We have reached the cream of the Canadiens crop.



On Monday, I began my annual midseason ranking of the Canadiens’ prospects with numbers 15 to 11. On Wednesday, it was prospects 10 to 6. And today, we begin the top-five.



As always, the focus on this ranking is fun. The methodology is focused on finding top-of-the-lineup type players. For more information, check out the first piece in the series.



Let’s go.



5) Jesse Ylönen, LW, Pelicans (Liiga)



Age: 20 | Drafted No. 35 in 2018 | Previous ranking: 4



Stats: 42 GP, 12 G, 9 A, 21 Pts, 0.5 Pts/GP



There’s a simple answer to Ylönen’s stagnant production: the Pelicans are a low-scoring team. Ylönen’s point per game clip has slightly decreased, but he’s contributed to more of his team’s goals this season, up to 23 percent from 15.



Without the puck, Ylönen’s an impressive defender with a high work rate.