There have been significant changes in the junior hockey landscape, and there’s no doubt they will have an impact on several Montreal Canadiens prospects.

Simply put, players will no longer lose their amateur status by playing in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), which means they can now make their way to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) after spending some time in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), or the Western Hockey League (WHL).

Prior to the rule change, players essentially had to commit to one league, which limited their options moving forward. Signing an ELC while in the CHL automatically led to prospects no longer being eligible to play in the NCAA.

On the surface, this is a win for the NCAA, but it will also give some CHL players an opportunity to flourish, as ice time should be more bountiful seeing as several high-end players have already made the jump to collegiate hockey. It also means some players will move from the United States Hockey League (USHL) to the CHL, prior to heading to the NCAA, as the CHL is still considered a better league.

For example, Canadiens draft pick Bryce Pickford (D) is set to play for the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), a team that was loaded with top-tier talent. However, since the rule change was announced, Gavin McKenna, Cayden Lindtsrom, and Ryder Ritchie opted to join NCAA teams, connoting that there should be an overabundance of ice time available for Pickford. On the flip side, it also means Pickford will play with teammates who aren’t as talented as previously assumed, which may lead to a trade down the road.

Expect this to affect #GoHabsGo prospect Bryce Pickford

Medicine Hat is losing Gavin McKenna, Cayden Lindtsrom, and Ryder Ritchie to the NCAA

Wiesblatt turning pro

Maybe the same for St Martin

I’m eyeing Kelowna as they gear up for the Memorial Cup

— Costa Rontzocos (@Rontzeeez) July 8, 2025

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

A Canadiens prospect has already gone down the CHL to NCAA route, with freshly-drafted goaltender Alexis Cournoyer leaving the Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL) to join Cornell (NCAA). Fellow netminder Arseni Radkov will play for Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL) in the upcoming season, but he has already committed to playing for the University of Massachusetts (NCAA) the following year.

Expect more changes as the leagues adjust to the new realities of junior hockey.

As for the remaining Montreal Canadiens prospects set to develop in the CHL, there are two players who tend to garner most of my attention.

The first being violent defenceman Owen Protz, picked 102nd overall by the Habs in 2024. Protz received an invitation to Team Canada’s Summer Showcase, playing alongside fellow Canadiens prospect Michael Hage. He was mostly used as a seventh defenceman, and there are no guarantees he’ll make his way to the official roster, but it was still a feather in the cap for the 19-year-old blue liner.

ON TOPIC: The Supersonic Canadiens Prospect Michael Hage

Even if Protz signed an amateur tryout with the Laval Rocket at the end of the 2024-25 season, he’s still too young to join the Rocket in a full-time capacity, which means he will spend the 2025-26 season with the Brantford Bulldogs (OHL).

Hayden Paupanekis, drafted 69th overall in 2025, has the type of frame that led to a lot of interest from NHL teams at the Entry Draft. On that note, the Canadiens moved up in the draft, to ensure they could nab the talented centre. Standing at 6’5″, Paupanekis is a good skater, and not just because most players of his stature tend to be below-average skaters. He’s a good skater, full stop.

The 18-year-old forward will play for the Kelowna Rockets, which means he’s guaranteed to participate in the Memorial Cup, given that Kelowna will host the tournament.

It’s the perfect setting for a player who possesses a very raw skill set that needs finessing.

MUST READ: Canadiens Prospect Rankings – The Towering Hayden Paupanekis

As you’ve realized by now, the Canadiens don’t have a laundry-list of players in the CHL, but I’d guard against using the rule change as the lone driving force. Montreal had very few CHL prospects in the system last season, before the rule change took place.

Andrew MacNeil (Kitchener Rangers, OHL), and Carlos Handel (Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL), are the final drafted players who will play in the CHL. MacNeil is your typical defensive defenceman, while Handel profiles as a puck-moving blue liner, as evidenced by his point-per-game production rate while serving as Germany’s U-18 captain.

Montreal Canadiens Prospect Statistics Via Elite Prospects.