The Montreal Canadiens have selected prospect Bryce Pickford with the 81st overall pick, in the third round of the NHL Entry Draft.

Pickford, a 6’1″ defenceman, spent last year serving as the alternate captain for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL, scoring 20 goals and 27 assists in 47 games.

Bryce Pickford might be the best to ever do itpic.twitter.com/CgBcSBcSrE https://t.co/UM8kzkoEpF

— Liam Blutman (@Blutman27) May 24, 2025

Montreal Canadiens Draft Info

The Montreal Canadiens made their usual splash at the draft weekend, trading both of their first round picks (16th and 17th overall) as well as Emil Heineman to the New York Islanders for top-pairing defenceman Noah Dobson. Despite moving a pair of picks, the Canadiens still held 10 draft picks heading into Day 2 of the NHL Entry Draft.

Dobson, 25, immediately signed an eight-year contract extension with the Canadiens, carrying an annual average value (AAV) of $9.5 million.

There’s no doubt about it, the Canadiens improved their lineup significantly with the Dobson trade, though it may lead to further trades down the road as the salary-cap situation comes into play. Defenceman Mike Matheson, in particular, may end up being moved to ensure more financial manoeuvrability, and there’s a very healthy chance the team will try to trade Carey Price’s contract should they find an organization attempting to reach the cap floor.

This is the fourth consecutive draft weekend that featured a significant trade for the Canadiens, a situation that’s quickly becoming general manager Kent Hughes’ calling card.

He traded a first-round pick in 2022 to ensure he could swing a deal which included centre Kirby Dach. It was followed by a trade the next year that saw Alex Newhook join the Habs in exchange for a late first-round pick and an early second-round pick.

Last season, Hughes packaged a first-round pick as well as a second-round pick in a trade that saw the Canadiens move up the first-round draft order, leading to the selection of Michael Hage, a very exciting prospect who enjoyed a fantastic season in the NCAA with the Michigan Wolverines.

Despite moving a bevy of draft picks, the Canadiens’ prospect pool is still considered to be among the top pipelines in the NHL, which speaks to Montreal’s thorough, yet encouraging game plan to navigate the final stages of the rebuild.