Habs Sign Prospect Owen Protz To His Entry-Level Contract
The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday afternoon that they have signed defenseman Owen Protz to his entry-level contract. Protz was drafted by the Habs in the 4th round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. He is the 3rd defensive prospect signed since the beginning of the season by the Canadiens, following Bryce Pickford, who had a historic season with the Medicine Hat Tigers, and Luke Mittlestadt, who recently finished his college hockey career.
The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract (2026-27 to 2028-29) with defenseman Owen Protz.
News release ↓ #GoHabsGohttps://t.co/l4rvU5BvDC
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 27, 2026
Similar to Pickford, Protz won’t report to the Canadiens or Laval Rocket, as he is getting ready to start the OHL Playoffs with the Brantford Bulldogs, which starts Friday night against the Sudbury Wolves. However, the deal likely means that we could see him sign a professional tryout contract with the Rocket if he and Brantford get eliminated before the end of the AHL season.
Protz finished the OHL regular season scoring 5 goals and 23 points in 67 games, which was less than the year before; he was never drafted or signed for what he brings offensively. The main reason for both getting drafted and being signed by the Canadiens is his mean streak and mastery of the open-ice hit. Now, we should never expect Protz to be a top 4 defenseman, but he can be a great bottom pairing guy that could strike fear into opposing forwards coming down the ice. If the Bulldogs do get eliminated before the Rocket are done in the playoffs, he will likely be a great fit to help the AHL team make a run with his ability to deliver bone-crushing hits.
This Owen Protz kid makes what Alex Romanov used to do in this building look like gentle shoves. pic.twitter.com/A4AGSYzyHE
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) September 14, 2025
In fact, he has already shown a bit of that side of his game in a Habs jersey during this past training camp’s rookie showcase where he laid out multiple prospects. Protz will definitely need a few years in the AHL to ensure that he can be NHL-ready, but he has an x-factor that can separate him from other prospects in the pool. His hitting ability can end up giving him a nice leg up on other guys who are battling for bottom pairing roles on an NHL roster.
The Habs lack a rough and tough defenseman who can intimidate opponents with his physicality without sacrificing discipline and overall defensive ability. In order to make that 2nd part happen, the Habs will need to make sure that he gets the proper amount of seasoning in the AHL, where he can develop his game more, and not rush him to the NHL as they did with Arber Xhekaj. Thankfully, the Canadiens are a much better team than they were during the start of the 2022-23 season, so it is very unlikely that he even gets a chance in the NHL without two full years with the Rocket starting next season.
This is Owen Protz: the 6’1, 214 pounds, physical shutdown defenseman drafted by the Habs in the 4th round this year.
He was a teammate of Florian Xhekaj in Brantford.
Elite Prospects called him “the most violent player on the ice at any given time.” pic.twitter.com/MhXoIwEQgd
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) August 6, 2024
During that time in the AHL, he will surely develop a reputation as a big hitter that will crush his opponents just like he has with the Bulldogs in the OHL. That x-factor could make him an important depth player for the Habs someday, but they must make sure to develop him right before that can happen, and that includes knowing when to throw his hits without taking penalties that could put the team in trouble.
That was the main problem that the Habs had with Xhekaj early on, and now he isn’t nearly as intimidating or physical because he is afraid to get into penalty trouble. If he had figured out how to be more responsible earlier in his career, then maybe he could still be an effective sheriff on the blueline. Not to mention he didn’t have enough time to improve his defensive game at the AHL level before playing with the Habs. With that being said, the Habs have a chance to redo the development of a rugged physical defenseman that can be a great asset to the team some day as an everyday player.
Do you think Owen Protz can be an NHL defenseman one day?
