The Canadiens had the No. 1 pick (Juraj Slafkovsky) and No. 26 pick (Filip Mesar) in 2022, the No. 5 pick in 2023 (David Reinbacher) and the No. 5 (Ivan Demidov) and No. 21 picks (Michael Hage) in 2024.<\/p>\n
Last season, the Canadiens didn\u2019t have a first-round selection, trading picks No. 16 and No. 17 to the New York Islanders as part of the deal to acquire defenceman Noah Dobson.<\/p>\n
That was fine with Martin Lapointe, the Canadiens\u2019 director of player personnel and amateur scouting. Lapointe noted that general manager Kent Hughes had done a good job of accumulating draft picks to be able to make a trade like the one for Dobson.<\/p>\n
Nick Bobrov, the co-director of amateur scouting, also had no problem with the No. 16 and No. 17 picks being traded after spending a year scouting players who might have been available at those positions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, when the test is cancelled but you still get an A, you\u2019re really excited,\u201d Bobrov said with a chuckle after last year\u2019s draft. \u201cWe had no problem doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
It wouldn\u2019t be a surprise if the Canadiens trade their first-round pick again this year, maybe as part of a package to acquire either a second-line centre, a big top-six forward or a right-shot defenceman.<\/p>\n
The Canadiens also have a second-round pick at this year\u2019s draft, a third-round pick, two fourth-round picks, one sixth-round pick and two seventh-round picks. Round 2-7 will be held Saturday (11 a.m., Sportsnet, TVA Sports).<\/p>\n
Since becoming general manager of the Canadiens four years ago, Hughes has drafted 39 players. Nine of them have played with the Canadiens \u2014 Slafkovsky, Demidov, Reinbacher, Lane Hutson, Jacob Fowler, Owen Beck, Adam Engstrom, Florian Xhekaj and Jared Davidson.<\/p>\n
While the Canadiens didn\u2019t have a first-round pick last year, they might have struck gold in the second round when they took Russian winger Alexander Zharovsky<\/a> 34th overall. The Canadiens traded the No. 41 and No. 49 picks to the Carolina Hurricanes to move up to No. 34 and get Zharovsky. The 19-year-old was named the KHL\u2019s rookie of the year after posting 16-26-42 totals in 59 games this season with Ufa Salavat Yulayev, a year after Demidov won the award after posting 19-30-49 totals in 65 games with St. Petersburg SKA.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had Alexander (ranked) in the first round and, obviously, we wouldn\u2019t have done what we did if we didn\u2019t have him in a certain area,\u201d Bobrov said after last year\u2019s draft. <\/p>\n The 6-foot-2, 176-pound Zharovsky still has one year left on his KHL contract, but plans to spend a good chunk of this summer training with his good friend Demidov at the Canadiens\u2019 practice rink in Brossard. <\/p>\n The Canadiens took 6-foot-5, 205-pound centre Hayden Paupanekis<\/a> with their first of three third-round picks at last year\u2019s draft (69th overall). The 19-year-old had 15-22-37 totals in 57 games this season with the WHL\u2019s Kelowna Rockets to go along with 52 penalty minutes.<\/p>\n With their second third-round pick last year (81st overall) the Canadiens took 6-foot-1, 186-pound defenceman Bryce Pickford<\/a>, who shoots right. The 20-year-old was outstanding this season with 45-38-83 totals in 55 games with the WHL\u2019s Medicine Hat Tigers to go along with 56 penalty minutes and a plus-55 differential. He was named the CHL\u2019s top defenceman.<\/p>\n The Canadiens took 6-foot-4, 203-pound goalie Arseny Radkov<\/a> of Belarus with their third pick in the third round last year (82nd overall). Radkov split this season between the QMJHL\u2019s Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and the Saint John Sea Dogs. He had a 12-7-3 record with the Armada, along with a 3.01 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage, and was 5-7-2 with the Sea Dogs while posting a 4.04 GAA and a .882 save percentage.<\/p>\n In the fourth round last year (113th overall) the Canadiens took 5-foot-8, 165-pound centre L.J. Mooney<\/a>, who had 7-23-30 totals in 34 games this season as a freshman at the University of Minnesota.<\/p>\n Goalie Alexis Cournoyer<\/a>, the Canadiens\u2019 fifth-round pick last year (145th overall), had an 18-10-0 record as a freshman at Cornell University, along with a 2.05 GAA and a .915 save percentage.<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n The Canadiens took two right-shot defencemen in the sixth round last year. Carlos Handel,<\/a> a 6-foot-2, 176-pounder from Germany, was drafted 177th overall and had 3-19-22 totals in 44 games this season with the QMJHL\u2019s Halifax Mooseads. Andrew MacNiel<\/a>, a 6-foot-2, 170-pounder, was taken with the 189th overall pick. He had 2-5-7 totals in 48 games this season with the OHL\u2019s Kitchener Rangers.<\/p>\n The Canadiens\u2019 final pick last year in the seventh round (209th overall) was left-shot defenceman Max Vig<\/a>. The 6-foot-1, 212-pounder had 6-1-7 totals in 36 games this season as a freshman at Bemidji State University.<\/p>\n The Canadiens will hold their annual development camp for drafted players next Tuesday through Thursday at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard. Players will go through medical and physical testing on the first day and be on the ice the last two days, wrapping up with a scrimmage on Thursday.<\/p>\n![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/0626-spt-col-cowan-2.jpg\")
Bryce Pickford was named the CHL\u2019s top defenceman after scoring 45 goals during the 2025-26 regular season. Pierre Obendrauf \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n