Standouts From Canadiens Development Camp Scrimmage

Though undersized, Mooney is one of the toughest competitors in the entire draft, displaying a fantastic 200-foot game, fuelled by aggressive forechecking, a smart defensive stick and he throws in some bone-crunching body checks to boot.

Michael Hage: Centre, Six-Foot-Zero, 200 pounds from Mississauga, Ontario

Michael Hage showed up at development camp with a reported 10 pounds of muscle added to his frame, thanks to some hard off-season work in the weight room. It was noticeable that he initiated contact while handling the puck, and outmuscled many of his opponents, often looking a few levels ahead of everybody.

Physically he was near the top of the list, and skill-wise, he and Mooney are in a tier of their own, which is encouraging ahead of Hage's sophomore season with the University of Michigan. His puck skills, vision and strong skating all stood out at the Canadiens development camp.

Hage appears primed for a big year, and knows well that the Canadiens need a second-line centre something fierce. Pretty big motivation for Hage to continue developing and growing all facets of his game, in anticipation for his shot with the Canadiens.

Bryce Pickford: Defenseman, Six-Foot-One, 183 pounds from Edmonton, Alberta

Bryce Pickford was passed over during his draft year (2024), but Kent Hughes couldn't pass on the 19-year-old right-shot defenseman's skillset.

Pickford is a smooth skating, offensively-wired defenseman, who is a volume shooter, with a heavy release, that comes off his blade quickly. But he is also a great passer, with fluid skating and high-end vision that fuels a solid playmaking aspect to his game, that should absolutely be further nurtured.

A leader for the Medicine Hat Tigers, the team that features 2026 consensus top draft prospect Gavin McKenna, Pickford is a strong two-way defender, who has some interesting offensive upside. After a 20-goal regular season, Pickford pitched in 13 playoff goals through 18 games.

Bogdan Konyushkov: Defenseman, Six-Foot-Zero, 170 pounds from Penza, Russia

Bogdan Konyushkov didn't stand out at the Canadiens' development camp, but that's precisely why he was a standout. It's a testament to how he plays an efficient two-way game that isn't overly flashy.

Konyushkov was smooth, both with his skating and steady defensive game, and the small details that go unnoticed are the things that make Konyushkov a near-safe bet to play bottom-pairing NHL minutes in the future.

Though his offensive game, which wasn't much on display during the scrimmages, is something that has surely enamoured the Canadiens to the player. He had a down year offensively in the KHL last season, but he is fearless, joining the rush like a fourth forward as often as he can, and he has a great first pass and is a smart shooter.

Hayden Paupanekis: Centre, Six-Foot-Five, 203 pounds from Winnipeg, Manitoba

Hayden Paupanekis is big and strong, but he is also rangy, without ample room to add muscle to his frame. The skills are what stand out first with Paupanekis in that he has small forward puck skills, but he has a similar physical stature to Patrik Laine.

Paupanekis always has his head up scanning for the next play, and he has the awareness to attack open space or sit back and calculate before executing smart passes to push the play up the ice. In transition, his skills are obvious because he can carry the puck through the neutral zone and execute zone entries by himself, an invaluable tool that every general manager covets.

The skating, size and skill combination also fuels his stout defensive game, which is understandably overwhelming for opponents thanks to his reach, and he isn't afraid to use his physical traits to his advantage with timely body checks. Paupanekis possesses a near-definite top-nine NHL centre upside, should he continue progressing.

Many other plays stood out for different reasons, and some that didn't do anything to stand out, but played solid minutes, and displayed what Canadiens management has to work with. That's another story for another day, though.