Size Isn’t Hurting Canadiens Prospect

LJ Mooney is a polarizing selection for the Montreal Canadiens because he is undersized at five-foot-eight and 157 pounds. But like his current idols Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson, Mooney is keen on proving everyone wrong by following the path of many small, skilled forwards who have carved out NHL careers.

Should Mooney need any further motivation, he could pick up his phone and dial Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis' number. If anybody has some words of advice for a small forward trying to make the NHL against the odds, it's Marty.

Standing five-foot-eight, though a very stocky five-foot-eight at that, St. Louis is a Hall of Famer and now stands behind the Canadiens' bench calling the shots. If a small player were going to succeed, he could be in a much worse place than Montreal to try and do so.

Mooney also oozes confidence. His intensity level has shades, maybe not consistently, but sometimes of Brendan Gallagher, with his intense pursuit of the opposing net front and willingness to mix it up with anybody.

He isn't going to need to rely on physicality so much in the NCAA, but the University of Minnesota freshman is going to try and harness his explosiveness in all three zones and continue growing his brilliant playmaking game while sharpening his scoring touch.