the fattest, but that doesn’t stop him from being an exciting player to watch.

He’s obviously a long-term project, so we won’t see him in the NHL in 2026. That said, Mooney will continue his development in the NCAA, where he’s done well so far this campaign with four goals and 15 points in 19 games.

The organization has had a lot of success with small, talented players in recent years: let’s see if Mooney is next in line.

5. Owen Protz

Looking at Owen Protz’s HockeyDB page, there’s not much that jumps out. Offensive production is modest (13 points in 30 games this season), penalty minutes aren’t very high and the differential isn’t bad, but nothing more.

Yet, despite all this, Protz was still mentioned as a candidate for a position with ÉCJ this winter. His application was ultimately unsuccessful, but he was seen as a serious contender.

The reason? He hits like a train.

Like Engström, he could eventually fall victim to the abundance of depth among the organization’s left-handed defensemen. But in the event that guys ahead of him are traded to solve other problems, he could move up the pecking order.

And there aren’t many guys in Montreal who hit like he does. He’s far from a finished product, but he could (really) make a name for himself over the next few months.

Extension

Beyond the skaters, there are also some big prospects in front of the net. Jacob Fowler is undoubtedly the big name, but guys like Yevgeni Volohkin and Quentin Miller have been particularly dominant in recent months.

We’re also keeping an eye on Arseni Radkov (who plays with the Armada) and Alexis Cournoyer, both drafted by the club this year.