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Adam Engstrom

Canadiens Recall Adam Engström

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The Montreal Canadiens will reward a top prospect for a five-point night in the AHL. Defenseman Adam Engström has been recalled to the NHL lineup ahead of a three-game road-trip. The 23-year-old leads AHL defenseman with five goals, and leads the Laval Rockets defense with 14 points. Eight of those points have come in his last four games.

On the other side of his hot streak, Engström will now receive the first call-up of his professional career. He signed his entry-level contract with the Canadiens, and joined Laval, last season. His rookie AHL year had its ups-and-downs and ended with 32 points and 50 penalty minutes in 79 total games. Engström was no stranger to pro hockey before his time in the AHL, having already scored 38 points in 95 SHL games between 2021 and 2024. But breaking into North America, and getting year-one out of the way, seems to have a new layer of confidence to his game that’s paying off this season.

Montreal drafted Engström in the third-round of the 2022 NHL Draft, following a year where he posted 35 points in 51 games in Sweden’s junior league. He was lauded as a reliable, two-way defender capable of moving the puck in his draft year. In three years since, he’s added a strong physical frame and better jump towards the puck, bringing his game to a much higher level.

Engstrom will compete with Arber Xhekaj for a spot on Montreal’s third-pair. Xhekaj could earn a slight bit of favor, with his brother Florian Xhekaj also in the lineup. But should Montreal want a responsible play-driver, over a pure enforcer, a swap to Engström could be timely.

Canadiens Assign Joshua Roy, Three Others To AHL

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After a strong first campaign in the pros, Canadiens forward Joshua Roy didn’t make the cut for this season’s opening night roster. He, along with defensemen Adam Engström, Logan Mailloux, and goaltender Jakub Dobeš, were cut from the camp roster to AHL Laval on Monday, the team announced.

The moves sent the Habs’ opening night roster in stone, meaning 2021 second-rounder Oliver Kapanen cracked the team out of camp and could make his NHL debut soon. Other notable confirmed bits of news include Lane Hutson, Jayden Struble, and Arber Xhekaj winning the battle between many young Montreal defenders for roster spots, as well as 2020 second-rounder Emil Heineman making the team with just four career NHL appearances under his belt.

[RELATED: 2024-25 Opening Night Roster Tracker] 

Roy, 21, was drafted alongside Kapanen in 2021, but he needed to wait until the fifth round to hear his name called. The Quebec native has been on the warpath since, breaking out for nearly 120 points the following season in the QMJHL and putting together 19 points in 14 games for Team Canada at the 2022 and 2023 World Juniors. Turning pro in 2023-24, Roy was among Laval’s better producers with 32 points in 41 games, earning him a lengthy look at the NHL level. He averaged 12:08 through 23 appearances for the Habs, lighting the lamp four times and adding five assists for nine points.

His possession numbers were perfectly average, and his offensive production seemed somewhat sustainable, with a reasonable 11.8% shooting rate and 34 shots making it on goal out of 77 attempts. Nonetheless, the Canadiens believe he needs more seasoning before he’s ready for full-time duties. It’s worth noting Roy did log a team-worst -17 rating on Laval last year, even if his NHL possession metrics (-2 rating, 47.2 xGF%, 49.5 CF%) painted a brighter picture.

Mailloux, meanwhile, misses out on a spot after making his NHL debut in the last game of the 2023-24 regular season. The 21-year-old had an assist and a +1 rating while logging 21:14 in a shootout loss to the Red Wings. The 2021 first-round pick was named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team last season after leading Laval defenders in scoring with 47 points (14 G, 33 A) in 72 games with a -8 rating.

Engström, a third-round choice in 2022, is a sleeper candidate for an NHL recall at some point during the season but was never expected to crack the opening night roster. The 20-year-old defender signed his entry-level contract this offseason after two years playing professionally for the Swedish Hockey League’s Rögle BK, logging 22 points and a -10 rating in 51 games last season. That’s strong production in that league from such a young defender, but he’ll need some runway in Laval to acclimate to North American ice.

Dobes, 23, will likely be the Habs’ first call-up from Laval in the event of an injury to their NHL tandem of Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau. The 2020 fifth-rounder doesn’t have any NHL action under his belt but is entering his second professional season after an excellent rookie showing in the AHL last year. His 51 appearances tied him for the league lead with Utah’s Matt Villalta, recording a 2.93 GAA, .906 SV%, and 24-18-6 record.

Canadiens, Adam Engström Agree To Entry-Level Deal

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10:51 a.m.: Engström’s ELC does not contain a European assignment clause, Radio-Canada’s Marc Antoine Godin reports. He also does not have a valid contract with an SHL club for next season. If he doesn’t make the Canadiens’ roster out of camp, he’ll spend the season with AHL Laval.

8:28 a.m.: The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a three-year entry-level contract with 2022 third-round pick Adam Engström, per a team announcement. The Swedish defenseman could now see his first North American action next season.

Engström, 20, spent the 2023-24 season with Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League, where he posted four assists in 15 playoff games in their run to the league championship series as the ninth seed. In the regular season, he took a step forward from last year’s solid rookie showing, posting four goals, 18 assists, 22 points and a -10 rating in 51 games.

The 6’2″ left-shot defender is part of a surplus of young defenders in Montreal. He becomes the tenth U-23 defender under contract with the Canadiens. Of that group, only he, 2023 fifth-overall pick David Reinbacher and 2021 late-round choice William Trudeau didn’t see NHL games this season.

He projects as a more offensively-minded blue liner, lighting up the Swedish junior circuit in his limited action in 2022-23 with 13 points in seven games. Most of that campaign was spent getting his first lengthy stint in the pros, recording 16 points and a -7 rating in 43 games for a strong rookie showing. Engström was also named to Sweden’s roster for the 2024 World Juniors, where he posted a goal and two assists with a +6 rating in seven games.

Engström’s ELC will cover him through the 2026-27 season, after which he’ll be a restricted free agent. With two professional seasons under his belt overseas, he could challenge for an opening-night roster spot next year, but an assignment to AHL Laval is more likely, with many other young defenders on the cusp challenging for roles. A loan back to the SHL is unlikely but not ruled out.

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