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Edit - Habs Talk Radio & A Look At The Top Draft Eligible Centers!

June 22, 2016, 12:51 PM ET [4 Comments]
Jennifer B Cutler
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The centers that could be available when the Montreal Canadiens select 9th at the 2016 NHL Draft are an intriguing bunch and spark much debate. There is little consensus between them and are often interchangeably ranked between 7-16. While a center may not be the Canadiens top need when it comes to their organizational depth chart, a center might be the best player available at 9 depending how the dominoes fall on draft day.

Pierre-Luc Dubois - C/LW - 6’2”, 201 lbs
Team: Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL)
Stats:GP 62 G 42 A 57 PTS 99
Rankings: NHLCS NA # 1, Future Considerations # 4, ISS & Bob Mckenzie # 5, Mckeen’s # 8


Is Pierre-Luc Dubois a center or a wing? For most of his young hockey career Dubois has played left wing but mid-way through the season he was shifted to the middle. It was a move that paid dividends as he took his game to another level. He has drawn comparisons to Anze Kopitar and Jamie Benn due to his size and complete game. The only realistic way that the Montreal Canadiens are able to draft Dubois is if they manage to trade up and get into the top 5 Friday night. It was widely known that the Canadiens were heavily scouting Dubois towards the end of the season but that was also before he jumped up the rankings. The NHLSC NA midterm rankings had him at 7. To jump all the way to 1 is somewhat unprecedented. If the Canadiens stand pat at 9, it is extremely unlikely that Dubois is still available. If Trevor TImmins and Marc Bergevin have their hearts and minds set on him, they will have to find a way to move up without mortgaging the team. I’ll have more on Dubois in a QMJHL draft preview.

Logan Brown - C - 6’6”, 220 lbs
Team: Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Stats: GP 59 G 21 A 53 PTS 74
Rankings: NHLCS NA # 7, ISS #7, McKeen’s #9, Bob McKenzie #10, Future Considerations # 12

Logan Brown’s size jumps out at everyone, it is impossible to miss. However, he is not just a one trick pony. In fact Brown could be more physical than he actually is. He uses his size to his advantage when protecting and shielding the puck from opponents. His skating is very smooth for such a big player and he plays hard in all three zones. A common enough theme in this draft, Logan is the son of former NHLer Jeff Brown and knows what it takes to get to the NHL.

Brown truly shone at the U-18 World Championships this Spring, helping to lead Team USA to the Bronze medal while collecting 3 goals and 9 assists in 7 games. A dual citizen, Canada did not include Brown in their roster and so he chose to play for the US. It was his performance at the World’s and strong second half of the season in Windsor that helped him skyrocket from 14th in the NHLCS NA rankings to 7. Previously it was thought that Brown’s ceiling would be as a two-way strong second line center. However, his has proven to be an excellent playmaker with great skill and vision leading some to think he could be a team’s #1 center.

Many mock drafts have the Canadiens drafting Brown at the 9th spot on Friday and it is easy to see why. However, there are other teams ahead of them who may very well covet the big center. Columbus is rumoured to be very interested in selecting Brown (courtesy of Windsorstar.com):

“Columbus (picking third) really, really wants Logan Brown,” said Mark Seidel, who is the chief scout for North American Central Scouting.
The Blue Jackets are stacked with wingers in the minors, but not a dominant centre. Columbus could move down to try and get Brown later, but Seidel said both Montreal, which picks ninth, and St. Louis, which picks 28th, are also high on the big pivot.
“They (the Blue Jackets) are convinced he’s going to be a No. 1 centre,” Seidel said. “They could move down, but there’s a risk someone else jumps up.


Clayton Keller - 5’10”, 168 lbs
Team: USA NDTP (USHL)
Stats: GP 62 G 30 A 70 PTS 107
Rankings: NHLCS NA #9, Bob McKenzie #8, Future Considerations #7, McKeen’s #11, ISS #12


At the other end of the size spectrum, Clayton Keller at 5’10” has made a strong case that teams should overlook his size and select him in the top ten at this year’s draft. He is an elite playmaker with exceptional skill, vision and puck handling capabilities. He has attempted to model his game after fellow American Patrick Kane. Despite his size, does a general manager really want to be the one to potentially pass on the next Kane?

Keller further impressed at the U-18 World Junior Championships with 4 goals and 10 assists in just 7 games, winning the bronze medal with Team USA. He is committed to playing at Boston University this Fall and they should be a stacked team with returning Sophomore Charlie McAvoy and newcomer Kieffer Bellows. The Windsor Spitfires own his OHL rights but it is extremely unlikely that he heads north where he would compete for ice time with Logan Brown.

Keller is only an inch shorter than Mitchell Marner who was selected 4th overall last year by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Keller has had favorable comparisons to Marner as a more recent prospect. He will have to improve his core strength so as not to get knocked around in the NHL but more and more we are seeing smaller players excel in the NHL. Bergevin and Timmins could get crucified for potentially selecting a small center with their first round draft pick but at the same time there is very little doubt about Keller’s talent level and potential.

Tyson Jost - 5’11”, 190 lbs
Team: Penticton Vees (BCHL)
Stats: GP 48 G 42 A 62 PTS 104
Rankings: NHLCS NA#16, ISS # 9, Future Considerations #10, Bob McKenzie #11, McKeen’s #15

Perhaps no other player has as much to prove than Tyson Jost. Having played in the BCHL, he faced weaker competition compared to the WHL. However, Jost was so dominant that he won Hockey Canada’s RBC Canadian Junior Hockey National Player of the Year award, the first time that has happened to a BCHL player since Kyle Turris and before that Paul Kariya.

While Jost impressed at the World Junior Under 18 Championships this Spring as he broke the Canadian tournament record for points with 15 points in 7 games (the previous record was held by Connor McDavid). However, it should be noted that 10 of his points came against 2 inferior teams, Denmark and Switzerland. Perhaps somewhat of a red herring.

Jost models his game after Jonathan Toews and will be attending the University of North Dakota, just like his idol. He is a leader through and through and a very smart player, getting himself into open positions and playing a complete game. The biggest question though is how he will fair outside the BCHL against stiffer competition… He will likely be available when the Canadiens draft at 9 but chances are there will be better options still available.

Next up, a look at draft eligible QMJHL prospects!

Finally, Andrew and I are very excited to get your reaction to our first episode of Habs Talk Radio. If you prefer HabsBuzz instead as a title please let us know or we also welcome any suggestions! Baby Cutler makes his debut during the podcast and so I apologize in advance if at some point you hear him better than you hear me ;) What can I say, the little guy loves attention! Have a listen:



Cheers & follow along!

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