With the World Junior Championships behind us, it is now prospect ranking season.



For a player to be eligible, they must be a drafted or contract player of the Canadiens in their 22-year-old season, at the oldest. Therefore, players like Michael McCarron are excluded. Full-time NHLers as well as those who have played more than half a season’s worth of games are excluded as well. As a result, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Noah Juulsen, and Victor Mete aren’t eligible, but before you ask, I’d rank them first, fourth, and fifth, respectively.



Players that are excluded due to insufficient viewings (less than 10 games) are Jack Gorniak, Arvid Henrikson, Nikolas Koberstein, and Hayden Verbeek.



As per my previous rankings, the emphasis is placed on upside. Upside is defined by the level of skill (ranging from skating to defence to shooting) and their production, accounting for league and age. A player’s NHL readiness isn’t considered, as my...