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Habs Sweep Rookie Honors as Demidov and Zharovsky Excel
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- Habs Sweep Rookie Honors as Demidov and Zharovsky Excel
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
MONTREAL — Every single day brings more Montreal Canadiens content to be absorbed, and we're all bound to miss some news. On Sundays, we recap the relevant NHL and Habs events you may have missed, to help you stay up to date with all things Habs.
Given the Habs played on Sunday, this edition of the weekly wrap was pushed to Monday.
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Montreal Canadiens News And Notes
Habs captain Nick Suzuki played the starring role in Montreal's impressive come-from-behind win versus the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. Not only did he score the game-tying game, he secured the win in overtime after Lane Hutson served up a perfect pass. [ Canadiens Highlights: Heroic Effort From Suzuki Secures Win ]
In other news, it's official! Suzuki will represent Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics. [ Canadiens Captain Suzuki Named To Team Canada ]
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It's always interesting to see how opposing coaches discuss the Habs. Paul Maurice was quick to point to Montreal's very mobile defence as a strength, an opinion that's backed up by the fact that the Habs have three of the top 20 scoring defencemen at 5v5 this season (Hutson, Dobson, Matheson ).
Most fans seem to think their favourite team hits the post and crossbar more often than others, and they're almost never right. Except for Habs fans, they're definitely right about Montreal's penchant for hitting iron. Keep in mind, the Canadiens take much fewer shots than the Carolina Hurricanes .
It's always great to see Saku Koivu , even if he doesn't seem to age like the rest of us. The former Canadiens captain is at the 2026 World Junior Championship, supporting his son, Aatos.
Speaking of Finns, we'll see whether Oliver Kapanen is included on Team Finland's Olympic roster, but the insiders seem to think he has a pretty good chance of being involved.
Another day, another impressive showing from Hutson. Look, we're not here to say he's one of the best defencemen in the NHL… we'll just let the numbers do the talking for us.
Skilled winger Ivan Demidov was named the Rookie of the Month in the NHL, following a fantastic showing in December that resulted in four goals and 10 assists in 15 games.
The Habs swept the ROTM honours in both the NHL and KHL, as prospect Alexander Zharovsky took home his third such honour during his impressive rookie campaign. Zharovsky scored four goals and seven assists in 11 games.
The Canadiens managed to beat the Hurricanes in Carolina for the first time since 2016. Alex Texier set up two important goals, while Lane Hutson registered another multipoint effort in the 7-5 win. [ Highlights: Canadiens Complete Classic Comeback In Carolina ]
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With two goals and six assists in four games, top prospect Michael Hage is clearly among the most exciting prospects at the World Junior Championship. He's tied with Tomas Chrenko and linemate Gavin McKenna for the tournament lead in scoring, while standing out as a player to watch in a talented Canadian lineup.
Shockingly, or not , the NHL decided not to suspend or fine Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand , who delivered an ugly elbow to Mike Matheson's head on Tuesday night. Matheson was forced to miss Thursday's game, while Marchand prepares to take part in the 2026 Winter Classic.
Team Canada head coach Jon Cooper had nothing but great things to say about Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki . Suzuki will represent Canada at the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics. [ Suzuki Named To Canadian Olympic Roster ]
Juraj Slafkovsky is on pace for a career-best season, but where is the increase in production coming from? It's not a matter of scoring more often at 5v5, alongside his new linemates Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen. Rather, the 21-year-old Slovak is doing most of his damage on the powerplay. [ Canadiens Analysis: How Slafkovsky Increased His Production ]
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Don't look now, but prospect Bryce Pickford continues to dominate the WHL. As a reminder, Pickford is a defenceman, and yet he leads the entire league with 27 goals, including his marker on Friday as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Moose Jaw Warriors 2-0.
Speaking of Pickford, he was named the WHL's Player of the Month thanks to an excellent showing that led to an impressive 14 goals and eight assists in just nine games.
Aatos Koivu was benched for the majority of Finland's game versus Canada at the World Juniors Championship, and was consequently a healthy scratch during Finland's big 3-2 overtime win versus Team USA on Friday. The good news is that Koivu understands exactly why he was singled out, and accepted responsibility for his mistakes.
Alex Belzile enjoyed a four-point night (2G, 2A) as the Laval Rocket beat the Utica Comets 5-4 in overtime. It was Jared Davidson who ended up scoring the game-winning goal, and this will come as no surprise, but he scored via his excellent one timer.
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