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Size Isn’t Hurting Canadiens Prospect

This Montreal Canadiens prospect is five-foot-eight and just under 160 pounds, but he doesn't believe that will limit him, and the chip on his shoulder could carry him quite high up the ranks.

Tyler Major-Mcnicol

Apr 16, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of a Montreal Canadiens logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team in the second period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Apr 16, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of a Montreal Canadiens logo on a jersey worn by a member of the team in the second period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / David Kirouac-Imagn Images
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LJ Mooney is a polarizing selection for the Montreal Canadiens because he is undersized at five-foot-eight and 157 pounds. But like his current idols Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson, Mooney is keen on proving everyone wrong by following the path of many small, skilled forwards who have carved out NHL careers.

Should Mooney need any further motivation, he could pick up his phone and dial Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis' number. If anybody has some words of advice for a small forward trying to make the NHL against the odds, it's Marty.

Standing five-foot-eight, though a very stocky five-foot-eight at that, St. Louis is a Hall of Famer and now stands behind the Canadiens' bench calling the shots. If a small player were going to succeed, he could be in a much worse place than Montreal to try and do so.

Mooney also oozes confidence. His intensity level has shades, maybe not consistently, but sometimes of Brendan Gallagher, with his intense pursuit of the opposing net front and willingness to mix it up with anybody.

He isn't going to need to rely on physicality so much in the NCAA, but the University of Minnesota freshman is going to try and harness his explosiveness in all three zones and continue growing his brilliant playmaking game while sharpening his scoring touch.

Caufield's goalscoring is at the top of the 2019 draft class. The same can't be said of Mooney and the 2025 draft class, but with some added muscle and weight to his frame, he might surprise many. Watching him do his thing with the Golden Gophers is sure to get Canadiens fans plenty excited for the diminutive forward prospect.

What makes Mooney truly special is his ability to elevate his game, despite always being the smallest guy on the ice, and staying the size he is, which motivates him like it did the late Johnny Gaudreau.

Having an example of guys that have done it before is a great motivator, and Mooney looks like a great player who can carry the torch and inspire the next generation of small-framed, lion-hearted hockey players.

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Tyler Major-Mcnicol
TYLER MAJOR-MCNICOL

Tyler is a former Algonquin College journalism graduate, and passionate hockey fan. His love for the Montreal Canadiens comes second to his love of hockey. With two daughter’s under four years old, hockey is always a topic of conversation. Nothing gets me quite excited like an empty canvas waiting to have a story written on it, and the smell of fresh ice in the air.

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