In the last two NHL Entry Drafts, the Montreal Canadiens have selected a defensemen with their first pick, acquiring two very different types of blueliners in Nathan Beaulieu, and Jarred Tinordi, as one is known more for his offensive play while the other for his towering height mixed with a good physical and defensive game. Out of the 12 total picks the club had during the last two years, 7 were blueliners, showing that the scouting staff was keen on improving the depth on the backend. The team also brought in two defensemen over the summer, Alexei Emelin and Raphael Diaz, one a draft pick in 2004 and the other was a free agent pickup as both were able to jump into the NHL in their first season in North America.

The focus on defense appears to be paying off, as both Emelin and Diaz have faired well in the NHL and most of the D prospects are currently having career years in their respective leagues. The team has an impressive duo playing in the NCAA for the University of Michigan in Mac Bennett, and Greg Pateryn who both are enjoying successful seasons, and in the CHL Morgan Ellis is putting up impressive numbers for his final season before turning pro.

The Hamilton Bulldogs are at the half way point in the season in what has been an up and down ride as the Dogs struggled through injuries and callups which hampered them during a rough month of Novemeber but since getting back key players to the lineup have been playing much better of late. Two of the returning player, Andreas Engqvist and Aaron Palushaj have been leading the way offensively along with the newest Dog to be sent back Louis Leblanc. Hamilton currently is sitting 3rd in the division and 10th in the conference, as they are 3 points back of 2nd in the division and 8 points back of 1st but with 3 games in hand on the team that they are 3-1 so far this year with several more matches between them still to play.

The Montreal Canadiens have been forced to lean on their farm system this year as the injury bug has continued to be a problem for the club especially on the blueline as the team has dressed nine defensemen and once Andrei Markov returns he will be the 10th. The depth in the AHL appears to be thinner then it has in the past as the organization saw a smaller number of prospects turn pro since they will likely have a large group turning pro this upcoming summer.

The Montreal Canadiens selected the Pointe-Claire, Québec native 18th overall during the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, much to the delight of many local fans as it was the first time since 1998 that the Habs would go on to pick a forward out of Québec in the first round. Hopefully in the case of Louis Leblanc it works out better this time around then it did in 1998 when Eric Chouinard was selected 16th overall, although that pick did end up turning into Maxim Lapierre it's safe to assume that management is expecting a much better result this time around.

Last season the Habs had a handful of prospects move up to the NHL fulltime, which is great for the team but puts a strain on the farm system, but that's where Trevor Timmins and his staff come in and try to restock the shelfs each June. The club was able to acquire a top notch D prospect in Nathan Beaulieu as well as some interesting talents in the middle rounds, currently one of them, Magnus Nygren is off a great start in Sweden where he is racking up the points. In addition a pair of former first round picks Louis Leblanc and Jarred Tinordi look to improve upon last seasons struggles although in the case of Leblanc it was more injury woes whereas Tinordi struggled with the transition from the USHL to the OHL. Others like Michaël Bournival, Morgan Ellis, and Darren Dietz have gotten off to good starts in their respective leagues.

Part IV- CHL

The Montreal Canadiens will look to have 7 prospects playing in the CHL this season, 4 in the QMJHL, 2 in the WHL and 1 in the OHL. Two of the seven players are the Habs most recent first round picks, Nathan Beaulieu and Jarred Tinordi as fans and management will be keeping a close eye on both before they likely turn pro next season. In addition Brendan Gallagher has been making a name for himself in preseason action showcasing his offensive skills despite having only 1 point as he's hit a number of posts in his 4 games and Michaël Bournival had a solid debut in his first preseason action since being acquired last year in a trade for Ryan O'Byrne.

Part III- AHL

Part II- Euro Leagues

The 2011-2012 season has already gotten started for the Habs European prospects and things have already gotten off to a good start for Magnus Nygren in the first couple games of the season as he has flashed some offense. Also of note with his next match Daniel Pribyl will tie a career high in games played in the top mens league in the Czech Republic after appearing in 3 games last year with HC Sparta Praha; and John Westin has so far dressed in every game for Modo of the Swedish Elite League after missing most of last season to injury before making his SEL debut towards the end of the year.