While all eyes of Montreal Canadiens fans are on David Reinbacher, who had another strong game today with a point, the Habs’ other prospects continue to perform well.
Yesterday, Oliver Kapanen, the Tricolore’s second-round pick in 2021, continued his fine play in Finland’s Liiga playoffs.
And on Sunday, prospects Florian Xhekaj and Owen Beck wrapped up their respective OHL seasons.
And let’s just say they didn’t pull any punches.
To begin with, Xhekaj and the Brantford Bulldogs easily disposed of the Ottawa 67s by a score of 5-1.
Arber Xhekaj’s younger brother played a part in all five of his team’s goals, collecting two goals and three assists in the victory.
Here’s his last goal of the season, his 34ᵉ:
2 goals and 3 assists, what a game for Flo 
#BFD #GoHabsGo https://t.co/QRAuBKNa88 pic.twitter.com/sdUpIBAZg3
– Brantford Bulldogs (@BulldogsOHL) March 24, 2024
What a precise shot.
He finished his season with a very good 65 points in 63 games, including 34 goals.
This was his first junior season with a point-per-game pace.
With a 5 point game today, Habs prospect Florian Xhekaj ends his OHL regular season with the Brantford Bulldogs in style:
34G & 31A for 65P in 63GP
His first PPG season in juniors pic.twitter.com/BNUJkfTY7u
– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) March 24, 2024
Not only did he prove that he’s got quite a shot, but his great physical presence shouldn’t be ignored, as he probably plays as intensely as his big brother.
As for Owen Beck, he entered the game with an active streak of 19 consecutive games with at least one point.
Well, the Habs’ handsome, versatile prospect completed his final junior season with a 20ᵉ straight game with at least one point.
In that streak, he amassed 34 points, as he collected a goal and an assist in today’s game.
Here’s his first point of the game, his goal, scored with a surgically accurate shot.
Owen Beck, where mom hides the cookies as they say! 
What precision!
But more importantly: 20th straight game with a point for the Canadiens’ hopeful! 
#GoHabsGo @SpiritHockey pic.twitter.com/PnuBiy7pol
– Canadian Hockey League (@LCHhockey) March 24, 2024
Wow.
His team, the Saginaw Spirit, easily disposed of their opponents, the Sault Sainte-Marie Greyhounds, by a score of 9-2.
Beck not only scored two points, but also surpassed the 80-point mark in just 57 games this season. He played for the Peterborough Petes, before being traded to the Spirit.
The Petes knew Beck was one of the most watched prospects in the OHL this season, so they decided to trade him to the next Memorial Cup hosts.
Once again, Beck will be looking to make it to the Grand Finals, a goal he was unable to achieve due to the Petes’ elimination in the Memorial Cup semi-finals last year.
Now that the season is over for Xhekaj and Beck, we’ll be able to focus on the playoffs around the world and follow all the Habs’ hopefuls in action.
Highlights
– Barron buys himself some points with his excellent game on Sunday.
Justin Barron plays a COLOSSAL game for the Rocket. His best since his return to Laval, by far. He’s everywhere, on both sides of the rink.
– Anthony Marcotte (@anthonymarcotte) March 24, 2024
– Zach Hyman becomes the second player after Auston Matthews to reach this plateau this season. Sam Reinhart is close too, scoring his 49th of the season tonight.
Zach Hyman becomes the 7th player in Oilers history to score 50 goals in a season!
https://t.co/0WOxDKhxHr pic.twitter.com/FsoFF6U7te
– RDS (@RDSca) March 24, 2024
– It’s almost impossible to stop Canada’s best player at this height.
SGA is cooking with that mid-range game 
Tune in to Thunder vs. Bucks on SN1 and stream on Sportsnet+! pic.twitter.com/KU8laxOiUc
– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 24, 2024
– It’s been a long time since we’ve seen this in the NHL. It’s the first time since the 2006-07 season, when Joe Thornton collected 92 assists.
Oilers Connor McDavid
12th player in NHL history with a 90-assist season pic.twitter.com/qsuTXOZuzi
– Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) March 24, 2024
– This is only the second time in NHL history that this has happened.
The @Avalanche‘s four-goal comeback win was less than 24 hours after the @NHLBlackhawks completed one of their own. 
#NHLStats: https://t.co/cHgoFiF1SJ pic.twitter.com/TDQbLQWLcZ
– NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 24, 2024
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