Analyzing The Canadiens’ 2026 NHL Draft

If there is one player that I have written a lot about from this year’s draft crop, it is the big power forward Gleb Pugachyov, whom the Canadiens took at 26th overall. He has been deemed the most violent forward in this draft with his massive hits that send his opponents flying. What the Canadiens have here is a player who could be the next Tom Wilson if he continues improving on his offensive game. The Habs themselves believe that he could be NHL-ready sooner than we think with a 6’3″, 225 lbs. body. At the very least, Pugachyov seems like he could be a 4th line player similar to Josh Anderson but with better hands, while his ceiling is a 2nd line power forward. Time will tell exactly how well he will develop, but Pugachyov is a very promising pick for the Canadiens, who get a player that plays mean but also has a solid offensive side.

Timofei Runtso, 2nd Round 57th Overall

For their 2nd pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Canadiens went out and got a big 2-way right-handed defenseman in Timofei Runtso. He is an overager who turns 19 years old on July 6th, but he proved to be a solid player for the Victoria Royals of the WHL in his one season with the team this year by leading all defenseman with 11 goals and 44 points in 68 games. It should be noted that Runtso did this on a Royals team that wasn’t very good and missed the postseason (although if they were in the Eastern Conference, they would have made it in). According to Elite Prospects, Runtso is seen as a puck-moving machine, and one of his best assets is dissecting the opponents’ forecheck with good, crisp passes.

Standing 6’3″ and 196 lbs, Runtso still needs to put on a bit more weight on his frame before being ready for the pros, but he has good potential as a 2-way puck-moving defenseman. Despite his size, he’s not the most physical defenseman, but he will be someone his team can rely on to play big minutes as he did with the Royals. After a good year on a bad team, Runtso will be leaving the WHL to go play at the University of Miami (Ohio), where he will have the ability to fine-tune his game in hopes of one day playing in the NHL. If he does make the NHL, he could be someone who plays a similar style to Noah Dobson but in a lesser role in that he’s solid defensively without being very physical. Only time will tell whether his game can transition well over to the NCAA or the pros.

Cooper Cleaves, 3rd Round 93rd Overall

With their 3rd pick in the draft, the Canadiens went back into the pool of overagers by taking right-handed defenseman Cooper Cleaves, who is coming off his freshman season at Dartmouth College. The 20-year-old defenseman was actually at Habs Development Camp last summer, so he has some experience being involved with the Canadiens organization in some capacity, as he got the chance to show what he could do last year. As a result, it allowed the Canadiens to have interest in him, which led to them now having his rights for the next four years.

Unlike Runtso, Cleaves is more defensively oriented and is particularly good at shutting down plays with good stick checks as well as timely hits. He is also a solid skater, but he lacks skills with the puck, which limits his offensive abilities. Still, he has a chance at becoming a solid bottom-pairing defenseman with size and reliability somewhere down the line. By picking Cleaves, the Habs had taken their 3rd straight player who stands at 6’3″, which showed that the Habs had an agenda for this year’s draft.

Brayden Klimpke, 4th Round 117th Overall

As mentioned in the intro, the Canadiens’ smallest player selected was defenseman Brayden Klimpke, who came with the Canadiens’ 4th round pick. The defender is a very good playmaking defenseman from the backend, as he registered 43 assists in 68 games this past season with the Saskatoon Blades. He could eventually become a solid power play 2 quarterback at the pro hockey level, but it just might never be in the NHL despite the fact that he looks to have some decent potential in his game. Klimpke is also a very relentless, hard-working defenseman who is good at shutting down plays, which could be his angle when hoping to make it at the NHL level. From what I read and saw in terms of his highlights, he has the chance to make the NHL in a bottom-pairing role, but it might be hard to do in Montreal with everyone ahead of him on the depth chart in terms of left-handed defensemen.

The Later Picks:

The Canadiens only picked again in the 6th round, where they had back-to-back picks in which they took the grandson of Hall-of-Famer Bryan Trottier, Parker Trottier at pick 189. He played in the USNDT this past season, where he served primarily as a checking forward who put up 11 goals and 27 points in 61 games. Trottier is a hard-working forward who can hunt down loose pucks and has the potential to be a solid penalty killer if he ever makes it to the NHL. Next season, he will play at the University of Notre Dame, where he looks to continue his reputation as someone that is annoying to play against as he often gets under his opponents’ skin with a hit or just a solid defensive play. Among those late picks, he is likely the only one with any legit potential to play in the NHL.

Although, the next pick, Wesley Royston, could become a decent bottom 6 forward that can produce offensively if he can put it all together and find consistency in his game. Royston skates fast for his size and has a great shot that can help him produce, but he doesn’t use it enough. Overall, his game as a whole lacks consistency, and he will need to figure that out before he has a chance at turning pro. At 6’4″ and 190 lbs, he is the tallest prospect the Habs picked up, but he also needs to add a lot of weight before being ready for the pro level, as he’s leaning on the skinnier side of things with his size.

The last two picks the Canadiens made at the very end of the draft. First, they took defenseman Jean-Samuel Daigneault, who played a physical game in the USHL and should play similarly with the Brantford Bulldogs when he joins them next season. However, he doesn’t really have any NHL potential with his solid but not very understanding hitting ability. There is a chance that he takes big steps offensively in his game next season, but it doesn’t seem likely right now.

The Canadiens’ last pick and also the final pick in the entire draft was forward Tyler Deakos, who split his time between the AJHL and USHL during the 2025-26 campaign. Deakos could be a project pick that eventually grows into something, but we shouldn’t expect it now that he’s 19 years old and he was only playing in the AJHL until the 2nd half of draft+ 1 year. Nonetheless, he did do enough to become the very last pick thanks to his pro-level shot.

Time will tell for many of these guys, but the reality is that the Canadiens will probably only have 1 impact NHL player and maybe two more who fill NHL depth roles from this draft class that emphasized size and right-handed defensemen.

What are your thoughts on the Canadiens’ 2026 draft as a whole?