The 2024 NHL Draft is approaching quickly, and due to the unique nature of this draft, there isn’t a clear-cut pick anywhere in the 2-to-10 range. This puts the Montreal Canadiens, who pick at fifth overall, in a peculiar position. I’ll be making the case for each of the prospects projected to be available to Montreal, and why they would or wouldn’t be good fits.
We’ll focus on forwards, since Kent Hughes likely will as well.
A quick word on Ivan Demidov
Although the electrifying Russian forward would be a great fit in Montreal, we won’t be looking at him in this article. He is almost definitely not going to be available. With Demidov, this isn’t a Matvei Michkov-esque situation — he has already refused to sign an extension to his KHL contract, which ends after next season, and also has much less muddiness to his projection. Demidov has a tool in his handling skill that is just as game-breaking as Michkov’s shot, while also having strong habits, great work ethic, and relatively good defensive tools. He is likely to be Chicago’s pick at second overall, and if he isn’t, Columbus isn’t passing on him at fourth.
With that out of the way, here are the likely options for Montreal.
Beckett Sennecke, RW — Oshawa Generals (OHL)
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 181 lbs.
Handedness: Right
Scoresheet: 63 GP, 27G 41A 68 PTS
Best tools: stickhandling, skating, creativity, defensive game
Needs to improve: coordination, balance, anticipation
Sennecke has been rocketing up boards in the past month or two, mainly due to coming out of his shell in the OHL playoffs. The winger grew about five inches since 2022 and he is still figuring out how to work with his newfound size and reach, but he put it together fairly well for Oshawa in the post-season, scoring 10 goals and adding 12 assists in 16 games on his way to the OHL Final.
Sennecke is an improviser — perhaps the second-best improviser in the draft class after Demidov. He gets the puck from his defencemen in the neutral zone, and dangles his way up the ice with no set plan. With every action from defenders, he reacts with the exact move he needs to beat them — whether that’s going across their feet to the middle, beating them wide, stopping up to hit a trailer with a pass, or barrelling through them. His hands are the big standout skill; with his top hand away from his body rather than glued to his hip, Sennecke cradles the puck in the heel of his stick and keeps close control of the puck in tight quarters, despite his evident lack of coordination and balance.
The 6’2″ winger absolutely carried the Generals in the playoffs; when he sat out the final few games against London due to injury, Oshawa crumbled. His defensive impact, along with his creativity, makes him capable of making a major difference in key games. It took me a while to get comfortable with the idea of the Habs picking Sennecke as high as fifth overall, but I’m coming around. He wouldn’t be my first choice, but he is far from a bad shout.
If he learns to be proactive with the puck rather than consistently (yet effectively) reactive, as well as continuing to figure out how to use his frame, Sennecke could turn into a skilled and unique top-six forward at the NHL level. The downside to selecting him rests on those ”ifs”. If he doesn’t figure these things out, Sennecke could struggle to be effective beyond a fourth-line role. All elite NHL improvisers can also think ahead, predict play and adjust preemptively.
The fit with Montreal is evident — Sennecke has size, skill, character, and the ability to step up in key games. Picking Sennecke would be a vote of confidence toward Adam Nicholas and the rest of the Habs’ development staff.
Tij Iginla, LW/C — Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 185 lbs.
Handedness: Left
Scoresheet: 64 GP, 47G 37A 84 PTS
Best tools: board play, shot, intensity
Needs to improve: composure, tempo management
The son of NHL legend Jarome Iginla is eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft. If that doesn’t make you feel old, I’m not sure what will. Iginla is another prospect whose stock just kept rising and rising all year, ending up as high as fourth on Craig Button’s board. His playoff performances for Kelowna further fanned the flames, as the winger dragged the Rockets past the Wenatchee Wild almost single-handedly.
Iginla excels in two particular areas: goal-scoring and board play. With a high-end shot — one of the best in the draft — he consistently beats WHL goaltenders from mid-range, but more importantly, he has so many efficient and translatable habits that get him into open ice in the low slot. From there, Iginla is lethal. In terms of board play, he might be the best in the draft. He times his pushes off the boards incredibly well, uses both technique and power to win battles against opponents, and has a knack for finding teammates in the middle of the ice after prying pucks off of defenders.
Given his point totals, Iginla seems like a pure sniper at first glance, but that is far from the case. His playmaking is high-end, aided greatly by his hockey sense. Iginla scans frequently, identifies his options well even at his top speed, and chains together plays incredibly well. He plays give-and-goes consistently, and drives play transitionally with energy and efficiency.
Iginla does everything at a high pace, and with all the energy he can muster. That is both a strength and a weakness, as he can sometimes overskate his lanes on the backcheck, overcommit on the forecheck, and miss opportunities to slow down the play when carrying the puck. As he learns to control the tempo of the game off his stick, Iginla’s hockey sense should shine brighter and brighter. Slowing down with the puck or cutting back at the right time can open up a myriad of previously-inaccessible passing lanes, and would make playing with Iginla even easier.
The fit is, once again, very clear with Iginla. He has the grit, intensity, and skill that the Habs need, on top of having true top-six upside. In fact, there aren’t many scenarios in which he doesn’t end up in that role. The question is whether he makes it as a complementary scorer on a second line, or as a true top-six play-driver — the player upon which the line depends. He’d be a great option at fifth overall.
Berkly Catton, LW/C — Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 168 lbs.
Handedness: Left
Scoresheet: 68 GP, 54G 62A 116 PTS
Best tools: acceleration, transition play, puck skills
Needs to improve: physicality, defensive game, cycle offence
I’ll preface this by saying that I don’t think the Habs are fans of Berkly Catton. The lack of physicality, the defensive concerns, and the over-reliance on creating off the rush make Catton a less likely target for Montreal. That being said, I think he has enough talent to both compensate for his weaknesses and elevate his teammates’ strengths at the NHL level.
Catton’s three-step acceleration might be the best in this draft. The quickness with which he separates from opponents in transition makes him incredibly effective. He is dynamic, capable of shifting the angle of his attack in so many ways, and he consistently forces open defensive breaches, quickly exploiting them with solid hands and great playmaking. Catton also has a phenomenal in-stride wrister, making the option of backing off of him to block passing lanes a bad one.
With Juraj Slafkovsky’s game hitting a new level last season and Kirby Dach looking very good before his season-ending injury, the Habs could afford to go with a less-physical but uber-skilled prospect. I still prefer Iginla and the next player on this list to him, but not by much.
Cayden Lindstrom, C — Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 216 lbs.
Handedness: Left
Scoresheet: 32 GP, 27G 19A 46 PTS
Best tools: shot, forechecking, physicality
Needs to improve: habits, experience
Although Lindstrom has the most projectable frame of the bunch we’ll discuss today, he is very much a project. Highly skilled and an impressive skater for his size, Lindstrom became more and more confident in his ability to transition pucks up the ice as the season went on. There were some setbacks — a hand injury that required surgery as well as some nagging back problems — which kept him out from December to the end of March, but he made a solid impression before that point and showcased some high-end skill that had him shooting up boards all over the place.
The Habs’ desire to surround their smaller skill guys with big bodies who will carry the forechecking load is what makes Lindstrom a great fit. He is an aggressive forechecker who plays with an edge, is often involved in post-whistle shenanigans, and knows how to get under opponents’ skin. Off the ice, however, he is a leader, a wonderful person, and a hard-worker. The Habs value character; Lindstrom has it in spades.
The downside to selecting Lindstrom is that Montreal will have to wait at least three years to get the best version of him. He is still raw when it comes to his habits and decision-making. The towering centre hasn’t yet figured out what works and what doesn’t for him. He still needs to work on better leveraging his big frame, using technique rather than raw strength to win body positioning on defenders, and scanning more frequently before retrieving or receiving a puck,. However, with how often Lindstrom touches the puck in any given match, he will get more in-game reps than most WHLers do in order to improve those elements.
At fifth overall, Lindstrom is among the highest-upside bets still available, while offering exactly what Montreal looks for in their prospects. My money is on Lindstrom being Montreal’s bet come draft day — if he isn’t picked up earlier, that is.
Thanks for reading — follow me on Twitter @HadiK_Scouting for more prospects-related content, and to keep up with the rest of my work!
