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. 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. <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>