The NCAA will wrap up the regular season this up coming weekend, but for some schools the playoffs will be getting underway at the same time as the ECAC and CCHA have their best of 3 series linedup. First round draft pick Louis Leblanc will get his first NCAA playoff action in next weekend while fellow '09 draft pick Dustin Walsh is in the same boat, making his debut in the postseason.

When the current CBA went into effect after the NHL lockout, one change saw the Entry Draft go from nine rounds down to seven, leaving some sixty players each year that would have been selected as free agents. While Trevor Timmins and his staff have done a very good job finding NHLers with their picks, they also have been able to find some potential hidden gems via free agency in players that were passed over in the draft.

Trevor Timmins and his staff should be very pleased with the way things have gone so far this year for their most recent draft class as Louis Leblanc, Mac Bennett, Alexander Avtsin, and Gabriel Dumont are all enjoying successful starts this season.

Once again it's that time of year again, as Boxing Day quickly approaches, fans will get to see one of the best hockey tournaments around as the World Junior Championships get underway this weekend. Habs fans along with Trevor Timmins and his staff will be in attendance to keep an eye for their past and future draft picks. Both Danny Kristo and Joonas Nättinen will make their second appearance for Team USA and Team Finland while Maxim Trunev makes his debut for Team Russia. The Habs could have one more player, as Petteri Similä awaits the final three cuts.

The Hamilton Bulldogs finished last season on a sour note, losing in the 1st round of the playoffs after finishing 2nd in the AHL in wins in what was a very good year for the Bulldogs, led in large part by their abomorally large group of rookies. (Maxwell, Desharnais, Pacioretty, Weber, Trotter, Desjardins, and Latendresse with Conboy joining after the midway point).

Leblanc Shines in NCAA Debut

Part II A New Era?

In Part II we take a look at how Trevor Timmins and his staff have faired at the draft over the past three years. There have been mixed results from the first four draft classes that Timmins has been around, yeilding some promsing talent but if some of the big name picks like Carey Price, Andrei Kostitsyn, and others don't pan out as hoped, then Timmins draft record from those years will likely end up being more about who he didn't pick, over who he did.

Part I

In taking a look at how the Habs have faired at the draft table since Trevor Timmins took over as head scout in 2003, Hab fans will have mixed reviews for several reasons.

When the team with the richest history in the sport is in an on going drought for the longest time in between Stanley Cup's (16 years and counting), your going to get a lot of pissed off Hab fans. If fans want to point the figure, it should first start back with the management from the mid '90's to see how we ended up where we are now.

The 2009-2010 seaon is officially underway in the NCAA for some schools, and for the Montreal Canadiens they will have their largest crop of collegiate prospects with a total of ten players in the top four conferences. With 1st round draft picks Louis Leblanc and David Fischer as well as the Habs first pick of the 2008 draft Danny Kristo among others look to enjoy a successful season and another step in their development.