2022 Montreal Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #8 Sean Farrell

The Montreal Canadiens’ 2020 NHL draft class is shaping up to be one of their best in recent history. Kaiden Guhle appears poised to break into the NHL roster this year, while Jan Mysak has had a strong final OHL season. Blake Biondi and Jakub Dobes have put together strong NCAA seasons, while Luke Tuch has an enticing combination of size and power. Also in this draft class, selected right at the end of the fourth round ranked 124th overall, is Sean Farrell.

Early in the draft, many scouting services had placed Farrell in the second through third rounds, and some thought he could potentially sneak into the late first. However, probably due to his smaller stature, he fell in the fourth round and straight into the lap of the Montreal Canadiens.

There was some concern about what his development would be like after COVID wiped out his freshman year in NCAA hockey, so he returned to the USHL and left with a mountain of hardware.

This team was filled with talent including Matthew Coronato, Mackie Samoskevich, Adam Fantilli and more, but it was Farrell who stood above them all. Granted, as an older player, he should have been at the top of the stack, but he did so in a dominant way. Not only did he lead his team in points, he also led the USHL overall and had the most assists while helping Chicago win the Clark Cup. For his troubles, he was named a First-Team All-Star, USHL Player of the Year, and USA Hockey Junior Player of the Year.

His first season at Harvard continued his climb up the Canadians’ prospect ladder, earning the Crimson just over a point a game. His strong performance earned him a surprise invitation to the United States Olympic team, where he also put in a notable performance in four games. Closing the year with a solid showing at the Worlds helped raise his profile in the eyes of Habs fans heading into his second NCAA season.

Choose

Farrell is firmly in the top 10 by most polls. Given Cole Caufield’s success in the Canadiens organization, many of us believe that Farrell can follow a similar path. However, he ended up outside the top 10 on several ballots.

Top 25 Under 25 History

After Caufield declared Farrell’s late pick a “steal” in 2020, there was no other option but to get him in the top 25 later that summer. He improved 11 places last year and is now one of the organisation’s best young players.

Strengthen

As always, Farrell is a fantastic playmaker on the wings with a knack for finding lanes other players miss. Ever since his draft year, he’s been known more as a setup man than a finisher, with years of 41 and 72 assists in his Steel tenure.

Due to his smaller size, he had to find creative ways to be effective throughout his playing career. He’s constantly scanning the offensive zone, looking for new ways to attack opposing defenses, and equally has no problem trying difficult plays to create opportunities.

weaknesses

One of the hardest parts of analyzing a smaller player’s play is guessing how they will fare at higher levels of play. In the NCAA, Farrell missed some time due to injuries sustained after a big hit on open ice. He could return for the ECAC playoffs, but he needs to be aware of that, especially as he progresses to the pro ranks.

Although his performance is also very good, he tends to add a lot of points in some games and then be kept off the scorer list for a period of time. Improving his consistency is a must given he’s set to play a more important role this year.

projection

There were some rumors during the offseason as to whether Farrell would move up to the pro ranks after just one NCAA season, but he and the Habs decided that returning to Harvard for another year was the right choice. The calls for a pro deal are likely to get even louder in the coming year.

He will be a strong component on the Harvard offense in 2022-23 and is expected to improve on his 28 points in 24 games last year. He’s been improving every year so it’s hard to bet against him in that regard as long as he can address his overall consistency.

Additionally, he is someone the Canadian front office thinks the world of, and with good reason. A dynamic playmaker on the wing, he brings a range of skills to the potential pool that few can match. We’ve seen how Caufield can thrive at the NHL level because of his hockey IQ and strong skills, and the Canadians hope Farrell can do something similar in the near future.

If he can continue to build on his strong base of skills, the Canadians will add a big chunk to their rebuild time, but as with anything in hockey, there are no absolute guarantees. Personally, I’ve been a fan of Farrell’s since I wrote his original draft profile, and he impresses with every season.

Chris Peters of flohockey.tv and Talking Hockey Sense Podcast. Peters is known for being a very good hockey draftsman and appraiser, and on tonight’s episode of Habsent Minded: Top 25 Under 25 he shares his thoughts on Sean Farrell