The Montreal Canadiens are about to open rookie camp on Friday, September 11, and while this year’s group doesn’t come with the same headliners as recent editions, there’s still plenty to watch when the kids hit the ice.
The camp gets rolling at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard before the prospects head into exhibition games against Winnipeg Jets prospects on Saturday night and Ottawa Senators prospects on Sunday night in Gatineau. In all, 23 players will take part.
This time around, the Canadiens won’t have some of their biggest names in the mix. European leagues are already underway, college players are back on campus in the United States, and the team is also holding back players with multiple pro seasons behind them.
That means no Michael Hage, L.J. Mooney, Alexander Zharovsky or Gleb Pugachyov, and no repeat rookie-camp appearances for David Reinbacher, Owen Beck, Jacob Fowler, Florian Xhekaj or Adam Engstrom.
Even without the star power of last year’s camp, there are still a few players who could make an impression right away. Three stand out.
Tyler Thorpe is the kind of player you notice before he even touches the puck. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound winger was a fifth-round pick by Montreal in the 2024 NHL Draft, and his appeal has always been tied to size and physical edge more than flash.
He was passed over in the 2023 NHL Draft, then responded with 23 goals and 44 points in 51 games for the Vancouver Giants. After the Canadiens picked him, he went back to junior and put up 27 goals and 52 points in 68 games.
Last season was his first with the Laval Rocket, where he finished with four goals and 16 points in 68 games. At 21 and already with a year of pro hockey under his belt, Thorpe should have a chance to bully his way into the conversation at camp.
He may not turn heads with skill, but he has the frame to look like a man among boys.
Luke Mittelstadt brings a very different look. The Canadiens took him in the seventh round of the 2023 NHL Draft after he had already been passed over once, and he had just represented the United States at the 2023 World Juniors, where he recorded three points in seven games.
Mittelstadt spent four seasons at the University of Minnesota and carved out a reputation as a dependable two-way defender. He posted at least 18 points in each of those four college seasons, played between 36 and 40 games every year, wore the captain’s “C” last season and averaged nearly 27 minutes per game, third most among all college hockey players.
He also finished last season with the Rocket, picking up five points in nine games and two assists in five AHL playoff games. At 23, he’s the oldest player in this camp, and his game should reflect that.
Then there’s Alexey Vlasov, the undrafted invite who could turn some heads anyway. The 18-year-old Russian winger wasn’t selected in the 2026 NHL Draft, but his offensive numbers from last season demand attention.
In his first QMJHL season and second year in North America, he piled up 80 points, tying him for ninth in the league with recent first-round pick Justin Carbonneau. His 44 goals were fourth in the league, powered by a shot that clearly plays.
He didn’t even turn 18 until February, which made him the most productive player in the league at his age. The concern is size: he checks in at 5-foot-9 and 179 pounds.
Vlasov is headed back to the Victoriaville Tigres next season, where he’ll again skate alongside Egor Shilov, a Colorado Avalanche draft pick, before moving on to the University of Connecticut. He can sign an entry-level contract with Montreal before the season begins, and if he shows enough skill this week, the Canadiens may decide he’s worth bringing into the fold.
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