Strong Showings from Montreal’s Prospects at World Junior Summer Showcase

The 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase recently came to an end.  Normally, the Habs don’t have many prospects in this event but they had four this time around with most of them playing prominent roles.  Here’s an overview of how each player fared.

Michael Hage (Canada)

Both Canada and the United States had two teams’ worth of players at this event, meaning there was the potential for players to be in and out of the lineup.  That wasn’t really the case with Hage as he suited up in all four games (including the Canada vs Canada intrasquad match).  How did he fare?  Well, he scored a goal in all four of them.  Notably, he was deployed on the wing instead of at centre but it’s quite common for centres to play on a wing when it comes to Team Canada.  That’s his pathway to making this year’s team and his showing here will only help his cause.

Stats: 4 GP, 4 goals, 1 assist, 5 points, 4 PIMS

Aatos Koivu (Finland)

Last season was a write-off for the third-round pick.  A bout with mononucleosis torpedoed any chance of playing at the World Juniors while playing time in the Liiga was hard to come by.  But he finished strong against his age level in the playoffs and that carried over to this event as he led the way with six goals in the tournament, showcasing his strong shot on several of those.  Deployed as the number two centre, Koivu should be well on his way toward earning a spot for the World Juniors in December.

Stats: 5 GP, 6 goals, 1 assist, 7 points, 6 PIMS

L.J. Mooney (USA)

Mooney may have been the smallest player on the ice but he was certainly noticeable and had the puck on his stick a lot.  Primarily deployed in the top six on the wing (while he’s a natural centre, it’s hard to see him sticking there much longer), he showed plenty of offensive creativity with some spunk.  That combination will serve him well as he gets set to debut at the University of Minnesota whose coach happens to be the USA’s coach for the World Juniors this year.

Stats: 4 GP, 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points, 4 PIMS

Owen Protz (Canada)

Not to take away how good it was to see him get invited to the camp but it became pretty clear early on that he was viewed as more of a field filler.  Even in practices, he was last on the depth chart, merely rotating into drills while in games, he was typically the seventh defender.  He didn’t play a lot but he brought some physicality to the table.  If he has a big first half in the OHL, maybe that can score him an invitation to main camp but even if that doesn’t happen, a week of working with Canada’s coaching staff while practicing with and against some top prospects can only help his development.

Stats: 3 GP, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 points, 0 PIMS