Rinkside Roundup: Jakub Dobeš dominates for Canadiens in first NHL starts

While all eyes remained on the World Junior Championship, league action continued on both sides of the Atlantic, and drafted and draft-eligible prospects alike stood out with strong performances this past week.

The Montréal Canadiens benefitted from two stellar performances from 23-year-old netminder Jakub Dobeš in his debut performances to topple the Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche. A pair of Team Canada omissions generated heaps of offence, as Michael Misa and Matthew Wood set out to show why they should have been named to the World Juniors roster.

Elsewhere, Oscar Fisker Mølgaard continues to explore his on-puck offence and playmaking skill in top-six SHL minutes, while 2025-eligible power centre Bill Zonnon lit up the Val-d’Or Foreurs with a four-goal display on New Year’s Eve.

Jakub Dobeš, G, Montréal Canadiens

Season Stats: 11W, .919 SV%, 2.13 GAA (AHL/NHL)

Last Week Stats: 1W, .957 SV%, 1.00 GAA

The Montreal Canadiens’ recent hot stretch has seen their best and most synchronized hockey since their rebuild began in 2021. With Cayden Primeau playing himself out of the goalie rotation, posting a .836 SV% through 11 games, the Habs resorted to relying exclusively on Samuel Montembeault. Enter Jakub Dobeš: An athletic 6-foot-4 goaltender who played stellar hockey under a heavy workload with the Laval Rocket since turning pro in 2023.

Posting a shutout in his NHL debut against the reigning Stanley Cup champions in Florida, Dobeš inspired confidence among teammates and fans alike with excellent puck tracking, post integration, and opportunistic aggressiveness. While he benefitted from clear sight lines for much of the game as the Canadiens’ cycle defending has improved significantly since the acquisition of Alexandre Carrier from Nashville, the Czech netminder stopped all 34 shots he faced.

Dobeš' second start, against the Colorado Avalanche, saw a similar result, with Montréal clinching a 2-1 victory in the shootout in Denver. While he has delivered two outstanding performances to start his NHL career, expectations should be managed. He’s an intelligent player with strong physical tools and a composure few in his age group can match, but erratic lateral movements remain a component of his game. He's also just halfway through his sophomore professional season. 

The Canadiens’ coaching staff has been shrewd in easing Dobeš into starts, and – though the sample remains very small – his arrival has already stabilized the goaltending situation and eased some pressure off Montembeault’s back.

Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, C, HV71 (Seattle Kraken)

Season Stats: 3G, 11A, 14PTS

Last Week Stats: 1G, 3A, 4PTS

Seattle’s 2023 53rd overall selection, Oscar Fisker Mølgaard has been lights out in the SHL since returning from international duty with Denmark, where he clinched promotion to the 2026 World Junior Championships. The playmaking centre has thrived in top-six deployment, leveraging his dynamic combination of speed and agility to create space in dangerous areas.

In a 5-4 loss in Malmö, Mølgaard collected a trio of primary helpers, creating separation from defenders in various ways. Whether with an explosive 90-degree cutback, straight-line speed, or in tight agility, SHL defenders have struggled mightily to contain the Dane this season as he continues to build on his near-point-per-game production.

This offensive explosion has been brewing for a couple seasons, as he has been a trusted middle-six piece for HV71 since his draft year campaign due to an irreproachable motor, his strong defensive reads, and flashes of high-end playmaking. Mølgaard is a true 200-foot forward, comfortable on the wing as well as at centre, and will provide valuable versatility and game-breaking speed to the Seattle Kraken once he graduates to the NHL in the coming season or two.

Michael Misa, C, Saginaw Spirit (2025 Draft)

Season Stats: 32G, 34A, 66PTS

Last Week Stats: 2G, 2A, 4PTS

As one of the most notable omissions from Canada’s World Juniors camp, Michael Misa played with a chip on his shoulder last week, to the lament of the Ottawa 67's and Soo Greyhounds. The exceptional status pivot now trails only Liam Greentree in CHL scoring. Misa has not sacrificed his defensive habits or effort in his scoring ventures, either. On the contrary, the 6-foot-1 centre applied constant pressure on the forecheck and created multiple turnovers this week by concealing the range of his stick to cut passing lanes at the last second.

Misa’s one-touch passing game has been integral to his stratospheric production this season. It shone once again against the Greyhounds, as Misa and Kristian Epperson combined on a quick give-and-go through the heart of a befuddled Soo defence to open up the scoring.

The reigning Memorial Cup champion Spirit are primed for yet another deep run this season, led by two of the most dynamic players in their positions in all of junior hockey in Misa and Zayne Parekh. The Spirit can even count on a boost in the next month, as Igor Chernyshov eyes a return to play after missing the past nine months, who will add a goalscoring power forward profile to an already diverse and deep group of players.

If Saginaw makes another run to the Memorial Cup, it will be with Michael Misa at the helm.

Matthew Wood, LW, University of Minnesota (Nashville Predators)

Season Stats: 8G, 16A, 24PTS

Last Week Stats: 2G, 1A, 3PTS

Despite scoring four points in five World Junior games for Canada last year – more than any Canadian player managed this tournament – Matthew Wood was left off the roster. Instead, he returned to the NCAA and played an integral role in Minnesota’s two comfortable victories over Mercyhurst University. 

Few players in college hockey can match the big winger’s combination of handling skill, intelligence, and shooting threat. He used his hands to prod at the defence, drag defenders out of position, and to get the puck to the middle lane. Wood’s possession retention habits have come a long way since his draft year. This is on display on his one assist of the weekend. Wood attacks three defenders at the offensive blueline, pushes them way back and cuts back toward the blueline, leaving the puck for Sam Rinzel coming downhill with pace and his eyes set on the gap between Mercyhurst’s defensive and forward lines that Wood had created, ending in a goal.

While the 2024-25 season has not been one to remember for the Nashville Predators, the organization can look forward to the arrival of a forward with dynamic skill and an even more impressive mind for the game within the next two years.

Bill Zonnon, C/LW, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (2025 Draft)

Season Stats: 21G, 32A, 53PTS

Last Week Stats: 5G, 3A, 8PTS

Perhaps the best player in the whole QMJHL in the month of December, Bill Zonnon has risen all the way to second in league scoring. The powerful centre added the icing on the cake on the final day of the year, dominating Val-d’Or almost single-handedly, finding the back of the net four times and adding a pair of helpers.

Despite lacking separation speed and agility, Zonnon has consistently found the scoresheet by leveraging his physicality to access space, consistently scanning, and timing routes to the net with his stick on the ice. Three of his goals on New Year’s Eve came from such situations, with the other being a heavy power play shot from the left circle. 

What Zonnon lacks in dynamic mobility and puck skills, he more than makes up for with his non-stop motor, rampant physicality, and pragmatic offensive revolving around projectable habits and reads. He’s a pacy forechecker and a strong cycle playmaker, expanding his deceptive skills by the week. 

Don’t let the standout production distract you from his defensive qualities, either. He’s an energetic defensive presence in all three zones and uses his physicality to make the lives of opposition attackers difficult. Zonnon’s performances in recent weeks will garner him even more attention from scouts than he’s already gotten, and perhaps further entrench himself as a first-round talent – he was ranked 27th in our December rankings.