Habs Desjardins AHL prospect for December; Subban a close second

Here is an excerpt from the Hockey's Future article by Chris Roberts:

The Prospect of the Month for December is AHL goaltender Cedrick Desjardins of the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Desjardins has been having a great, if not career, year for the Bulldogs this season. He had been a backup for the club the past three seasons and with the addition of Curtis Sanford this year, he was all but expected to back up once again. However, the Bulldogs have implemented a loose “win and you're in” system between the pipes and Desjardins’ play, especially in December, has certainly warranted the undrafted netminder the majority of starts.

Desjardins’ eight wins for the month of December is quite impressive, yet even more so is the fact that he recorded no losses. The 24-year-old went 8-0, only conceding nine goals in doing so, boasting a 1.16 GAA and a .949 save percentage. He posted shutouts in back-to-back starts on the 13th and 18th to go along with a shutout to begin the month.

His rise up the Canadiens’ organizational depth chart has been slow, but has certainly picked up steam this season. With current Canadiens’ backup Jaroslav Halak rumoured to be all but out of the picture for next season, and considering the fact that Desjardins has out-played veteran Curtis Sanford, he could potentially get his first taste of NHL action next season.

Honorable Mention

P.K Subban

Desjardins had help as the Hamilton Bulldogs went 10-3 during the month. Rookie defenseman and former World Junior standout Subban had a very average start to his rookie campaign, but after picking it up in November, he had an exceptional month of December. In just 11 games, Subban scored four times and added eight assists for over a point per game, yet the most impressive stat of the month for Subban was his +16. Heading into January he led the team with a +23, a whole +10 higher than Brock Trotter, who sits second on the team. Subban became well known with his play at the past two World Junior Championships and so far he has not disappointed. He’ll likely be a fixture on the Canadiens’ blue line sooner than later.