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Rinkside Roundup: Luca Del Bel Belluz shows impressive growth in recent NHL call-up

RUSSELL LABOUNTY - USA TODAY Sports
NHL Prospect Report

With the turn of the year in the rearview mirror, many prospects’ seasons are starting to take new forms. 

Two of today’s Roundup features, Ilya Protas and Blake Montgomery, are former USHLers turned OHL prospects this season — both are on a fast track to becoming two of the best power forwards in the league. 

Beyond them, whether it’s Luca Del Bel Belluz moving from Cleveland to Columbus and dazzling in his first taste of NHL hockey this year, or Andrew Cristall finding a whole new level of production after being dealt at the WHL trade deadline, this week’s prospects are showing how a change of scenery can lead to wonderful things.

Luca Del Bel Belluz, C, Columbus Blue Jackets 

Season stats: NHL: 1G 2A 3 PTS (AHL: 17G 20A 37PTS)

Last Week Stats: 1G 2A 3PTS

Luca Del Bel Belluz’s gradual growth from low-pace scorer to highly intelligent net-front specialist has been a treat to watch. The Columbus Blue Jackets’ 44th overall pick in 2022 has continued to be limited by a pretty considerable weakness — his skating — but has found wonderful ways to circumvent that problem.

A lot of Del Bel Belluz’s AHL points came in similar fashion to this — smart off-puck routes followed by deft hands around the net — and that’s why he currently leads all AHLers in points this season. He is still limited in the ice he can access — his cutbacks too slow, his inside drives not explosive enough — but moulding his game and developing into a high-end off-puck mover has created a wonderful harmony with his frame and hand-eye coordination. Becoming an NHLer is less about overcoming weaknesses, and more about turning lemons into lemonade. Del Bel Belluz has bought into that idea, and is now flourishing as a pro.

Roman Kantserov, RW, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (Chicago Blackhawks)

Season stats: 12G 11A 23PTS

Last Week Stats: 1G 3A 4PTS

The only exception to this week’s theme of movement, Roman Kantserov has been in his native Magnitogorsk’s system from the very beginning of his career path. The Chicago Blackhawks’ 44th overall pick in 2023 had a strong draft year in the MHL, but, predictably, didn’t make a big splash in his first taste of KHL action last year. Now, Kantserov is clicking at a hair shy of a point-per-game pace, and his recent run of four points in three games gives us a good glimpse into what has changed.

In his draft year, our most prominent issue with Kantserov’s game was his highly-peripheral tendencies. He would make plays from the wall, but would rarely make plays off the wall. That, combined with his 5-foot-9 frame, made his NHL projection difficult. Now, on occasions, Kantserov makes his way inside off the wall, pushes through checks while hanging onto pucks, and executes on shifting passing lanes. With this newfound inside game, Kantserov’s path to the NHL is a lot less nebulous than it used to be. 

Blake Montgomery, LW, London Knights (Ottawa Senators)

Season stats: 17G 15A 32PTS

Last Week Stats: 4G 1A 5PTS

One of the CHL’s many mid-season imports following the NCAA ruling on major junior prospects’ eligibility, Blake Montgomery’s move from the USHL to the OHL has been phenomenal for his career. The Ottawa Senators’ 117th overall pick in 2024 took some time to find his footing in London, earning a lone assist in five games, but has been outstanding as of late. Montgomery is currently on a 10-game point streak, and has 16 goals in his last 16 OHL games, including back-to-back braces over the weekend against Owen Sound and Windsor.

Montgomery’s game has developed a ton over the past year, and that development has only accelerated since his move to London. Smart transition routes, changes of pace, and shoulder drops now feature frequently in his rush game, and his release has been the major beneficiary of that growth. He is establishing an identity as a hard-nosed, pacey power forward, and is quickly becoming one of the best in the OHL in that role.

Ilya Protas, C/LW, Windsor Spitfires (Washington Capitals)

Season stats: 29G 37A 66PTS

Last Week Stats: 4G 2A 6PTS

Drafted out of the USHL after putting up 51 points in 61 games for Des Moines, Ilya Protas signed his entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals before transferring over to Windsor in the OHL. The move has done wonders for his NHL projection, helping him show off-the-catch shooting skills that he didn’t have much of a chance to leverage before. His three-goal, two-assist performance on Saturday helped highlight those blossoming scoring tools.

Leveraging his growing ability to process off-puck space, Protas scored his first goal by sneaking down defenders’ backs and timing his route with the flow of play. His second came off of a deft pressure play, poking the puck loose at the offensive zone blue line and lunging at it for a fast break. He topped things off with an empty-netter as well. 

Protas’ main skill remains his playmaking poise and vision — if his skating can continue creeping in the right direction, his game could reach the level of his brother’s. Alexei Protas was also a third-round pick of the Caps, and also experienced significant post-draft offensive growth. The younger Protas following a similar development path wouldn’t be out of the question.

Andrew Cristall, LW, Spokane Chiefs (Washington Capitals)

Season stats: 26G 34A 60PTS

Last Week Stats: 3G 4A 7PTS

Another Capitals prospect has been tearing it up as of late — Andrew Cristall. The highly skilled playmaking winger was dealt by Kelowna to the Spokane Chiefs at the WHL trade deadline, and the fit with Seattle first-rounder Berkly Catton has been seamless and instantaneous.

The two combined for a whopping 14 points in Spokane’s 12-2 win over Wenatchee on Saturday, showing phenomenal chemistry on the power play and off the rush.

You have to imagine this is exactly what Spokane was aiming for when they hauled Hayden Paupanekis, a promising 2007-born centre, along with five draft picks to Kelowna in exchange for Cristall. He and Catton found each other with impressive ease in that game, stringing together soft passes into areas in transition or hitting cross-ice feeds to each other on the man advantage. 

The Capitals’ 40th overall pick in 2023 will spend the rest of the season going all-in on offence next to one of the WHL’s best power play creators, on a unit that was already the best in the league. The Chiefs will be doing untold damage to penalty-prone teams when the playoffs roll around, and Cristall will be at the very centre of it.

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