Return of the Nemspaper: Prospects Time!
September 13th, 2025 | WPG @ MTL: 4-3
Hi! It's been a while, hasn't it? I know I promised several months ago to do season retrospectives, and, uh, also cover the Habs playoff games which I should have done, that wasn't optional. Honestly, it was just SO overwhelming. Plus, not to pull the Real Life Card, but summer gets really busy for me where I work. Anyway! Enough of my excuses, let's get into it! There's not really a recap video for me to put in, so I'll just put in the post-game, which I also still need to watch. Let's do it together. Hopefully, there'll be an edited down version of the actual game stream. Which I thankfully didn't have to watch because... I was actually at the game!
So. There was a whole lot of hype from the start, and why not? It's been a theme all year, our bright and hopeful future. And from what I've seen today, that's not without reason, and yes, I am talking about more than just Ivan Demidov. That being said, he dominates a lot of the conversation (and a lot of the cheering), and again, it is justified. But we'll circle back to him—I want to talk about some other stuff first.
I will say I'm not one to be a pessimist, especially not during a game. I will always cheer for my side first and foremost. That being said, it was really obvious from the first moment that the Winnipeg Jets' roster of youngins was playing a lot tighter and cleaner than us. For the first half of the game, it didn't get them much anywhere in face of our overwhelming offence, but still. It was very noticeable to me. Of course, it's a prospect game, first of the, uh, pre-pre-season, I guess. The stakes could not be any lower and the players could not be any greener. But still, it's important to note that the Habs were playing a little sloppy, which just isn't sustainable when facing a team that feels like it's communicating better. And maybe that doesn't feel right, because the Habs manage to score TWICE the whole time I was thinking this to myself! If the Jets are good, why weren't they dominating from the get-go? Well, they had a looot of whiffs and misses, and for a good while were playing a lot more passively than us. Our aggression was definitely something we had going for us. Lots of offensive zone time, and our D-men, Reinbacher especially, were pretty on point (ha) in keeping the puck in.
But let's get into those two first goals, shall we? Because, without a single doubt in anyone in Montreal's mind, the highlight of tonight was none other than Ivan Demidov. He made those plays! He made them! The actual goals themselves were put in net by Xhekaj (and boy isn't it fun to have two of em...) and then Kapanen. But let's not get overly carried away talking about just Demidov here. Those two were playing excellently tonight, there was something genuinely kind of special about the Xhekaj-Kapanen-Demidov line. Something fun, too. Of all the lines rolled this game, they were by far the most productive and noticeable. I feel like Kapanen has taken big important steps forward in his confidence. It matters a lot! I think he's developed nicely, and I like that he feels so obviously important on this roster. And Florian Xhekaj, honestly, genuinely, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he ends up taking Emil's place on the 4th line this year. I like him. I know there were a couple people doubting if he'd still be quick enough with all the pounds he put on, but I didn't notice anything off from him. The kid's got huge potential to be an absolute menace, and I know folks tend to think of the Xhekajs are purely physical players, but Flo has that aggressive offence and bullheaded stubbornness PLUS a genuine spark of je-ne-sais-quoi that I like to see, especially in a forward.
Anyway. We were absolutely dominating the Jets in the offensive zone, but never in a way that I felt I could be comfortable saying "We're so much better than them" because I knew this play wasn't sustainable should the conditions change, and, well. They definitely did! Look. Let's not blame it all on Vecvanags here. The poor kid was just thrown to the wolves there! "For the balance of the contest" they switched Fowler out after 30 minutes which... fair. I guess. We still get to keep Demidov though? Okay, okay, for what it's worth, I think Vecvanags definitely got better as time went on in the game.
Still, it does mean that the Jets are able to catch up in no time flat, with two back-to-back goals. It was at this point that my exhaustion from waking up early and getting ready and having a thing of fries and popcorn started to settle in my stomach alongside the anxiety. The stake are so low, they might as well no exist, and yet. And yet! I was stressed out! It certainly didn't help that the Jets were finally starting to put their foot on the pedal, pressuring us offensively more. And again, like I said, while we continued to outshoot them all night, the Habs' aggressive play would not be sustainable unless they actually got results.
So, of course, the Jets get another one in the third.
It's very frustrating to watch a lead slip away, even in a game like this where you know that, internally, winning or losing doesn't matter as much as it does in the season. The Habs keep shooting their shot, it's equally frustrating to see the Jets' goalie slam the doors shut. We had many, many chances, but nothing ever came of it. Things start to slop up, so to speak. But I will say even still, I did like a lot of what I saw. We were still winning a lot of faceoffs, winning a decent amount of battles along the board, and I felt like our prospects still had their eyes on the prize. I didn't feel any sense of quit at any point, which really does matter.
I'll take a moment to note for you as well as a couple other prospects I didn't mention yet: Engstrom kept a good eye on the puck, used his stick to poke the puck away from the opponents smartly; him and Reinbacher were a solid first defence pairing, with Reinbacher having a bit more puck movement ability than I was kind of expecting, and of course a dogged determination to keep the puck in the O-zone. Owen Beck was playing well too, good skating from him taking the puck away. Owen Protz on the other hand was not a prospect I was familiar with, but well, now I definitely know him. Big hits is big good, but I do think some of them could use some cleaning up. Thorpe has some physicality to his game that I do enjoy. And I'm interested in seeing more from Mešar, Goriunov and Händel, I'll need to pay attention to them a little more tomorrow.
Anyway. As my energy levels were sinking further and further from the stress and queasiness, a light shone in the darkness, blindingly bright. Only two minutes left until we would lose 3-2, every muscle was clenched, but then—a breakaway. Florian Xhekaj shoves the puck backwards, right to the stick of Ivan Demidov, who skates powerfully to the net and, patient, waits the split second for the goalie to put his blocker down before he tucks the puck into the net, clean.
I. Went. Crazy. And so did everyone else! This guy, he's been making fools of the Jets all night. Play after play, move after move, everything out of him genuinely feels like a little miracle. He impressed me to the point of making a weird noise at a rate of like, at least once every eight minutes. He dekes, he tricks, he steals, he skates with purpose, he skates with power, he passes with incredible vision. When people were constantly cheering for him loudest and chanting his name earlier, I thought to myself, geez, maybe we shouldn't put so much pressure on such a young guy. He's still only just one kid, after all, we can't hype him up this much, lest we find ourselves with a handful of consequences! And while, objectively, I still think that's true... God, it's so impossible not to get wrapped up in it. He invites it, invites the love, the pressure, it seems, his arms open, calling out to the city that calls for him. And for a moment, I too was screaming DE-MI-DOV! DE-MI-DOV! DE-MI-DOV!
Unfortunately, this did not last. The Jets got the last laugh with another goal from Zhilkin, who was lowkey enemy number one this game. Nobody likes ending on a sour note, so I'll keep it optimistic. Because, well, I am. I am very optimistic about our future. It's really not that much of a difference. We were shooting the damn puck alright, just couldn't get them past the goalie as much as we could've.
I say the Olé-ing early jinxed it. I mean, come on. It was literally a one goal game. You can't olé that early!
So that's my Saturday! I had a real fun time, even if I was so exhausted by the end. Forgive me, then, that I can't really do a recap for the Canucks Prospect Showdown. I was on the metro, then I was getting a burger right before closing time, and then I was getting home. It was basically impossible to focus on a game that was already partway through, on my phone, with NO AUDIO. Beyond scuffed. Maybe you should wait for Nuckhead to review that one. À demain!
