Now that the medical and physical tests have been completed, the Montreal Canadiens players attending training camp have finally made their way to Brossard’s practice rink.

The 60 invited players were separated into three groups, and while most camp lists include two teams filled with players who are expected to make the roster, with a third populated by players who are long shots, this time around the Habs have spread the wealth relatively evenly among the groups.

Thursday’s scrimmage featured Group B versus Group C.

To see which players are part of Group A, Group B, or Group C, scroll to the bottom of the article.

Montreal Canadiens Training Camp Notes

The pace at camp started at a much higher level than previous years, with head coach Martin St-Louis putting an onus on effort and tenacity. Even though the intensity was notably elevated, goals in the first scrimmage were few and far between.

Unsurprisingly, it was Juraj Slafkovsky who scored the first goal, while playing alongside his usual teammates, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.

Le premier trio du 🔵⚪️🔴 retrouve ses repères! pic.twitter.com/ATs5X6qWak

— TVA Sports (@TVASports) September 18, 2025

As for hints that would give us an idea of Martin St-Louis’ plans once the regular season opens on October 8, we can look to the defensive groups to anticipate the potential pairings.

Kaiden Guhle and Lane Hutson headline Group A, Alex Carrier, Jayden Struble, and Arber Xhekaj were in Group B, while Noah Dobson and Mike Matheson were placed in Group C.

A lot can change between now and early October, but based on the groupings, it does seem like the seven players we anticipated would end up on the blue line have the inside track, which means prospects such as Adam Engstrom and David Reinbacher have their work cut out for them. On that note, Engstrom was one of the prospects who stood out on Day 1, as well as Vinzenz Rohrer and Owen Beck.

It should also be noted that Kirby Dach was surrounded by Ivan Demidov and Patrik Laine, and though he wasn’t the fastest player on the ice, his skating seemed perfectly fine. His cardio, on the other hand, needs improvement, but that’s par for the course given that he’s missed a lot of time.

First Impressions

Newcomer Zachary Bolduc mostly played with Beck and Alex Newhook, a line that featured fantastic pace, not to mention an endless motor powering an impressive effort level from all three players.

Camp invitee Mark Estapa continued to remind everyone that he’s willing to outwork all his opponents, the exact type of attitude you want to see from a player looking to make a name for himself.

Friday will feature another scrimmage, with Group B practising prior to the game that will feature Group A and Group C.

Group A
Forwards

Vincent Arseneau

Samuel Blais

Kirby Dach

Laurent Dauphin

Ivan Demidov

Will Dineen

Joe Dunlap

Egor Gurionov

Oliver Kapanen

Patrik Laine

Tyler Thorpe

Luke Tuch

Joe Veleno

Florian Xhekaj

Defencemen

Marc Del Gazio

Kaiden Guhle

Lane Hutson

Darick Louis-Jean

Charles Martin

Owen Protz

David Reinbacher

Group B
Forwards

Josh Anderson

Owen Beck

Zachary Bolduc

Jared Davidson

Mark Estapa

Jake Evans

Brendan Gallagher

Riley Kidney

Alex Newhook

Xavier Simoneau

Defencemen

Alexandre Carrier

Nathan Clurman

Jayden Struble

Arber Xhekaj

Ryan O’Rourke

Group C
Forwards

Alex Belzile

Cole Caufield

Lucas Condotta

Sean Farrell

Filip Mesar

Israel Mianscum

Vinzenz Rohrer

Joshua Roy

Juraj Slafkovsky

Nick Suzuki

Defencemen

Noah Dobson

Adam Engstrom

Mike Matheson

Tobie Paquette-Bisson

Wyatte Wylie