If we were to quote a source who predicted the hiring of Martin St-Louis and the offer sheet to Jesperi Kotkaniemi, among others, would you be inclined to believe him? We would. The <i>IB The Gambler</i> account has been pretty solid in its predictions for several years, especially when it comes to the Montreal Canadiens. In the run-up to the draft, the account got its sources going and was able to tell us who Kent Hughes' top targets are, should he still select at No. 5. <q>Over the past two weeks, the Canadiens have done their homework on three prospects in particular: Will Smith, Matvei Michkov and Zach Benson. These appear to be the three players the organization is focusing on the most in preparation for the draft.</q> <blockquote class=twitter-tweet><p lang=en dir=ltr>These last two weeks <a href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/Habs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#Habs</a> are doing serious due diligence on 3 prospects Will Smith, Michkov, Zach Benson.. seems like these are the three they are extremely focused on <a href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLDraft2023?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#NHLDraft2023</a> <a href=https://t.co/gqvhVcU0Yz>https://t.co/gqvhVcU0Yz</a>- IB THE GAMBLER 🔌 (@incarceratedbob) <a href=https://twitter.com/incarceratedbob/status/1669350695756255237?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>June 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js charset=utf-8> These are three really big names, and we love them! Forget the rumors of Dalibor Dvorsky or David Reinbacher, or even Axel Sandin-Pellikka. Will Smith is the CH's preferred choice, while Matvei Michkov is a pure talent and Zach Benson, though small in stature, is compared to Johnny Gaudreau. <blockquote class=twitter-tweet><p lang=en dir=ltr>Zach Benson: the top passer in the <a href=https://twitter.com/hashtag/2023NHLDraft?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>#2023NHLDraft</a>. <br><br>A puck protection machine along the boards. Incredibly deceptive. Limitless passing skill. Always chooses the right play. Strikes the perfect balance between patience and pace. <br><br>And he's the best defensive forward in the draft. <a href=https://t.co/761inFZFNO>pic.twitter.com/761inFZFNO</a>- Mitchell Brown (@MitchLBrown) <a href=https://twitter.com/MitchLBrown/status/1667540497764872195?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>June 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src=https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js charset=utf-8> Source : <a href='https://www.marqueur.com/news/index.php?no=246961' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Marker/News</a>