Canadiens goalie prospect to miss much of 2024-25 season after shoulder surgery

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Graham Montgomery
September 14, 2024 (10:13 PM)

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Montreal Canadiens goalie prospect Quentin Miller could be done for the season after undergoing major shoulder surgery to repair his shoulder.

The team confirmed the news via X this afternoon. Miller will be undergoing surgery on his right shoulder to fix an injury he sustained during a pre-season event.

Miller was drafted by the Canadiens 128th overall in the 2023 draft and has consistently put up good numbers in the QMJHL, a league that is notorious for poor defense and even worse goaltending. Despite this, he managed a .917 save percentage last year with Rimouski, and a still-impressive .901 with the Quebec Remparts before the mid-season trade. As such, he is looking like a legitimate prospect with NHL upside. Unfortunately, Rimouski is hosting the Memorial Cup this year, so unless he can make a full recovery before the end of the season, he could miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

As a result of Miller's injury, the Canadiens were in need of a other goaltender to work at their prospect camp. As such, they brought in OHL netminder Matteo Drobac. While the organization likely is not expecting Drobac to turn into a legitimate prospect for them, there is an outside chance that he could be back in future years. Last season he appeared in 52 games with the Brantford Bulldogs and put up a very respectable 28-14-7 record along with a .892 save percentage and 3.27 GAA. While those numbers may not sound great on paper, they are actually quite solid for OHL numbers given the high scoring environment of junior hockey.

Hopefully, Miller will make a full recovery from this injury, and his long-term goal of making the NHL won't be impacted by it. In the meantime, this is an opportunity for Drobac to show what he's got. Could either goalie become a household name in the future?

Source: HockeyFeed
Canadiens confirm first major injury of the season.