As you may or may not be aware, I am attempting to broaden the coverage of your Montreal Canadiens this season by continually checking in on the Habs prospects and draft picks that are playing across the globe.
I have already explored the Habs Russian Prospects with Alex Seren Rosso, and have now turned my attention to the team's prospects playing in the Canadian Hockey League.
The CHL comprises all the Major Junior leagues across Canada(OHL, WHL & QMJHL) and with Montreal boasting 6 quality prospects in the CHL, I thought it best to get a scouts opinion on how these young Habs-to-be are progressing.
In order to help us better understand what is going, I contacted Rick Springhetti a scout for McKeen's Hockey, who was kind enough to provide an in-depth review of Louis Leblanc, Philippe Lefebvre, Michael Bournival, Brendan Gallagher, Jarred Tinordi and Morgan Ellis.
In our first interview, Rick gave us some insight into how Louis Leblanc is developing in the QMJHL. In the second interview, Rick provided us with some detailed insight into Philippe Lefebvre, and today I will post my interview with Rick on draft steal Brendan Gallagher.
My thanks to Rick for providing some excellent insight and for doing the interviews, hope you enjoy!
Name: Brendan Gallagher
Current Team: Vancouver Giants, WHL
Drafted: 5th round, 147th overall, by Pierre Gauthier in 2010.
SH: Brendan was a relative unknown when the Canadiens drafted him this past June. Now he is among the hottest prospects in all of hockey. Where did this guy come from?
RS: From the moment he was drafted into the WHL, he has had to battle for a position in every team. He is a late round pick by the Vancouver Giants at the WHL entry draft and quickly surprised by his goal-scoring ability and feistiness. At every level, people thought he would not be able to perform due to his size and at every level, he has proved critics wrong.
SH: Gallagher is also another small forward, something that Canadiens fans tend to worry about - in terms of development, do you feel that his size plays against him in any way?
RS: I think there is a little bit of concern because he is an average skater who only seems faster because he is constantly near scoring opportunities, but that has more to do with his excellent anticipation more than actual skating ability. Small players who are not great skaters usually have a tougher time making it to the NHL.
SH: He may be small, but he's not shy. Gallagher appears to be a real leader, scrapping and playing a very physical game. Does his success surprise you given that he plays in a league that is known for it rough style of play?
RS: Brendan is another one of the young players that I had a chance to speak to at the habs development camp. He came across as very confident in himself without being arrogant. When I asked him about his penalty minutes, he basically said that he is a little bit of an agitator out there who wants to send a clear message that he will not be pushed around by anyone. He also mentioned that if he wants to be a go-to guy on and off the ice for Vancouver.
SH: Gallagher ripped up training camp in Montreal, and is building on an extremely healthy sophomore campaign that saw him score 41 goals in 71 games. With 18 goals and 32 points in 23 games played this year, how in the world did so many scouts and general managers overlook this kind of talent?
RS: Size and skating ability are the two reasons. The thing is scouts are often judged by the amount of players that make it to the NHL. With bigger players, a scout can look at a scorer in junior hockey and say to himself that if he doesn’t make it to the NHL in that role, then maybe he can make it as a depth player who can contribute in a defensive role. With a guy like Gallagher, it’s unlikely that he will be able to fill that kind of a role, he will either make it as a scorer or won’t at all and that worries them. I give the Canadiens scouting staff a ton of credit for having the courage to take that kind of gamble. I believe it was a good move at that point of the entry draft.
SH: Aside from his small stature, is there any other reason why Gallagher was chosen so late?(The way he is playing this year you would think that - had he gone undrafted - that he would have been one of the top prospects for this years draft!)
RS: I really think it’s those two factors that were the major reasons because there are so many other things to like in his game. He has real quick hands, a very hard shot that he releases quickly, he has a nose for the net and has a lot of feistiness in him.
SH: Like his other fellow Habs prospects playing in the CHL, Gallagher - perhaps more than any other player - seems to be most deserving of making Team Canada for the upcoming WJC's. Is there any way they can't choose him?
RS: He has a chance but he is no means a lock either. The one thing, besides his goal scoring, that may impress some of the Team Canada decision makers is that although he has a high amount of penalty minutes and can be a pest on the ice, I have not seem him ever lose control of himself and start doing some stupidity. He seems to be able to play right at the limit of what he can get away with so that may be a good thing. I can see him playing a slightly similar role to that of Christopher Didomenico with Team Canada in 2009, an agitator that can contribute on the score sheet.
SH: Size is an issue, but only if you think so. Like other incredibly talented small hockey players, Gallagher seems to have the drive that will keep him from getting swept under the rug, but will he be able to translate his skills and scoring abilities to the professional level?
RS: It will be difficult for him to do so but again, if he does, he will be scoring some goals in the NHL. Size is an issue but he has great hands and that can help compensate for a lot of other flaws. Let’s look at it this way, a guy Cicarrelli was recently inducted in the hall of fame and he was small, not a great skater and a pest who scored a ton of goals so anything is possible. I know one NHL scout who I spoke to the day after the Habs traded him that he could be a poor-mans version of Gionta.
- That's all for now, my thanks to Rick. I will be back with my interview with Rick on Michael Bournival following the Kings game.
Habs Buzz Episode 3 with Special Guest Bad News Brown
Welcome to Episode 3 of Habs Buzz.
This week, Eric Engels and Steven Hindle welcome Montreal Superstar Bad News Brown.
All music, including the theme at the top of the show was recorded by Bad News Brown.
The show was produced and recorded by Simon Petraki of Seratone Studio, in the heart of downtown Montreal, just blocks south of the Bell Centre.
If you want Bad News Brown's album, it's available on ITunes, and available at HMV music stores across Canada, titled: "Born 2 Sin".
Enjoy the Show.
Comments? Questions? Send 'em to [email protected]
Follow us on Twitter @HabsBuzzShow for updates.
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