NEW SIGNING! Habs Add A Young Defenseman!

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There's Marco Domingo. I'm Sean Star. What a pleasure it is to be with you is we wind down the

month of March, looking forward to seeing so many loyal supporters of this darn Domingo show at McClain's,

the real deal on Peel coming up. Sunday afternoon, we're going to be there live starting at 4 o'clock.

Already it was fun to see Marco in the live chat during our Friday stream. How many people are

ready to come and enjoy the great atmosphere and the awesome vibe that McClain's on Peel does

provide before and after every game and the chicken tenders and the chicken tenders great like I can't

wait. No doubt. It's an awesome place, as I mentioned before and after every game, a proud supporter

of these star and Domingo show. Let's dig in. The Montreal Canadians announced a new signing.

Can Hughes announced on Friday the team agreed to terms Marco on a three year entry level deal

with defenseman Owen Pratt. Let's dig in. Let's learn about Owen Pratt. What type of player? Who is

this guy? Owen Pratt is a train in the sense that. Oh, yes. And he has a significant motor. So

he was a fourth round pick in the Montreal Canadians in 2024. Same draft is Demidov, same draft

as Michael Hage. But he's a big boy. Six to two hundred and seven pounds already. Just turn 20

in February. That's all the way you have to understand that there's a big boy. And one of the

things about Owen in my conversations with him, I didn't see this contract coming so soon. Apologies

for not being on top of this one. I was dealing with a new board at home. So I haven't been in the

I haven't been making as many calls. But I knew that they were the Canadians had an interest

in signing Owen Pratt. Owen Pratt's needed to be signed prior to June 1st of this year,

or else the Canadians were going to lose his rights because you only have up and, you know,

we'll obviously that's going to change with the new CBA. But as of right now, you only have two

years to sign players out of junior. He was drafted in 2024. So it only makes sense that June 1st,

2026 was the cut off. The Canadians were very happy with him. Sean, because he plays for a power

house team in Brandford for the that are the bulldogs, not Brampton and not Hamilton. Correct. So

and that it's a powerhouse team. Again, he he plays on what probably is one of the best if not the

best defensive pairing in the entirety of the CHL between Owen Pratt's and St. Louis Blues

first round pick. Adam Eurocheck also picked in the 2024 entry draft. Yeah. So it's um

what kind of player is he? Smash mouth defensive defenseman open ice hitting monster.

He does shoot from the left. This is a guy that you want on the penalty kill. Takes up a lot of

space. Very rangy kind of defenseman hard against the the the opposition and the boards.

But you know, I'll give you a line that he told me in the in an interview I did with him in

December. He said, I'm never going to be the kind of defenseman that's going to go end to end.

I know that you know, I focus on the details in the game. I'll let the offensive

defenseman do their thing. My thing is to defend to clear the front of the net and to you know,

when the opportunity strikes lay the open ice hit.

Brother, that's music to my ears. Love hearing that. Love that scuttle report. Now it's

about living up to the potential. Make sure you stay with us in this conversation.

We're going to talk about the new signing on on Pratt's and are we already projecting his role

on the Montreal Canadians? Is there someone on this team that maybe with Pratt's arrival and we'll

talk about the timeline? Is there a leveling up situation? We're going to get to that question

and that answer in a matter of minutes with Marco Domingo and Sean star right here and

star Domingo. As always, like and subscribe as we march towards 15,000 subscribers, Marco.

What about this three-year entry-level contract in terms of the details? When does it begin?

What's that look like? And we'll dig into the options as well in the timeline for his development.

Yeah, so given his age, he had no choice but to sign a three-year deal between ages 18 to 21.

It's three years after that. It's two and one and so on. So with with Owen, like we said,

he had to sign a contract by June 1st. Now his contract kicks in effective July 1st,

2026. That means his contract doesn't start this year like Bryce Pickford did. His contract

starts next year. There's a guy with a fire, by the way. Yes, yeah, yeah. I think medicine had it

a pretty good start to the WHO playoffs last night. Yeah, we've got, sorry, we've got goals in

nine-stri playoff games. I mean, it's crazy. I mean, first of all, it just goes to show you how good

he was in the playoffs last year, but no, back to Owen Pratt's. This is going to be a guy to watch

in the playoffs as well because in the playoffs, yes, there's ridiculous amounts of scoring in the

first round. We all know how, you know, they try to bring in the most amount of teams to play in the

playoffs. And that sometimes creates a mismatch between the top seeds and the ones that just

squeaked in, but where it really becomes important is when you start getting into those third and

fourth rounds. And that's where a player like Owen Pratt comes in, right? So a lot of people have

asked since the signing, oh, okay, well, now that he signed his entry level contract, can he come to

Montreal? The answer is no. He can't come to Montreal this season because his contract only kicks in

next year. Right. He and the brandford bulldogs will be going on a lengthy or projected lengthy

playoff run. They're one of the top teams in the entirety of the CHL. They've got elite talent on

that team. You know, Jake O'Brien, Caleb Mahotra, Jett Luchenko for those that appreciate him as well.

I've just talked about Adam Yearichek, you know, Pratt's being part of that combination as well.

Merrick Vannecker was one of the best goal scorers in the OHL. So they have a dynamite team.

But what happens if the bulldogs get, you know, upset? Well, he did it last year and there's an

opportunity for him to do it again this year. And that would be to sign either an amateur professional

tryout to join the Laval rocket for the remainder of the playoffs or even the season and then the playoffs.

There is an opportunity for that. I just don't know how early the bulldog season is going to end

because they look really good. And I think it might go down to the finals for them. And the

finals will bring them right around the beginning of May. So beginning of May in the AHL playoffs,

I think you're getting into like the end of the second round beginning of the third round.

So, you know, obviously you hope that Laval goes on a lengthy run, but it's all a question of timing

as you could see. But you also have to factor in playing time. Because right now you have Adam

Engstrom, you have William Trudeau and you have Luke Middlestadt as your left defenseman

for the Laval rocket. So if he is brought in on an ATO, you know, it would most likely be as a

seventh defenseman that could get into games if there's an injury, right? So if you're a Montreal

Canadians fan, I personally the way I see it, you want the bulldogs to go all the way

win the AHL championship, go to the Memorial Cup in Colona and you know, get that experience

because I don't foresee him getting a ton of playing time in Laval if he were to join them

in the middle of the playoffs on an ATO. He's a 20-year-old kid. He's from Ottawa, you know,

as you pointed out, I mean, friends from all your boys. Top team in the Ontario Hockey League,

and as you alluded to earlier in this conversation, you know, he's not in his own words, he's not an

end-to-end guy, right? Five goals, meeting assists, but also takes a lot of penalty minutes again

to your point about, you know, his role, how he plays 190 penalty minutes in his OHL career,

84 of them came this season. Is a reasonable expectation for the Canadian fans to look

forward to this rugged kind of no nonsense defenseman to be with the Laval Rocket in the fall

of 2026? Is that the next level up for him? And I guess I'll follow up to that. So I guess a

two-prong question. Laval next fall. And what can you tell me about the challenges of development?

Let's go extremes. Like a high-end skill player like Lane Hudson versus the more

prototypical stay-at-home defenseman. Which do you think is the harder path to get to the NHL

and stay there? I think it all has to do with with opportunity as well, right? The thing with,

like, you know, for example, we're going to talk about Bryce Pickford a lot over the next year or

two, right? I think the biggest problem for Bryce Pickford getting a spot with the Montreal

Canadians is that if he isn't going to get first or second power play wave, you're wasting his

best attributes. Whereas if you know you have Noah Dobson and Lane Hudson signed as your top

offensive defenseman, which they are, well then you can... you have an easier time thinking,

okay, we have those types of personas. Now we need to go and get other profiles that are more

defensive oriented, more physically oriented. Like it's not, it's not by chance that the Canadians

main roster on defense has solidified itself because now Caden Gouli has returned to that smash

mouth, hard-hitting defensive style that made him such a coveted prospect coming through the

CHL ranks and in his first couple of seasons in the NHL. Well, I feel like it's easier to round out

your lineup with those kinds of guys than it is to try and continue to add the high skill players.

Not that I don't think Bryce Pickford's going to have a lengthy NHL career. He's well on his way

to do so, but maybe the fit may not be there considering the elements that are in the lineup. Of

course, you know, he's not a bad defensive player and he's a rare right shot. So he may very well

force his way onto that lineup, but not to say he'd be more of the same, but it would just,

he would need to add or he'd need to really develop aspects that his game that would diversify it

so that he would be able to find value at five on five or potentially, you know, on the penalty kill.

Well, I will think you really have to worry about that with Owen Prats. And this is not me saying

that Owen Prats is a better prospect than then Bryce Pickford, not even in the stretch of the

imagination. Different players, though, that's fair, right? Exactly. It's more it's more, first of all,

that would be a crazy good pairing those two together on your bottom. I love it. Yeah, yeah,

probably be excellent, but I just feel like given the personas that are signed long term,

Owen Prats' skill set, a very defined skill set, is what's lacking right now for Montreal.

vis-a-vis what Bryce Pickford is doing, Bryce Pickford is doing historical things. Absolutely,

historical things, but he is primarily an offensive defenseman. So, you know, just to juxtapose,

I think both of them are going to play in the NHL. I think both of them are going to be NHLers.

And like I just said, wouldn't that be an interesting third pair for Montreal, right? Or you have a

Pickford that can produce offense at five on five, and then in Owen Prats, that's more the

defensive rock that's able to, you know, run guys over in open ice hits, because that's an

element of Owen Prats' game that's just incredible to watch. He has mastered the timing of the

open ice hit. He's so good at that, and it's even in junior, you kind of see it. His physical

ability, like if you see him, he's still got that baby face on him. He's still got to fill out,

he's still got to get stronger, which is a scary thought considering how big he is already.

So, to me, my projection for him is a third pair left shot defenseman. That's my projection.

And the Canadians have a lot of time, because I know a lot of people are going to, and we're going

to talk about this, but oh, left shot defenseman, right? Whereas you always want to add and stack

right shots because they're, they're rarer in that regard. Well, I don't know that the Canadians

have a player like that that could play that kind of a detail-oriented game, really good at

using a stick, really good at, you know, separating player from puck, stands up for his teammates,

like you won't believe, can't very much open to dropping the gloves, and I think that's going to

be an element of his game as well. And again, a guy that you could put on special teams on the

penalty kill and, you know, not, not blink and eye. So, a guy that can bring you definitive

elements and, you know, that you can allow to develop in LaValle without having to worry about

rushing him to the NHL, because there are players ahead of him in the pecking order that maybe

we'll get a cup of coffee first. I look forward to the summer months for a variety of reasons,

right? I look forward to, you know, what we're going to do on this channel, you know, with daily

haps coverage. And just on topic, because if we're talking about, you know, Bryce Pickford,

ultimately, we'll dive into him, no doubt, and feature episodes, and what he's doing. Owen

Proz here now, if you're just joining us, signing a three-year entry-level deal with the Montreal

Canadians that kicks in in July of 2026, left defenseman, big body, violent, nasty, no nonsense,

love all that stuff, right? It builds waves, like you can have Kate and Gouli on the left side

being mean and nasty. And then he gets off the ice, and potentially Owen Proz comes in after

a wave. That's what the Canadians are lacking. No doubt. I mean, we spend most of the season talking

about and being critical of that. But if you've noticed the way that the Canadians have drafted

in the later rounds over the last two, three drafts, they're really going for that role, like

the defined role style players, right? Like Florian Jaca in the fourth round. You look at Tyler

Thorpe in the later rounds. You look at Hayden Papanicus in the third round. You look at

Owen Proz right now. You look at Andrew McNeil that they drafted recently as well, like

big boys. Guys that aren't necessarily going to be sexy when you do your stat sheet and try to see

who the top prospects of a given team are. But they have a role. But the kind of player that when

they've had two years in the American hockey league, you have an injury and you want to bring up a

guy that's going to be able to like bring something different. That's when it comes in handy.

And worst case scenario, then if not, then there are really good pieces to have with your AHL

team, ensuring that your AHL team continues to be competitive because there is value in that.

And your AHL team being competitive, having a positive environment for the prospects,

a higher-end prospects that you funnel in as well. So there's two-fold benefit. But having spoken

to the player, having spoken to the coaching staff, having spoken to players around him,

I have of the belief that he will be an NHLer.

So who's sweating this? You know, Marta San Luis can ice five pairs of defense.

You know, so like going into camp next fall, the big camp, right? I mean, there's a legitimate

case if they're still part of the organization, depending on what happens between now and next fall.

We're talking about Adam Engstrom. We're talking about David Reimbacher, maybe making the leap,

breaking camp as Canadians. Something has to give. And we're going to spend time, you know,

in the coming months talking about and reacting to, because I think Marco believes it, I believe it,

something's going to give. And the Canadians are going to make a couple of moves in order to make

room. That allows Owen Pratt to graduate and play for the LaValle Rocket, right? So like, I got

to believe if we're talking about on the left side today, you know, Jaden Strubel is under under

pressure in terms of, I mean, he's been playing well, granted, since MSL has kept him consistently

in the lineup, but he's on the left side to Lane Hudson, you know, more often than not in the last

five or six games here. So if you're talking about Owen Pratt's and the role he plays, I think

Arbor Jack, I potentially RFA coming up at the end of the season, Jaden Strubel, these guys

are under the pressure test here. Well, especially, I think Adam Angstrom is the biggest threat to the

two players that you just brought up. Okay. Now, he's the closest to, I guess, right? Yeah. Yeah,

my opinion, he's NHL ready. Right. But then after that, what's what's the next wave? And I think

that's the thing, Jaden Strubel will see what happens. Arbor Jack, I, I part, I am of the belief,

I, this is not based on internal information, but I'm of the belief that the Canadians probably

are going to move on and try to find him a place where he can continue his career and find a niche.

That is my feeling on the subject. I don't think the signature of Owen Pratt's impacts anybody

on the main roster in the foreseeable future. I think if he's an NHLer, he's two years away

from the start of next season, right? So let's say two and a half years away from being a legitimate

option for the NHL. And there's nothing wrong with that. Take your time, work your way up,

and then you're going to get your games, right? Like, I don't think anybody, when he was drafted,

thought that Jared Davidson was going to play NHL games. He played NHL games earlier this season

because he just worked and worked and worked. Now, the Canadians have a ridiculous amount of

forward depth. So they're not going to be calling anybody from Laval and they reclaim Samuel

Blay. So you know who the first call is probably going to be at forward. If there is one,

the same applies here with Owen Pratt's. I think they're going to take their time with Owen Pratt's.

I think the player that is out and I don't think that, you know, I don't know that Canadians fans will

really worry about this, but William Trudeau is probably the one that's going to be on his way out.

And I, you know, I feel for the guy because I think he's an elite defenseman in the NHL,

but I feel like, again, with Montreal and all the left shot defenseman they have,

he may seek an opportunity elsewhere in another organization that is weaker at left shot at left

D where he may actually have the legitimate option of a call up. So I do hope that for William

Trudeau, because with Angstrom, with Luke Middlestat, you bring in an Owen Pratt's. Toby Pockett

Bisson is with is around the team as well. You know, you don't, you don't want to have too many

rookies. You also want to sprinkle in some veterans in there as well. And we know that next year,

there's the possibility of having as well David Ryanbacker and Bryce Pickford, you know,

is a sophomore in a rookie. You know, you just got to, David Ryanbacker is not theoretically a sophomore

but the amount of games he's played. Let's call him one. But, you know, you want to put some veterans

in there. So this is why I say Pratt's, it's a project, but it's an intriguing project because

if he hits, those are the kinds of defenseman that persona, those are the kinds of defenseman teams

will spend second and first round picks on at the trade deadline to shore up the roster. Well,

if you're able to develop those players internally, then you continuously have waves of these

players that come in on cheap contracts that are able to be that higher end depth and eventually

have given the opportunity, steal a spot on the roster. So that's, that's the way I see it for Owen

Pratt's. If my projection stands, hard hitting left shot defenseman that you would put on your

third pair that you could play on the penalty kill that could take, you know, that could change

the momentum of a game with a, you know, strong open ice hit or some really well time defensive play.

That's my projection for him. Looking forward to seeing everybody. Sunday afternoon, starting at

four o'clock for the live presentation from our home away from home. That's McLean's pub, the real

deal on peel. It's a great vibe. Awesome place before and after every game, every major sporting event

from soccer to football to baseball and its opening days in the opening week of a brand new

MLBC season. And of course, the national hockey league and the Montreal Canadians push for the playoffs.

There's no better place to watch or take in the post game festivities. Then with our friends at

McLean's pub, we look forward to meeting and greeting everybody. Sunday afternoon, starting at two.

Of course, the links to all of our proud sponsors. We love to support local from cheapest t-shirts,

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50% off. The rebate will be applied when you shop online or go shop and store on St. Catherine

across from West Mount Square. Marco, thanks as always. Looking forward to seeing you Sunday morning

live at 10. And then at McLean's Sunday afternoon. Thanks, brother.

All is a pleasure, guys. Have a great day.