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Canadiens Top 20 Prospects – No. 5 Smooth Skating Engstrom
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- Canadiens Top 20 Prospects – No. 5 Smooth Skating Engstrom
Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images
There are only five players left to list in our annual Montreal Canadiens top-20 prospect rankings, with exciting defenceman Adam Engstrom taking the No. 5 spot, as voted on by Habs fans.
N.B.: To qualify for the project, prospects must be 23 years old or younger and currently playing outside the NHL. In other words, even though Canadiens players such as Lane Hutson , Juraj Slafkovsky , and Ivan Demidov are young enough to qualify, they've already established themselves as NHL players and are no longer considered prospects.
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Previously Published Montreal Canadiens Prospect Rankings
Canadiens Prospects Who Just Missed the Cut
Canadiens Prospects Ranked 20-16
Canadiens Prospects Ranked 15-11
No.10 – Towering Hayden Paupanekis
No. 9 – Truculent Florian Xhekaj
No.8 – Highly Skilled L.J Mooney
No.7 – Extraordinary Bryce Pickford
Adam Engstrom
5. Defenceman, Shoots Left, 22, Laval Rocket (AHL), 6'2″, 190 lb. Picked 92nd overall in 2022.
The first thing that stands out from Adam Engstrom's skill set is his ability to open up passing and shooting lanes in the offensive zone due to his elite skating. And while many young players are described as good skaters, Engstrom is one of the few prospects that can legitimately take over a game with his silky-smooth crossovers and impressive offensive instincts.
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We've seen it time and again in Laval.
When the Rocket desperately need a goal, Engstrom will go out of his way to create chaos in the offensive zone, driving the net with the greatest of ease before either taking a high-danger shot, or setting up his teammates with a tap-in, goalmouth pass.
In fact, five of Engstrom's 10 goals this year have been game winners, a testament to his value in the Rocket lineup.
On that note, Engstrom has already doubled his goal output this season, and is on pace to score 15 goals in 59 games, which is a significant uptick on the five goals in 66 games he produced as a rookie.
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He was named to the AHL All-Star Team for the second consecutive season since arriving in North America, a good reminder that some players thrive when they're given enough time to develop in Europe. After all, Engstrom spent parts of three seasons playing professional hockey in Sweden before crossing the pond. This included three playoff runs as well, crucial experience for a young defenceman who quickly learned how to absorb a heavy dose of minutes while serving as a reliable source of secondary offence.
In other words, even though David Reinbacher 's European development was considered a failure by most, the same cannot be said about Engstrom's path to the AHL.
Strengths
Engstrom skates with a level of grace that would evoke envy from a swan landing on a lake . At times, it seems that he's skating on a silk cloud, filled with velvet, and wrapped in suede.
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But he's far from the first elite skater to make his way to the AHL.
The most important factor that distinguishes Engstrom from the rest is that he uses his elite skating to generate offence, while also keeping a close eye on his defensive assignments. He's not just a one-trick pony, relying on above-average skating mechanics to mask liabilities.
To put a fine point on his solid overall game, we can simply look at his underlying numbers during his short, but encouraging stint with the Canadiens earlier in the season.
On the surface, it seems like Engstrom did not accomplish much. He played 11 games, and was returned to the AHL without registering his name on the scoresheet.
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However, he managed to control over 51% of the shots in that stretch, trailing only Lane Hutson (52.2%) when it comes to his impact on the team's shot share. It's also important to note the Habs outscored their opponents 6-2 with Engstrom on the ice, further evidence that he isn't just projected to make a positive impact in the NHL one day, but rather, he's already reached that level to a certain extent.
To make matters more interesting, he managed to control 50% or more of the high-danger scoring chances (22-22), one of only two Montreal Canadiens defencemen to achieve that feat. Once again, only Hutson (51%) has done a better job in that department.
Of course, we must acknowledge Engstrom's assignments were a little easier than many of his counterparts, but the fact of the matter remains that he quickly adapted to life in the NHL, after establishing himself as a dominant force in the AHL.
Weaknesses
Like many young defencemen, particularly those tasked with carrying the puck with a high frequency, Engstrom is prone to giveaways.
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We saw it occasionally in Montreal, though we should guard against labelling him as a player who turns over the puck more often than others. If we even the playing field by judging giveaways per 60 minutes of 5v5 ice time, Engstrom ranks as the second-most reliable Canadiens defenceman, with just 2.65 turnovers per 60.
Similar to most rookies, Engstrom was sheltered by head coach Martin St-Louis , with the vast majority of his zone starts taking place in the offensive zone.
To become a permanent fixture in the top four, Engstrom will have to learn how to thrive while facing a heightened quality of competition. In that vein, his greatest weakness is his lack of experience in the NHL, a situation that can only be rectified with further use in the best hockey league on earth.
He could also stand to improve his gap control, as well as his defensive positioning, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention he's improved both by leaps and bounds since arriving in North America.
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What To Expect From Engstrom Moving Forward
Engstrom is clearly Laval's best defenceman, which means he's in a curious situation in respect to his value to the Canadiens. Seeing as he can play on both sides of the ice, he's the ideal target for a call-up should the injury bug hit. In the meantime, he serves as an elite powerplay partner for Reinbacher in the AHL, while playing on Pascal Vincent's top pairing on most nights.
In other words, if he's called up to the NHL, the Canadiens are severely hampering the Rocket's ability to win games.
But such is life for an AHL club. Success almost always leads to a loss of talent.
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Seeing as his underlying numbers suggest Engstrom enjoyed an underrated audition in the NHL, not to mention his elite play in the AHL, he joins Owen Beck as a prospect who will assuredly make his way to the NHL in a permanent fashion at some point in his career.
Given his excellent play in various hockey leagues throughout his career, that point may come sooner than later.
Montreal Canadiens player statistics via Elite Prospects.
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