It's an oft-criticized fact that the Montreal Canadiens have a penchant for making high draft picks of college-eligible and NCAA players. Nine of the Habs' last 14 first draft selections fit that description.
Given the disappointment that has attended the likes of David Fischer (the 20th overall pick in 2006, who has yet to play an NHL game), fans may be heartened by what could turn out to be an emerging trend.
The Canadiens' last two first-round picks have charted a different path from previous first rounders like Fischer, Ryan McDonagh (12th overall in 2007), Chris Higgins (14th overall in 2002), Mike Komisarek (7th overall in 2001) and Ron Hainsey (13th overall in 2000) - all of whom played at least two college seasons.
Centre Louis Leblanc, the 18th pick in 2009 who left Harvard this past summer after one season in crimson and white, is now a member of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Montreal Juniors.
And hulking defenceman Jarred Tinordi, picked 22nd last June out of the U.S. national junior program, spurned the University of Notre Dame in favour of the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.
True, Habs prospects like 2008 second-rounder Danny Kristo and third-rounder Steve Quailer are developing in college, as are 2009 draftees Mac Bennett and Dustin Walsh.
And there is the cautionary tale of 2007 first-rounder Max Pacioretty, who left the University of Michigan after one year, but has struggled to establish himself as a pro, scoring a modest six goals in 86 NHL games. (He is at this week's rookie camp alongside Tinordi and Leblanc).
The decisions of marquee first-round picks like Leblanc and Tinordi inevitably stoke the perennial college/junior debate, even if their motivations were divergent and somewhat nuanced.
On Monday, general manager Pierre Gauthier said the franchise doesn't nudge players toward junior as a matter of policy, and that his only advice is "go where you think you'll find success."
But it's not like the organization kicked up a fuss and demanded they stay in school.
In Tinordi's case, the decision wasn't so much NCAA versus OHL, as it was the Fighting Irish versus the NHL prospect factory that is the Knights (recent alums include John Carlson of the Washington Capitals and Maple Leafs hopeful Nazem Kadri).
"They run a very pro-like environment," said the 6-foot-6 defenceman, whose physique can be described as Chris Pronger-esque. "I think it would have affected my decision, it would have made me think about it a little bit more if it wasn't London."
Tinordi cited the OHL's busier playing schedule as a key factor in honing his puck-handling and offensive skills. He also mentioned a rather less politic element of major-junior hockey: Fisticuffs aren't banned.
"It gives me the opportunity to play a little meaner, a little more in-your-face … I'm not going to go out there just to fight, but I don't mind it, I see it as part of my game," he said.
Leblanc says he opted for junior in large part because his rights were traded from Chicoutimi to Montreal, and also because, having completed his freshman year, he can return to complete his studies at Harvard at the time of his choosing.
"I'm going to play a lot more games, my body's going to be tested," he said, adding "but I've attended the best university of the world, and I'll definitely go back to finish my degree."
The 19-year-old also has the run of the gym facilities at the Habs practice complex and is following a program set out by the NHL club's strength coach.
And what advice would he give to an up-and-coming player weighing college and junior?
"Go with your guts … look at where you are in your hockey career, and if you think it's time to play more games and you're getting close to playing in the NHL, then maybe it's better to go to junior," he said. "But if education is important, like it is for me, and you think you need more time to develop, college is always an excellent choice."