The Canadiens Have An Important Date On Saturday

With the draft fast approaching, the Gold Star Group is hosting its annual showcase at the Barwis Performance Centre in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The CEO and player agent, Daniel Milstein, has published his schedule on an Instagram story. On Saturday, June 21, the Montreal Canadiens are set to meet Russian prospect Alexander Zharovskyi.

The 6-foot-1 and 163-pound left-shot right winger is ranked fifth amongst European skaters by the NHL Central Scouting and has an explosive mix of skills, but is still trying to put it all together. He tends to rely on his skills and abilities, perhaps a bit too much at times, which can lead to turnovers that could have been avoided.

With his height, he needs to put on some weight and is in dire need of time in the gym to add some muscle, which would make him harder to take off the puck. He was dominant with Tolpar Ufa in the MHL, especially in the second half of the season. He started the year with only 6 points in 15 games, but he then exploded for 26 points in 18 games which lead to 50 points and 24 goals in just 45 games. Those numbers led all players under 18 years of age and he really forced the scouting world to take notice.

His offensive game is impressive not only in the opponent’s zone, but also in transition to launch the attack. At this stage of his development, it’s hard to evaluate what his ceiling could be, but he’s an intriguing package that could fit the Canadiens’ style of play in the Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton era. He looks like the kind of player who could benefit from a coach eager to teach like Martin St-Louis.

His ranking amongst scouting media varies, TSN’s Craig Button has him at number 36, McKeen’s Hockey ranks him at 43, while Dobber prospects has him at 42, but Recrutes puts him at 58. As for THN’s Ryan Kennedy, he is not enamoured with the prospect, ranking him 81st overall.

To make the trip to Florida, it seems the Canadiens are at least intrigued by the prospect and they do have two second-round picks, the round in which he’s most likely to come off the board. The Canadiens have pick number 41 thanks to the trade that sent Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick to the Pittsburgh Penguins in return for Casey De Smith, Jeff Petry, Nathan Legare and this pick. Montreal also has its own pick which comes at 49 overall.

It’s hard to predict how the draft will go down, but if Zharovskyi is still on the board when the Canadiens’ turn comes, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them gamble on this project of a prospect.