As we've talked about quite a bit recently, the Montreal Canadiens boast one of the best prospect pools in the National Hockey League, along with a strong young core already in the league, with Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson, among others, helping the club reach the Eastern Conference Final last season.
It goes without saying that the Canadiens are set up nicely for the present and the future, and are poised to be a contender for many years to come, thanks to the work of General Manager Kent Hughes, Executive Vice President Jeff Gorton and the rest of the team's hockey operations staff.
In an article for Daily Faceoff at the end of August, three members of the Montreal Canadiens organization were among those mentioned on their top-75 NHL-affiliated prospects list. Today, we're going to take a look at who made the cut.
Three Montreal Canadiens Prospects Named to Daily Faceoff's Top-75 NHL Affiliated Prospects List
To no one's surprise, the first Montreal Canadiens prospect to show up on Daily Faceoff's list is 2024 first round pick Michael Hage, who is heading back to the University of Michigan for his third season in the NCAA. Daily Faceoff's Steven Ellis ranked Michael Hage 15th, a 34-spot rise from where he was on their list in 2025.
Ellis praised Hage's game, highlighting how good of a playmaker he is. He also added that the make up of Hage's game, combined with the fact he's a centerman, makes him the type of player that every team covets.
"Hage is a tremendous puckhandler who consistently makes near-perfect passes. He’s deceptive, sharp and while he’s not massive, he’s built strong and lets opponents know that along the boards and in front of the net. Teams covet centers who can hit, skate, and make quality passes consistently. Hage does all of that – and more." Ellis said.
Hage, 20, is coming off a strong sophomore year with the University of Michigan in 2025-26. In 39 games, Hage registered 52 points (13 goals, 39 assists), 14 penalty minutes and was a plus-15. He's poised to play an even bigger role this season as he's expected to be Michigan's first line centerman.
The second Montreal Canadiens prospect mentioned by Ellis is Russian forward Alexander Zharovsky, the club's second round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. After not being ranked by Daily Faceoff last year, Zharovsky makes his debut at number 31 on this season's list. It's a big jump from not being ranked to 31st, but after the rookie season he had in the KHL, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.
Zharovsky finished the 2025-26 season with 42 points (16 goals, 26 assists) in 59 games, earning him KHL Rookie of the Year honours. In doing so, he became the second consecutive member of the Montreal Canadiens organization to win the award after Ivan Demidov took it home following the 2024-25 campaign.
The 19-year-old is currently in his second season in the KHL, which got underway over the weekend. In Salavat Yulaev Ufa's second game of the season on Monday, Zharovsky picked up a pair of assists as his club won 4-0 over Avangard Omsk. Depending on how his season goals and how far Salavat Yulaev Ufa makes it in the Gagarin Cup Playoffs, assuming they make it, there's certainly a chance Zharovsky could join the Canadiens towards the end of the NHL's regular season. But, it's still too early to say for sure.
The third and final Montreal Canadien on Steven Ellis' top-75 NHL-affiliated prospects list is Austrian defenseman David Reinbacher. Reinbacher, who was Montreal's first round pick (fifth overall) in 2023, has dealt with his fair share of injury issues since arriving in North America, but last season, he was finally able to show to everyone the player can be when he's at full health.
In 57 games with the Laval Rocket, Reinbacher had 24 points (5 goals, 19 assists), 56 penalty minutes and was a plus-18. He was able to finally make his NHL debut with the Canadiens towards the end of the regular season and tallied one assist in two games with the big club.
It's still a bit uncertain where David Reinbacher will begin the season, but I personally believe there's definitely a path to him playing a good chunk of games in the National Hockey League this year. The Canadiens probably want to see a bit more offensively from the 21-year-old blueliner, which is why I'm more inclined to believe he'll be in Laval right off the hop. However, if an injury, or a trade, occurs between now and September 29th, don't rule out David Reinbacher for a spot on the opening night roster.