Aside from Artturi Lehkonen, the Montreal Canadiens have a couple of wild card prospects with offensive potential in Europe, Martin Reway of Slovakia and Lukas Vejdemo of Sweden.
Reway is yet another small and skilled forward in the Canadiens system, drafted in the fourth round of the 2013 NHL draft, 116th overall. At the time, he was playing as an import for the Gatineau Olympiques in the QMJHL. He continued to play for Gatineau and head coach Benoit Groulx in the 2013-2014 where he recorded 62 points in 43 games as well as 15 points in 9 playoff games. Despite his success with Gatineau, he decided to forego his last year of junior eligibility to return home and play professional hockey for HC Sparta in the Czech league. The opportunity to earn money and help provide for his family was the deciding factor. However, Canadiens fans had the opportunity to see Reway in person during the 2015 World Junior Championship in Montreal and Toronto where he captained Slovakia and led them to a surprise bronze medal. He was amongst the top scorers with 4 goals and 9 points in the tournament. His relationship with HC Sparta soured in his second season as his minutes dwindled despite leading the team in scoring. The ties between the two were cut in the Fall and Reway went over to play in the Swiss league with HC Fribourg-Gottéron where he had 21 points in 19 games. Reway is currently a free agent and supposedly has had offers to play the next season in the KHL and the Swiss league. Rumour has it that the Canadiens have also offered a contract to Reway.
There is no doubt that Reway has lots of offensive skill and potential. He has succeeded at various levels of hockey but there have been question marks on his character throughout his career. If Reway were to come to North America, he would be better off in St. John’s with the Ice Caps as he re-adapts to the North American style of play.
Trevor Timmins seemingly went off the board when the Canadiens selected Vejdemo with their 3rd round draft pick in 2015. Injuries had limited his play in the 2014-2015 season but Timmins saw enough raw potential when he went last Spring to scout him. At 6’2… and 194 lbs, Vejdemo has the desired size that fans would like to see in the lineup. Like Noah Juulsen, Vejdemo was amongst Sweden’s last cuts at the 2016 World Junior Championships but this was his final year of eligibility as he is 19 years old. He enjoyed a successful first year of professional hockey, playing the entire season with Djurgardens of the SHL. He contributed 17 points in 52 games, good numbers for a 19 year old. By comparison, Lehkonen had 16 points in 47 games in his first year in the SHL. Vejdemo mostly played on the 3rd and 4th lines with little powerplay time. He could be trusted though in his own zone and would play while defending the lead.
Vejdemo will be back in Montreal this Summer for the Canadiens development camp and so fans will be able to see how he has progressed the past year. Look for him to stay in Europe and play in the SHL for another season as he continues to mature and grow his game.
Whether or not Reway and Vejdemo will ever play for the Canadiens is obviously unknown. However, outside of the players in St. John’s they, along with Lehkonen are the most offensively talented prospects compared to their North American counterparts. How and where they continue to play and progress remains to be seen.
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