Montreal Canadiens sign Sean Farrell to entry-level contract

The Montreal Canadiens have signed top forward prospect Sean Farrell to an entry-level contract.

Farrell, 21, scored 20 goals and 53 points in 34 games as a sophomore with the Harvard Crimson this season. His ELC takes effect immediately and will run through 2024–25.

The Canadiens originally selected Farrell, a five-foot-nine winger, in the fourth round (No. 124 overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft.

Farrell finished his NCAA career on Friday after a crushing 8-1 loss for Harvard against Ohio State. Jakub Dobes, a fellow Canadiens prospect, was in net for the shutout effort for OSU.

It was Farrell’s second year at Harvard, scoring 28 points as a freshman before exploding for 20 goals and 53 points this year. Taken 124th overall in 2020, Farrell managed to record 101 points in his final year of junior before starting college.

Last year was a busy one for the 21-year-old forward. Farrell was USA’s top scorer at the Olympics with six points in four games, and he had another six poitns at the men’s World Hockey Championship. Both events showed that Farrell’s smaller 5-foot-9 frame could handle playing against men, even if neither event were as physical as typical NHL action.

Speedy and skilled with the puck, Farrell was part of the stacked USNTDP team in 2019 that had Jack Hughes, Cole Caufield, Trevor Zegras and Matt Boldy, among others. Farrell was a mid-pack scorer with the team, but has managed to put up some incredible numbers ever since.

Farrell has quickly become one of Montreal’s top prospects and one that should be able to slide in and make an impact shortly. His arrival comes at a time during Montreal’s rebuild, with the Habs sitting fifth in the fight to land Connor Bedard. The Canadiens currently have three players on injured reserve, and another three on long-term injured reserve, so there could be room for Farrell to jump in and make an impact.

Farrell’s rights were set to expire in 2025, so there was no rush for the Canadiens to sign him early. Clearly, they value him as an impact player in the near future.