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Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort shakes hands with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman as he announces a trade by the Montreal Canadiens for the 16th overall pick with New York Islanders in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Undersized Canadiens Prospect Fired Up By Fanbase

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI
By Tyler Major-Mcnicol | Last updated Oct 2, 2025 7:00 AM ET

There aren't many teams that can boast about their fanbase the way the Montreal Canadiens can. In fact, very few have fans lining up out the doors of their practice facility in the middle of the summer, to get a glimpse of the team, but the Canadiens surely do. Current players have come to expect that this is the way things are in Montreal, but those who are new to the team, recent draft picks to be exact, can be taken aback by how passionate the fan section can be.

Take, for example, LJ Mooney, the Canadiens' recent 2025 draft selection, a native of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, who was selected in the fourth round of the draft, with the 113th overall selection. While many fans feel that the Canadiens need to get bigger and be more physically taxing to compete against, Mooney, who is 5-foot-7 and just under 160 pounds, has been embraced with open arms, he expressed to RG Media.

“It really motivates me.”

Canadiens prospect LJ Mooney opens up on the passion of Habs fans, earning a spot at the World Juniors, and settling into the Canadiens’ organization.

More from @mndamico https://t.co/l8O8LBnczr
— RG (@TheRGMedia) October 1, 2025

Though he was drafted back in June and has shifted his focus to preparing for a long, but exciting, freshman season in the NCAA with the University of Minnesota, the fans have still been active in making him feel welcomed to Montreal.

“I’m still getting texts from fans and everything. It’s been pretty cool,” Mooney said. “I didn’t know what I was getting into with the fans and everything, but they’ve been unbelievable.”

“You can’t be mad about it. There’s people supporting you, and that support really goes a long way. It shows how much they care about the team. They’re unbelievable, and it's really cool to have all that support — it really motivates me.”

While it could be intimidating, especially for an 18-year-old who is focused on Minnesota first, but ultimately wants to play for the 24-time Stanley Cup-winning Canadiens, he doesn't look at it that way. You see it very often that some players can't handle the pressure of Montreal, as the highs can be significant, while the lows can be downright awful. While he has yet to suit up for the Canadiens officially, he has plenty of motivation to carve his way to an eventual role down the road.

After scoring 51 points through 51 games in the National Team Development Program for the United National U-18 Team, playing against some tough NCAA competition, and playing 26 games in the United States Hockey League (USHL), the USNTDP Juniors, where he scored 28 points, Mooney had a considerably successful draft year.

In knowing that the fanbase will follow him, much like they did with Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield and even Michael Hage, Mooney should give his fans plenty to be excited about.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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