Brandon Montour
| Birthday: 1994-04-11 | Position: D |
| Eligible for draft: 2012 | Shoots: Right |
| Drafted: 2014 | Height: 6-0 |
| Acquired: 2nd round (55th overall), 2014 | Weight: 170 lbs. |
Probability of Success
- C
History
2009-10: Brandon Montour skated for the Cambridge Hawks minor midget AAA team in Ontario. He scored 4 goals with 14 assists and 12 penalty minutes in 40 regular season games and had 2 assists and 6 penalty minutes in 11 playoff games.
2010-11: Montour played for the Brantford Golden Eagles in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League as a 16-year-old and played for the Cambridge Hawks midget AAA team. He scored 1 goal with 13 assists and 22 penalty minutes in 37 regular season games for Brantford and had 3 assists with 6 penalty minutes in 10 GOJHL playoff games. Montour scored 3 goals with 8 assists and 38 penalty minutes in 19 midget games with the Hawks.
2011-12: Montour returned to Brantford for a second season as the Golden Eagles finished first in the GOJHL’s Mid-Western Conference and won the playoff title; falling to Golden Horseshoe Division champion St. Catharines in the Sutherland Cup final. Montour scored 14 goals with 22 assists and 65 penalty minutes in 51 regular season games and scored 6 goals with 12 assists and 30 penalty minutes in 19 playoff games.
2012-13: Montour went from Brantford to the Caledonia Corvairs in his third GOJHL season. In 49 regular season games he scored 18 goals with 49 assists and 94 penalty minutes. Caledonia finished first in the Midwestern Conference but lost to Montour’s former team, Stratford, in the playoff semifinals. In 12 playoff games he scored 4 goals with 11 assists and 22 penalty minutes. Montour was selected by Waterloo in the 18th round (267th overall) of the 2013 USHL Entry Draft.
2013-14: Montour was named the USHL’s top defenseman and was the second-leading scorer for Western Conference champion Waterloo as a 19-year-old. He committed to playing college hockey at Massachusetts-Amherst in 2014-15 in September before scoring 14 goals with 48 assists and finishing +35 with 36 penalty minutes in 60 regular season games. After finishing first in the regular season the Black Hawks advanced to the Clark Cup finals against Eastern Conference champion Indiana. Montour was ranked 92nd amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by Anaheim in the second round (55th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft.
2014-15: Montour skated at three different levels — making his pro debut with the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals after signing a three-year entry-level contract with Anaheim following his freshman season at Massachusetts-Amherst. He spent the first half of the season with the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks while straightening out eligibility issues with the NCAA. Montour scored 1 goal with 9 assists and was +10 with 8 assists in 14 games with the Admirals. Norfolk missed the playoffs, finishing last in the East Division. Montour scored 3 goals with 17 assists and was -6 with 30 penalty minutes in 21 games with UMass. The Minutemen finished 11th in the 12-team Hockey East Conference; upsetting fifth seed Notre Dame, 4-3 in five overtimes in the first game before losing the next two games. Montour scored 6 goals with 15 assists and was -11 with 30 penalty minutes in 17 USHL games with Waterloo.
Talent Analysis
Montour is an offensively-inclined defenseman whose style of play can make him a bit of a risk, but he has become very good at anticipating when to jump up into the play and when to exercise caution. A late bloomer, he was drafted in his third year of eligibility following a strong USHL season. He skates and passes well and is strong with the puck. Defensively, his play in his own end is still a work in progress but should improve as he gains experience and strength.
Future
Montour is skating for new Anaheim AHL affiliate San Diego in 2015-16. In his first season of pro hockey, he is the leading scorer amongst Gulls' defensemen. Montour has been dominant at times but his positional play is still evolving. His risk taking can sometimes get him in bad spots — whether it's taking undisciplined penalties or getting caught out of position. With his combination of offensive instincts and drive to score, Montour projects as a player capable of causing havoc from the back end of the attack and running an NHL power play effectively. With added bulk and strength and refined positional play he has a high upside.
