The Montreal Canadiens only have a handful of prospects who will play in Western Europe next season, for teams in Switzerland (NL), Sweden (SHL), and Finland (Liiga).
Even though Russia is considered part of Europe, we have omitted the prospects set to play in the KHL, VHL, and MHL from this particular article, as there are enough players in the mix to warrant a standalone article.
Switzerland – Vinzenz Rohrer
All things considered, Vinzenz Rohrer’s development in Switzerland has gone according to plan, with the 20-year-old Austrian native emerging as a hard-working forward for the Zurich Lions, where he has gained important professional experience playing for the back-to-back Swiss champions. He also managed to put his hands on the Champions League Hockey trophy last season, making it the epitome of a successful year from a team standpoint.
At the time of publication, it was unclear whether Rohrer would end up playing in Montreal or Zurich next season, but we do know he will not start the season in the AHL, with the Laval Rocket.
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There’s still a chance that he may be able to convince the Canadiens that he’s worthy of an NHL roster spot, but the contingency plan involves him returning to the Lions, rather than spending the year in Laval. Given that he was not a first-round pick, he can’t be loaned to the Rocket before December 1 without first being offered to Zurich.
This may rub some the wrong way, especially if they believe Rohrer must accumulate more North American experience before he’s ready to play in the NHL, but I’d argue that the Lions are one of the premiere teams in Europe, and that there’s very little to complain about when it comes to their handling of the Canadiens prospect.
He’s spent most of his time in the NL on the third line, where he has managed to score 22 goals and 22 assists in 102 games over the course of two seasons, with a few of the goals being of the highlight-reel variety.
Sweden – Filip Eriksson And Rasmus Bergqvist
Admittedly, I didn’t spend much time watching Eriksson in the SHL or HockeyAllsvenskan last season, which means I’m particularly comfortable offering a strong opinion on his potential.
I like to watch, at the very least, 10 games from a prospect before putting ink to paper, and even then, it’s just an introduction to their overall value. It’s important to watch more than a few games before coming to a conclusion, because just like us, some hockey players have bad days, months, or even years. To form a properly informed opinion, you have to put the time in, which is always a challenge when the prospect is playing in Europe. This is made even more complicated when most of the team’s prospects are in the USHL, NCAA, or CHL, leagues that are mostly in my timezone.
The good news is that the 20-year-old forward is off to a great start in preseason action, as well as Champions League Hockey play. He scored two goals and two assists for Luleå HF in three preseason games, not to mention back-to-back goals while facing EV Zug and SC Bern in the CHL.
No, not that CHL, the other CHL!
Eriksson will be joined in the SHL by fellow Canadiens prospect Rasmus Bergqvist. The defenceman was picked 224th overall in 2022, and is set to play his second season with Skellefteå’s SHL club. Bergqvist split his time last season between playing in the SHL and the U-20 league.
Finland – Aatos Koivu
As the son of one of the most popular players in recent Canadiens history, there’s no doubt fans are paying close to attention to Aatos Koivu’s development.
Shockingly, Koivu plays for TPS Turku (Liiga), and by shockingly, I actually mean it was beyond predictable, as the Koivus have a long history with the organization. Both Saku and Mikko played for TPS, with Saku serving as the team owner from 2007 to 2022.
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It’s only fair to say 2024-25 was not a banner year for Aatos, as a bout of mononucleosis kept him out of action for a considerable stretch. He also had a spleen issue, with further complicated his Draft+1 season. In the end, Koivu only participated in 31 games, scoring 1 goal and 7 assists in the process.
His fortunes seem to have improved in recent months. Not only has he stayed healthy, Koivu was one of the best players in the World Junior Summer Showcase, and he even had time to mix it up with fellow Canadiens prospect Michael Hage, who also had an excellent tournament.
A little confidence can go a long way, especially if a player is already imbued with the strength provided to most Finns by Sisu.