Scouting notebook: Who stood out at Gatineau prospects tournament

Some of the top prospects from the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets descended on Ottawa over the weekend for the Senators’ rookie challenge tournament. It offered an early opportunity to get a glimpse at some of the young players hoping to make an impression before NHL training camps open.

Not all of the teams’ biggest names were in attendance. Gavin McKenna of the Maple Leafs was left back in Toronto to get ready for the main camp, while Montreal prospects Alexander Zharovsky (playing in Russia) and Michael Hage (playing in the NCAA) had obligations with the teams they will be playing for this season. That left the spotlight on a group of other highly regarded prospects looking to make their mark.

Over the course of four games, several players stood out from the pack and offered plenty for their respective organizations to be encouraged about heading into training camp.

Here are some of my scouting notes from Gatineau, Que.:

Jaxon Cover

Cover was selected 32nd overall by the Senators in June. The left-shot forward played both wing and centre over the weekend and had a massive impact offensively.

Cover contributed three goals and seven points in two games agaist Montreal and Toronto, leaving most people in attendance awestruck by his potential upside. What stood out for me, however, was how Cover’s overall game appears to be evolving to the point where he can be trusted in a variety of roles.

His defensive detail was sound at even strength, and he showed that he is capable of killing penalties. Cover’s offensive element is what Ottawa liked most when it drafted him but the six-foot-one, 181-pound forward is maturing in all facets of his game and looks prepared for a big year with the London Knights in the OHL.

Kasper Haltunen

Haltunen was drafted by the San Jose Sharks (36th overall in 2023) and arrived in Ottawa as part of the trade that sent the Sharks the ninth-overall selection in June’s draft and included forward William Eklund. Not much has changed for the hard-shooting Finnish winger.

Haltunen is listed at six-foot-four, 205 pounds, and used his frame to his advantage along the boards and below the goal line to shield away opponents or bump them off pucks. He’s a right shot who thrives on the power play by ripping shots on net from the weak-side flank and scored from that very location on the weekend.

I would like to see Haltunen more active at even strength, especially in transition, but there’s no denying the fact he can score when he has time and space.

Jackson Parsons

Parsons is an example of a goaltender who took time to develop at the Major Junior level (with the Kitchener Rangers) and appears to be rounding into form nicely for the Senators. Parsons is a left-catching netminder who’s listed at six-foot-four, 214 pounds. He takes up a ton of net, and he showed off his lateral quickness and overall crease compete in his start versus Toronto.

His ability to find pucks in traffic, especially when opponents crash the crease on the power play, stood out. Another bonus the Senators get with Parsons is the way he plays the puck. He jumps from his net to outlet plays effectively. Parsons could end up being the Senators' goalie of the future.

Alexander Bilecki

Toronto selected the left-shot, six-foot-two, 175-pound defenceman in the second round (60th overall) in June and the pick could turn out to be a steal. Bilecki is an excellent skater who has the quickness and speed to lead the rush, on the power play, for example, and join off the puck as an extra layer.

His small-area agility was impressive for his first taste of pro hockey and allowed him to front opponents defensively, or escape pressure to outlet pucks effectively. Bilecki, like all young defensive prospects, needs time to iron out some of the finer details before turning pro, but he has a very confident look to his game at this stage of his development.

I’m fully expecting the two-way defenceman to easily eclipse his point production from last year playing for the Kitchener Rangers (nine goals and 29 points) without sacrificing defensive detail.

Tinus Luc Koblar

The Leafs decided to move on from scouting director Mark Leach in the off-season, but his leadership, over the course of two seasons at the helm, led to some crafty selections. Koblar is a glowing example of that as he has a chance to become a third-line NHL forward.

The six-foot-four, 190-pound, left-shot centre used his size and strength to his advantage on the weekend. He extended plays in the trenches and positioned himself responsibly defensively. I value his two-way game and physical presence.

His pace is sound, and he contributes secondary offence as he assisted on two of the Leafs' goals against Winnipeg.

Miroslav Holinka

Holinka was selected by Toronto in the fifth round (151st overall) in 2024. The right-shot forward was somewhat quiet in Saturday's game against Ottawa but had the puck on his stick more often on Sunday against the Jets.

Holinka’s pace has steadily improved as he added strength to his frame, and he's now listed at just over six-foot-one, 192 pounds. Holinka produced 37 goals and 43 assists playing for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL last season.

He’s an interesting player to monitor at the start of Leafs main camp. Holinka will need time at the AHL level but, when playing alongside Koblar at this event, I’m envisioning a middle-six NHL prospect who handles the puck well and makes plays.

Vinny Borgesi

Borgesi is a former captain at Northeastern (NCAA) and first-year pro who suited up for a brief time with the Toronto Marlies last spring at the conclusion of his college season.

Borgesi is a right-shot defenceman who’s listed at five-foot-eight, 174 pounds, obviously undersized compared to most NHL defenders. However, he’s quick, agile and extremely aggressive in directing pucks on net.

Borgesi seemed to have the puck on his stick every shift on the weekend. He quarterbacked one of the Leafs power-play units and was generally effective moving pucks. I will be monitoring closely how Borgesi defends against NHL-calibre opponents, and how he handles size and weight around his net and along the boards, but there’s no question in mind that he will compete, battle and work to impact the game offensively.

Patriks Plumins

Plumins is a six-foot-three, 214-pound left-catching goaltender who the Leafs selected in the fourth round (114th overall) in June. Plumins is a butterfly-athletic netminder who can, at times, get a bit too active in his crease but also has the foot speed and quickness to recover and make stops moving laterally.

An example of his ability came via a save on a two-on-none against Winnipeg on Sunday. He has the size to front shooters in tight and take away the net and, while I would like to see better rebound control at times, he’s very competitive and has a baseline of skill that requires some coaching but could land him in the NHL in time.

Viggo Bjorck

Bjorck was one of my top prospects for the draft in June, and the Jets were fortunate to have him land on their lap with the eighth-overall selection. He’s a dynamic, quick-strike centre who has elite vision and playmaking ability.

Bjorck contributed in a variety of ways on the weekend. He scored a wraparound goal on Saturday versus Montreal and had the most dynamic assist of any of the games on Sunday when he passed a puck through his legs to a streaking Davis Burnside, who finished the play from the high flank/slot.

When Bjorck isn’t producing offence, he’s always in the right position defensively and works to contribute in all three zones. He’s an infectious personality and a prospect who I believe will break camp with the NHL roster this fall.

Samuel Hrenak

Hrenak is a six-foot-three, 190-pound left-catching goaltender who the Jets selected in the third round (71st overall) at the most recent draft in Buffalo. He wasn’t tested a great deal in his start versus Montreal on Saturday night, but I would argue it’s more difficult for a netminder to stay focused when his opponent goes long stretches of the game without directing pucks on net.

Hrenak was tasked with coming up with timely saves, including some in-tight sequences that forced him to move side-to-side quickly and utilize his long legs to make saves. Hrenak followed the play very well, squared up to find pucks in traffic and used his stature as an advantage. The Jets could have a No. 1 NHL netminder in Hrenak, but goalies generally take longer to develop. I’m not expecting Hrenak to arrive at the pro level for at least two more seasons, but I’m excited to closely monitor his trajectory.

Brayden Yager

Yager is now listed at six feet, 180 pounds. He’s added 10 pounds of strength to his frame over the course of the last year and it was noticeable when it comes to his skating and ability to absorb more contact from opponents without getting knocked off the puck.

The Jets acquired the former Pittsburgh Penguins prospect in a trade that sent the signing rights to former Jets prospect Rutger McGroarty the other way, and he’s inching closer to NHL-ready than McGroarty at this stage of their development.

Yager had some synergy skating alongside Bjork this weekend. They fed off each other and their combined high-end offensive hockey sense could land the two prospects in the Jets' top-six sooner rather than later.

Alfons Freij

Freij has to be watched very closely to be appreciated. The six-foot-one, 197-pound left-shot defenceman was drafted in the second round (37th overall) by the Jets in 2024. He’s an outstanding skater who has the skill to contribute secondary offence and, if needed, quarterback a power-play unit as a distributor.

Freij took time to adjust to the professional game in Sweden last year, but following an outstanding world junior championship — where he was deployed in all situations and contributed seven assists in seven games — he found his confidence and produced the majority of his offence (six goals, 11 points) during the second half of the season with Timra.

Freij projects as a second-pairing, two-way NHL defenceman. He is generally a stick-on-puck defender, but he possesses enough strength to engage physically and battle for possession. He manages the game very well and can either complement a risk-taking partner or take charge of his pairing if he skates alongside a more defensive blueliner.

Jacob Julien

Julien was sneaky good for the Jets this weekend. The fifth-round (146th overall) selection in 2023 is listed at six-foot-four and 181 pounds, and is capable of playing centre or wing. He seemed to be around the play every shift and engaged on and off the puck.

He tipped a shot home on the power play versus Toronto on Sunday and used his size and agility to front shooters on the penalty-kill. Julien has bottom-six NHL upside with better-than-average skill for a prospect who could slot into a secondary role in time.

Tyler Thorpe

Thorpe is flat-out hard to play against. He’s a power forward who’s listed at six-foot-five, 220 pounds. The right-shot winger has enough skill to contribute depth offence but it’s his physical presence that keeps opponents on their toes.

Thorpe contributed four goals and 12 assists in the AHL playing for Laval last season. It was his first season of pro hockey after graduating from the Vancouver Giants (WHL).

Montreal selected Thorpe in the fifth round (130th overall) in 2024. His skating and overall agility have improved as he finished his checks with authority, and he’s more than willing to drop the gloves when required. I didn’t have to look for Thorpe. I knew when he was on the ice for the Habs, which speaks to his competitiveness and overall engagement.

Aleksander Legkov

For the first time in my career, I’m writing about a player who graduated from the Federal Prospects Hockey League. Legkov was one of the more noticeable forwards for Montreal. Legkov was the rookie of the year in the FPHL last year, and he’s signed to a two-way (AHL/ECHL) contract with the Canadiens.

The six-foot-one, 190-pound left-shot forward produced 38 goals and 55 assists last season. I’m not sure where things will go from here for Legkov, but he looks like he could be an AHL free agent to monitor for a potential NHL deal if he continues on his current trajectory offensively.