Former Cleveland Monster Cliff Pu has signed with the Sheffield Steelers of the EIHL, the club announced yesterday. 

“I’d never thought of the UK to play hockey” said Pu in a Steelers press release. “Then when the opportunity came up I started doing some research and realized this was a great opportunity to play for a winning franchise as well as being able to my get education with the University."

Pu was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Markus Nutivaara on October 8, 2020, in what many believed was a salary dump due to an internal cap placed on the team during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Pu was the main player involved in the Jeff Skinner to the Buffalo Sabres traded in 2018. Pu was a third round pick of the Sabres in 2016. 

Pu was never able to make it into the NHL, but he did play 16 games for the Monsters during the 2020-21 season. He scored 3 goals and 10 points. He played 79 total games in the AHL and had his best season while playing for Cleveland. 

Pu would leave North America in 2021 and head to the KHL, where he played for three seasons before moving to Slovakia and Switzerland. 

Let us know what you think below.

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Former Blue Jackets Forward Still Looking For New ContractFormer Columbus Blue Jackets forward Jack Roslovic is still looking for a new place to call home.  Recapping The Metro Division Free Agency & SigningsEveryone knows that the NHL's Metropolitan Division is an absolute meat grinder. Every year, people wonder when teams like the Capitals, Penguins, and Hurricanes will take a step back.  Former Blue Jackets Forward Retires After 13 SeasonsFormer Columbus Blue Jackets forward Riley Nash has decided to retire from the NHL after 13 seasons, he announced on Tuesday. 

There was an equal amount of shock and awe to go around for those following the Florida Panthers free agency situation this offseason.

Somehow, Florida General Manager Bill Zito was able to retain all three of Florida’s big pending unrestricted free agents: Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand.

To his credit, Zito was quick to give all the props to the players themselves.

It was the players, after all, who decided against hitting the open market and taking a deal for (probably) much less money to stay with the Panthers.

Bennett signed an eight-year deal worth $64 million that carries an average annual value (AAV) of $8 million, Ekblad signed for $48.8 million over eight years, carrying a $6.1 million AAV, and Marchand inked six-year deal that will pay $31.5 million and carry a $5.25 million AAV.

The contract that some are pushing back against is Marchand’s.

While it’s not breaking any rules, the contract will expire when the veteran forward is 43 years old.

One of those voicing their opinion is THN Toronto’s David Alter. You can check out his thoughts in the social media post and video below:

6 YEARS FOR MARCHAND!? 😳@dalter breaks it all down & gives his thoughts on the deal! 👀 pic.twitter.com/8feGqqhTr6

— Bodog (@BodogCA) July 8, 2025

“We all expected that (Marchand) would get multiple years, into those years where he may or may not play, but to 43 years of age? No one has played in the NHL at 43 as a forward since Jaromir Jagr in 2017-2018,” Alter said.

He does have a point. 

Is it impossible for a player to stay in the NHL until the age of 43? Of course not.

Is it common to see any player remain in the NHL around or past the age of 40? Of course not.

Hockey is an incredibly physically demanding sport that tests strength and endurance just as much as agility and grit.

It’s an all-around workout unlike any other sport.

Odds are, Marchand will hang up his skates before he reaches 43 years old.

If he does, and he’s healthy and simply retires, he wouldn’t receive whatever money was left on his contract. However, if he’s injured at some point, and that keeps him from playing, Florida could put Marchand on LTIR and he would continue getting paid without the money counting against the Panthers’ cap hit.

The way Marchand’s contract was constructed, he will earn $13.5 million over the first two years.

Every year of the deal has a base salary of $1 million, and the rest is paid out in the form of a signing bonus on every July 1.

This season came with a $6.5 million signing bonus and next season carries a $5 million signing bonus. The remaining four years each have a signing bonus of $3.5 million.

You can see how the contract dollars break down here, thanks to PuckPedia.

Ultimately, time will tell how much of Marchand’s contract he actually plays for, and gets paid for.

Until then, the debate will go on into whether deals like this should be permitted by the NHL.

It would be a difficult rule to set, as every player ages differently.

Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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Photo caption: Jun 3, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Florida Panthers centre Brad Marchand (62) is seen taking questions during media day in advance of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. (Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images)

The Anaheim Ducks held their annual development camp from June 30 to July 2. This year’s camp was shorter than the last couple of years, typically a five-day camp concluding with a 3v3 scrimmage.

The camp is used more as an instrument that allows newly drafted prospects to familiarize themselves with the organization, meet staff and potential future teammates, and take a nugget or two back home to train for the summer before rookie camp begins in Sept.

Though most of the drills are done at half or three-quarter speed and don’t necessarily simulate game situations, players were available to the media, and there were on-ice takeaways to be had from each player.

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The Ducks selected Beckett Sennecke with the third overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The pick came as a surprise to most, including Sennecke himself, who gave one of the most genuinely shocked reactions after hearing his name called by NHL and Ducks legend Scott Niedermayer.

Sennecke went on to dazzle during his draft-plus-one season, quickly silencing many who doubted his selection that high in the draft. Despite producing at a torrid pace, initially being omitted from Canada’s World Junior selection camp, gaining an invitation shortly after, and ultimately not making the team, Sennecke seemed to use that rejection as motivation and continued to grow and refine his game during his third full junior season.

Ducks director of amateur scouting and assistant general manager Martin Madden sat down with The Hockey News’ Anaheim Ducks site in May to discuss Sennecke and a myriad of prospects in the organization.

“Really well. I think we're all very pleased with his development. He had to deal with a lot from the start, from the draft on,” Madden said when asked about Sennecke’s 2024-25. “So, lots of different ways that he had to adapt and become aware of his own reactions and his own emotions related to everything.

“Off-ice reactions, on-ice. How do you deal with the spotlight? How do you deal with (being left off the World Juniors squad)? How do you rebound after that? How do you lead your team in the playoffs? How do you come back from injury? He grew as a person, he grew as a prospect. He had a terrific season.”

Sennecke finished his 2024-25 campaign with 86 points (36-50=86) in 56 regular season games for the Oshawa Generals of the OHL and added 32 points (14-18=32) in 18 playoff games en route to a second consecutive finals appearance against the London Knights. Sennecke, once again, saved his best hockey for last, and when it mattered most, elevating his impact on a shift-by-shift basis, constantly involving himself in plays throughout the entire 200-foot ice surface, and tactically manipulating defenders with superior skill and processing ability.

There isn’t much more, if any, room for Sennecke to grow his game at the CHL level, and there isn’t much more to learn at that level. He’s in an unfortunate position, as his Jan. 2006 birthday means he won’t be eligible to play in the AHL during the 2025-26 season. Despite the new CHL/NCAA agreement that has allowed several CHL stars to further their careers playing in college, Sennecke is ineligible for that as well, as he signed his three-year ELC with the Ducks during the Ducks’ 2024 development camp.

Sennecke will either have to play for the Ducks or head back to the CHL for his 2025-26 season. Madden seems to believe that the only aspect of his game that is holding him back from a full-time role in the NHL is of the physical variety, that his skill, compete, and IQ levels are there.

“He's close. He's one really good summer away from being able to compete physically with NHL players, in my mind,” Madden said. “There's no doubt he's got the talent to make the jump. Now, he just needs to seize the opportunity, and that comes with pressure. Let’s see what the team looks like in September, October, and where he fits at that point. It's his to take, I think.”

At this point in the summer, with the additions of Chris Kreider and Mikael Granlund, the Ducks' top nine forward group looks full and may leave Sennecke on the outside looking in unless there’s an injury between now and the start of the season or one of the players currently listed in the top-nine is given and accepts a role on the fourth line.

Given what we saw at development camp (which again, isn’t telling of where a player is developmentally in terms of game situations), Sennecke seems physically ready or extremely close to physically ready enough to challenge for one of those top-nine spots on the Ducks roster. Adding strength has been an area of emphasis for him since he departed Ducks’ training camp in the Fall of 2024, and he’s seemed to physically and mentally grow into his now 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame.

“I think I got a lot better at puck protection. I feel like I got a lot stronger (since) last summer and I was able to keep guys on my him and create more time and space for myself with the puck,” Sennecke said. “Something I can still improve on is my quick release. I think I try and get so much on my shot and get the perfect shot. When you’re shooting on bigger NHL goalies, it’s going to be something you can’t do. It's more quick over power, and if you can do both, you’re going to be a good goal scorer.”

Refining a shot and learning how to score on NHL goaltenders is a luxury problem to have in one’s development on a macro level in just their second summer after being drafted into the NHL. With a few more months of strength training, the doubt that Sennecke will at least begin the season in the NHL with the Ducks will have further shrunk exponentially.

He can play a maximum of nine NHL games before a year is spent off his ELC. Teams can send players in his situation to the AHL for conditioning stints, like the Seattle Kraken did with Shane Wright in his draft-plus-one year, before ultimately sending them back to junior.

The onus will be on Sennecke to play well enough (too well) for the Ducks not to keep him in the NHL all season. Judging by how he utilizes and is fueled by challenges, as displayed by his playoff performances and how he played after being omitted from the World Junior Championship roster, smart money would be on Sennecke rising to the occasion and playing the entirety of his 2025-26 season in the NHL.

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Canadian forward Cliff Pu, 27, has signed a one-year contract with the Sheffield Steelers, the EIHL club announced on Thursday.

“I’d never thought of the U.K. to play hockey,” Pu is quoted. “Then when the opportunity came up, I started doing some research and realized this was a great opportunity to play for a winning franchise as well as being able to my get education with the university.”

“Cliff is coming in with a extremely high skill set,” said Steelers coach Aaron Fox. “He skates at an elite level and has played in some top leagues. Cliff is a natural center that can play both wing positions as well. His game will translate here to being a really productive player that I think will be able to help our PP and play a top-six role.”

As a junior, Pu played in the OHL and was a member of the London Knights 2015-16 Memorial Cup championship team. He was spotlighted by The Hockey News that spring as a potential first-round draft pick and ended up going in the third round, 69th overall, to the Buffalo Sabres. He followed up his draft season with 86- and 84-point seasons – the latter split between London and the Kingston Frontenacs.

Pu spent the better part of three seasons in the AHL while in the organizations of the Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets before signing with Kunlun Red Star – a Chinese-based club in the KHL – in 2021.

While many Kunlun players quickly became naturalized Chinese citizens and played for the national team, Pu’s arrival was too soon before the 2022 Beijing Olympics for this to happen. He played two and a half seasons with the Chinese-based team before transferring to Russian-based Admiral Vladivostok midway through 2023-24. In three KHL seasons, Pu recorded 41 points in 109 games.

Former Sabres draft pick Cliff Pu leaves KHL for SlovakiaCliff Pu, a 26-year-old Canadian forward, has spent the past four seasons in the KHL. On Thursday, however, Slovak club Dukla Michalovce announced the signing of the Buffalo Sabres’ third-round pick from 2016.

Pu split the 2024-25 season between Dukla Michalovce of the Slovak Extraliga and HC La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland’s second-tier league.

Pu joins a Steelers team that is used to success – they have not finished worse than third in the past six seasons. The team includes British national team captain Robert Dowd, who is also the EIHL’s all-time scoring leader.

Describing himself, Pu said, “Firstly I love to win, I work hard and I’m fast, I try and use my speed, I’ve always focused on power skating, and that has helped me create offense for my self and teammates.”

Photo © Kim Klement-Imagn Images: Cliff Pu, playing a pre-season game for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2018, being checked by Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Robert Dowd Is British League’s All-Time Scoring LeaderOn Saturday night, the Sheffield Steelers defeated the visiting Glasgow Clan 6-3 in EIHL action. Captain Robert Dowd scored to break a 2-2 tie early in the third period and in doing so, recorded his 740^th career point – a new league record.

A former Toronto Maple Leafs player, with a brief history with the club, has called it a career. Riley Nash told the Western Canadian news outlet Castanet that he is retiring from professional hockey after 628 games in which he registered 63 goals and 113 assists.

“It is definitely something weird to say, and it hasn’t really sunk in yet, even though I basically had all of last year away from the rink, this year will still be weird,” Nash told the news site. “This is all I’ve done and focused on for the past 30 years, but now is the time to end this chapter (or book) and look at what’s next.”

The 36-year-old played for eight different NHL clubs, including the Maple Leafs; however, none of those aforementioned games were regular-season contests with the Blue and White. The Maple Leafs acquired Nash from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick in April of 2021. He was injured at the time with a knee sprain, but that didn’t deter the Leafs from acquiring him.

On the contrary, the Leafs were able to add the player and effectively use his entire $2.75 million in salary cap space within the long-term injured reserve pool. This strategy helped them acquire additional players like then-Jackets captain Nick Foligno and goaltender David Rittich in other trades. Nash healed up in time for the playoffs and dressed in two of the club’s seven games in their first-round loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

Nash himself found humor in it when he addressed the Toronto media for the first time ahead of the playoffs, saying, “It was definitely unique.”

While the Nash acquisition demonstrated creative cap management, new changes to the NHL's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) will impact how teams can utilize similar strategies in the future. With the NHL ratifying its new CBA, there will be a playoff salary cap for the 20 players dressed on the ice. Additionally, the amount of cap space a team will get for a player on LTIR will be equal to the prior season’s average.

Not that the Leafs couldn’t do this again with another player of Nash’s type, but such moves may become more complex under the new rules. Nash’s tenure in Toronto was more memorable for the craftiness of the front office rather than the player’s effectiveness on the ice.

Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Marlies Sign Five Players, Including Four Players From Past Maple Leafs Development CampsThe Toronto Marlies have made more additions to their club ahead of next season. Ex-Maple Leafs Assistant Dave Hakstol Lands New NHL Coaching JobDave Hakstol is back behind an NHL bench. 'Mitchy Earned The Right To Go Wherever He Wants': Ryan Reaves Discusses Marner’s Depature And Time Spent With The Marlies Last SeasonBefore Toronto Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves calls it a career, he hopes to hit the milestone of 1,000 games.

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Juraj Pekarcik already spent one year in North America in 2023-24, after making the jump from Europe to begin his trek towards making it to the NHL when the St. Louis Blues selected the forward in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft.

The 19-year-old spent a season in Dubuque of the United States Hockey League, and although it was a successful season (nine goals, 50 assists; 43 games) for the 6-foot-1, 183-pound wing, making the decision to play junior hockey turned out to be even more beneficial.

Pekarcik, with the help from his agent Gerry Johansson, who collaborated with the Blues to get Pekarcik to play for Moncton of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League and not only did Pekarcik's game grow, he played important minutes for a side that won the QMJHL and competed for the Memorial Cup.

They were important games and important roles that Pekarcik grew into well.

"I feel like it was a great season for us, for the team," Pekarcik said last week at Blues development camp, his third and final one. "We won the (QMJHL) championship so a great experience for me. I learned from the year. I wish we could (have won) the Memorial Cup, but it was a great season.

"It was a pleasure for me to play in the Mem Cup. It was a great experience, and the teams were really good. London and Medicine Hat. I wish we could have been better and won the Mem Cup, but it was a great experience."

Pekarcik, who has also played for Slovakia in the past two U20 World Junior Championships, would greatly benefit from his one season with the Wildcats, finishing with 67 points (24 goals, 43 assists) in 53 regular-season games and a plus-34 rating; he would add 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists in 19 playoff games, helping Moncton win the title for the first time since 2009-10; he was a teammate of Caleb Desnoyers, who was selected by the Utah Mammoth with the No. 4 pick in the 2025 draft.

"I feel like I grow a lot," Pekarcik said. "I improved a lot of things in my game. The coaches there in Moncton helped me a lot, really a lot. I improved in the D-zone most probably. That's what I needed the most. I'm trying to improve everything. My shots on goals. Last year I had nine goals, this (past) year I had 24, so I think I improved that. I'm so happy for it.

"Yeah, it was a great move. It was. It was my agent and St. Louis Blues decision, and I was so happy for it. It was a great year for me, great year."

But as much as good times last, they also come to an end and a new chapter opens. For Pekarcik, it's time to turn pro; he will be at main training camp once again, and depending on his performance while in St. Louis, it will determine where his playing address will be for 2025-26.

"Yes, I'm always ready," Pekarcik said. "It was always my dream. I hope I'm going to make it. I can't wait.

"I feel like I need to play more physical during games and I'm going to try and improve that for sure, but overall, everything I need to improve and to be the best if I want to be in the NHL, so I'll do everything to be an NHL player one day."

As is the case with all their prospects, management will not rush the forward, but they recognized the success he had in his only season of junior hockey and realize the next step is necessary.

"Yeah, he had a great year," Blues assistant general manager Tim Taylor said. "They raved about his character. His teammates loved him. He was really good in the playoffs for them. He was the type of kid that plays really big in big games, hard-nosed and has a nose for the net. We're excited for him. Obviously a steppingstone. This (was) his third camp. He's going to turn pro this year, and we have a lot of young kids turning pro this year so we're excited with that.

"Obviously he'll be coming to training camp and make a big impression on us. We expect him to turn pro and have a good year."

Pekarcik is likely to begin the season in Springfield of the American Hockey League but seeing how he's progressed each step the Blues have laid out for him will only fuel his fire since he will be one step away from the pinnacle of his dreams.

But in the meantime, he was able to enjoy another strong development camp, with many of the prospects that have the same aspirations as he does.

"I was so happy to come again," Pekarcik said. "It was a great experience. It's a pleasure for me to be here again. I'm so thankful. I just want(ed) to enjoy this one more time, the boys. I'm so happy here. I've learned so much from being here for these.

"I'm going to make it. I'll do everything I possibly can to be here. This is the next step, I have to be my best."

The Toronto Marlies' home opener has been revealed.

The American Hockey League announced on Wednesday that Toronto's first home game will be played on Oct. 11 inside Coca-Cola Coliseum against the division rival Rochester Americans. The AHL will release the entire season schedule on Thursday.

The announcement comes one day after Toronto made a second batch of AHL signings. On Tuesday, the Marlies signed Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, Ben King, and Nick Rheaume to one-year AHL contracts, while also re-signing Marko Sikic and defenceman Ryan McCleary to one-year deals.

Rheaume, who just finished his third year of college, attended Maple Leafs development camp this summer. Four of the five players who signed AHL deals with Toronto on Tuesday previously participated in the organization's development camp.

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The Marlies also had a round of signings on Monday, inking former Marlie Marc Johnstone to a two-year AHL contract. Johnstone departed the organization in 2023 after signing an entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He made his NHL debut with the club on Dec. 8, 2023.

Toronto also added Ken Appleby on a one-year contract, while also re-signing Reese Johnson.

Appleby primarily spent last season with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers, posting a .910 save percentage in 24 games. The veteran goaltender had six shutouts, the second-most in the AHL last season. Appleby last played an NHL game during the 2023-24 season with the New York Islanders.

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Johnson is coming off a season where he played three NHL games with the Minnesota Wild and the rest with the club's AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. In 49 games with Iowa, Johnson scored four goals and nine assists for 15 points. He played six games with the Marlies, scoring one assist after being acquired by the Maple Leafs at the trade deadline in exchange for future considerations.

The Marlies saw several departures this summer, including Topi Niemela, Roni Hirvonen, and Zach Solow, who signed in Europe; Matt Murray, now with the Seattle Kraken; Alex Steeves, with the Boston Bruins; Nick Abruzzese, with the Tampa Bay Lightning; and Kyle Clifford, whose playing career could be over after he was a coach at Toronto's development camp.

The Marlies' season concluded after two straight losses to the Cleveland Monsters in the North Division First Round of the Calder Cup playoffs.

(Top photo of Logan Shaw: Christian Bonin / TSGphoto.com via Toronto Marlies)

The 2019 draft was a good one for the NHL and for the Montreal Canadiens. The Habs had the 15th overall pick and couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw that USNTDP’s scorer Cole Caufield was sliding because of his small size. Fans watching the draft were telling themselves not to get too excited because, sure, his slide would stop before the 15th overall pick. Still, the Florida Panthers selected Spencer Knight, and the Philadelphia Flyers opted for Cam York, allowing Montreal to grab Caufield with the 15th overall pick.

Looking back at this draft today and how productive some players have been, chances are, a few teams wouldn’t have drafted the way they did. It’s fascinating to compare the top 10 picks with the top 10 scorers today; the Canadiens are one of the winners of that draft. Six years later, they have three of the top 10 scorers.

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Here are the top 10 picks of that draft:

1. Jack Hughes – New Jersey Devils

2. Kaapo Kakko – New York Rangers

3. Kirby Dach – Chicago Blackhawks

4. Bowen Byram – Buffalo Sabres

5. Alex Turcotte – Los Angeles Kings

6. Moritz Seider – Detroit Red Wings

7. Dylan Cozens – Buffalo Sabres

8. Philip Broberg – Edmonton Oilers

9. Trevor Zegras – Anaheim Ducks

10. Vasily Podkolzin – Vancouver Canucks

Interestingly, seven of the first 10 picks are no longer with the teams that drafted them. Kakko is now in Seattle, Dach is in Montreal, Byram is in Buffalo (although that may change soon), Cozens is in Ottawa, Broberg has signed an offer sheet to join the St. Louis Blues, Zegras is now with Philadelphia, and Podkolzin is also in St. Louis.

It’s not necessarily because they all flopped; six of those ten players are also part of the top 10 point scorers of the draft. One of the three who stayed with his original team, however, isn't. Without further ado, here’s the breakdown of the top 10.

1. Jake Hughes – New Jersey Devils

Hughes needed a few seasons, but he soon became something other than Quinn Hughes’ little brother. In his third full season in the league, he scored 68 points and hasn’t looked back since. Now, in 368 games, he has 351 points. By the time his career is over, he’s likely to be more than a point-per-game player. New Jersey has no reason to regret its pick and would do it all over again.

2. Matthew Boldy

He didn’t make the top ten at the draft, but he was pretty close, being drafted 12th overall by the Minnesota Wild. Now, he’s second in points from that draft class with 244 points in 285 games. Unsurprisingly, he remains with the team that initially selected him and turned out to be a much better pick than Kakko, who went second overall.

3. Cole Caufield

As mentioned earlier, he was the Canadiens’ pick at 15th overall, but in the top scorer standings, he advanced to third overall with 219 points in 287 games. Funnily enough, he’s now a teammate of the original third pick, Dach, and he has 98 points more than Dach, despite having played just 18 more games than Dach did. Dach made the jump right into the NHL, while the Canadiens instructed Caufield to stay in the NCAA for an extra year, and it looks like it was the right decision.

THE BELL CENTRE IS ROCKING 🔊

Kaiden Guhle with a THUNDEROUS hit then Cole Caufield buries right after 🔥
pic.twitter.com/rpdcyfC7aW

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) January 7, 2025

4. Dylan Cozens

The news is that Senator's center has put up 213 points in 362 games, all of which were played with a struggling Buffalo side, but the last 21, which is how long he’s been in Ottawa. He’s fared much better than original fourth-overall pick Byram, who’s got 110 points in 246 games split between the Colorado Avalanche and the Sabres.

5. Trevor Zegras

Say what you will about Zegras, but he does possess some offensive skills. His 186 points in 268 games make him the fifth-best scorer in the draft, two spots higher than where he was initially drafted. Meanwhile, the fifth overall pick, Turcotte, is nowhere to be seen on the top 10 scorers list; he’s only put up 29 points in 100 games with the Kings, and there’s room for improvement. This year was the first season he spent solely in the NHL.

6. Moritz Seider

Aside from Hughes, Seider is the only player who occupies the same rank in scoring as he was in the draft. The defender went sixth overall and has gathered 180 points in 328 games and a Calder Trophy to boot. The highest-scoring defenseman in the draft, the Wings really can’t complain.

7. Kaapo Kakko

The Rangers picked him second overall and eventually gave up on him, trading him to the Seattle Kraken for Will Borgen and a couple of draft picks (third round and sixth round in 2025). Still, his 161 points are the seventh-best total in the draft, and he achieved them in 379 games, the highest total of games played since the draft, indicating that he has remained healthy.

8. Matias Maccelli

The left winger was only drafted in the fourth round by the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes, but he somehow managed to become the eighth highest scorer in the draft with 130 points in just 224 games. He heard he was traded this Summer while playing a round of golf with friends. One of them saw news of the deal on the course and started screaming in excitement. Chances are, he’s one happy camper right now.

9. Alex Newhook

The second Canadiens player on the list was the 16th overall pick in the draft. He was claimed by the Colorado Avalanche right after the Habs grabbed Caufield, so he’s higher in the top ten list, which is a good thing. Still, in 296 games played, he’s gathered 126 points. That’s 0.43 points per game, which is quite a drop from Maccelli, who has a 0.58 average. This past season, Newhook put up just 26 points in 82 games, which is a significant regression compared to his 34 points in just 55 games the year before, but to be fair, he spent a lot of time on a line with Patrik Laine, who’s not that efficient at even strength.

10. Kirby Dach

Last and least (at least in terms of points), Dach, who was drafted third overall, falls to number 10 in the top 10 in points. In 269 games, he has 121 points, trailing Newhook by just five points, despite the latter having played 27 more games. If you look at it that way, it makes you wonder why Dach is getting so much flak compared to Newhook, and the answer there is probably because the expectations as to the capacity of being that top-two center were much higher towards Dach.

Still, it’s pretty remarkable that the Canadiens have three of the top 10 scorers of that draft, and if Newhook and Dach live up to their potential, it will be even more impressive. In a contract year and after having been publicly criticized at the end of season media availability, Dach should be eager to prove that he can be that second-line center and finally stay healthy. As for Newhook, a lot will depend on how the lines shake up, but in any case, they will be two forwards to keep an eye on this upcoming season.

Photo credit:  Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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