Don’t look now, but the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate in St. John’s, N.L., is currently holding down a playoff spot. If the IceCaps manage to qualify, it’ll be for the first time in five years under head coach Sylvain Lefebvre.

Let’s take a closer look at a few of the prospects fuelling that campaign and also evaluate the work of those belonging to the Canadiens at the major junior level.

AHL

Charlie Lindgren, 23, G

Signed as a free agent: 03/30/16

Season to date: 17-14-1 | 2.74 | .911

At first blush, the numbers can be slightly underwhelming, but Lindgren has been anything but that in his rookie season.

Only Linus Ullmark and Jack Campbell have seen more shots than Lindgren has this season, and both of them sport near-identical save percentages.

To be named an AHL all-star in his first season was quite an accomplishment, but backstopping his team to a playoff spot would be even bigger.

The future is bright for this pending restricted free agent. The Canadiens might want to lock him up soon because he might just be the second-best prospect in their system.

Charles Hudon, 22, LW

Drafted: Fifth round, 122nd overall, 2012

Season to date: 34 GP | 18 G | 14 A | 32 P | +3

A couple of bad injuries—including a fractured sternum suffered with the Canadiens in November—hasn’t stopped Hudon from doing what he does best.

The kid has done nothing but score at the AHL level. His offensive instincts are second to none on the IceCaps, and there’s a sense he’s ready to be a steady contributor with the Canadiens.

Hudon has also improved considerably on the defensive side—a part of his game which had previously limited his staying power in Montreal under previous Canadiens coach Michel Therrien.

Maybe new-old Canadiens coach Claude Julien will give him a chance, as his team is currently starving for some offence. After all, Hudon has four points in just under 67 minutes of NHL play.

Nikita Scherbak, 20, LW/RW

Drafted: First round, 26th overall, 2014

Season to date: 45 GP | 11 G | 18 A | 29 P | 0

After an injury-riddled 2015-16 season, Scherbak spent the summer in Montreal instead of returning to Russia. He was asked to do so by the Canadiens and happily obliged in an effort to get on the right track as far as training, nutrition and general habits were concerned.

“For a lot of first-rounders, they never had to do all those things to be the best at their level. They could get by on talent alone,” said Canadiens director of development Martin Lapointe in a December interview with Sportsnet. “It showed a lot of maturity for Nikita to stay in Montreal, and he benefited from working with [strength and conditioning coach] Pierre Allard.”

Scherbak’s got high-end skill. That much is apparent on a nightly basis.

His main focus now is on rounding out his game. Considering he was a minus-26 last season and is currently sitting at even this season, it’s clear he’s made progress on that front.

Ryan Johnston, 25, D

Signed as a free agent: 07/13/15

Season to date: 35 GP | 4 G | 11 A | 15 P | -6

If Johnston showed anything in his seven-game stint with the Canadiens this season, it’s that he’s serviceable depth worth keeping in the system.

The pending restricted free agent may not have a high offensive ceiling, but in a game that now places a premium on controlling the puck and moving it quickly, he excels. He’s also got excellent skating skills.

At 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds (soaking wet), Johnston’s size might be a limitation to his ability to cement a role at the highest level. The hope is that his competitiveness allows him to overcome that obstacle.

OHL

Mikhail Sergachev, 18, D, Windsor Spitfires

Drafted: First round, ninth overall, 2016

Season to date: 38GP | 9 G | 28 A | 37 P | +21

After starting the season in Montreal, Sergachev’s adjustment to returning to junior was anything but seamless.

Sergachev struggled with just two assists in his first six games. But it didn’t take much longer for him to get back up to the level that saw him dominate the OHL and win top honours as the league’s best defenceman in 2015-16.

Sergachev had a less-than-stellar World Junior Championship with a Russian squad that captured bronze. That was in part due to his curiously low usage by coach Valeri Bragin. But his game has been where he wants it to be since then, notching 22 points in his last 21 contests.

Will Bitten, 18, C, Hamilton Bulldogs

Drafted: Third round, 70th overall, 2016

Season to date: 53 GP | 19 G | 28 A | 47 P | +10

After getting off to a slow start to his season, Bitten has surged to second in team scoring by showing off his speed, those silky hand skills and a lightning-fast release.

His combativeness gives him the potential to become a scorer at higher ranks of the game, and he may very well prove to be a steal for the Canadiens.

Michael McNiven, 19, G, Owen Sound Attack

Signed as a free agent: 09/24/15

Season to date: 31-9-2 | 2.17 | .920

Maybe Team Canada should’ve kept McNiven for the world juniors instead of making him their last cut.

This performance back in November should’ve shown the Canadian brass what he could offer.

The kid has been nothing short of remarkable in his third OHL season, backstopping Owen Sound to the sixth-best record in the league.

McNiven’s been so good, he’s drawn comparisons from some to Montreal’s Carey Price.

WHL

Noah Juulsen, 19, D, Everett Silvertips

Drafted: first round, 26th overall, 2015

Season to date: 36 GP | 11 G | 17 A | 28 P | +18

The 6-foot-2, 200 pound defenceman has been a force to be reckoned with in what will be his last season in the WHL.

He’s shown some offensive upside and was solid as a rock on Canada’s top shutdown pair at the WJC.

All the signs are there that he’ll pan out to be the steady NHL defenceman the Canadiens drafted him to be.