NHL Prospect Watch: Montreal Canadiens

In the lead-up to the 2026-27 hockey season, we’re diving into the WHL prospect pool for every NHL team. To be included in this list, a player must be recently drafted, signed to an NHL contract, or meet the NHL’s criteria for rookie status.

Today, we focus on Montreal’s up-and-comers, highlighted by the WHL Player of the Year.

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Jared Davidson

The WHL Champion who was initially passed over in the NHL Draft defied the odds to make his NHL debut in 2025-26. The 24-year-old from Edmonton, Alta. put up four shots and a hit in his debut on November 15, 2025, and finished his NHL stint with an assist in 10 appearances. Davidson logged another 25 points (16G-9A), including a team-best five game-winning goals, in 53 games with the AHL’s Laval Rocket and earned a one-year, two-way contract with the Habs. The 5-foot-11, 183-pound forward was drafted by Montreal with the 130th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. Davidson spent his entire WHL career with the Seattle Thunderbirds, putting up 99 goals and 111 assists for 210 points in 254 games over five seasons. He earned WHL U.S. Division First Team All-Star honours twice and wore the ‘A’ for Seattle’s 2023 WHL Championship Run.

Tyler Deakos

Incoming Penticton Vees forward Tyler Deakos holds the dubious honour of being the very last player selected in the 2026 NHL Draft at 224th overall. He’ll have a solid opportunity to prove he could have gone higher as he prepares to join the reigning B.C. Division champions after splitting 2025-26 with the AJHL’s Drumheller Dragons, where he scored 15 points (8G-7A) in 10 games, and the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks, where he posted 17 points (7G-10A). The 19-year-old from Canmore, Alta. clocks in at 6-foot-1, 174 pounds.

Brayden Klimpke

2026 fourth-round pick Brayden Klimpke blew his previous numbers out of the water with a 46-point (4G-43A) campaign with Saskatoon. The 6-foot, 167-pound Blades alternate captain finished fifth on the team in points and ranked 11th in assists among all WHL defencemen. Klimpke, from Calgary, Alta., also potted five points (1G-4A) in 11 playoff games as the six-seed Blades upset the Edmonton Oil Kings before falling to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Prince Albert Raiders. He also suited up for Team East at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game.

Hayden Paupanekis

Six-foot-five, 203-pound centreman Hayden Paupanekis got to compete with the CHL’s best at the 2026 Memorial Cup, where he iced three games with the Kelowna Rockets. Paupanekis picked up 37 points (15G-22A) in 57 regular-season tilts with the Rockets, highlighted by a two-goal, two-assist effort in an 8-5 offensive outburst against the Regina Pats. The Winnipeg, Man. product was selected by Montreal with the 69th overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NHL Draft. Paupanekis has hit 100 points (47G-53A) in 190 games over parts of four seasons with the Spokane Chiefs and Kelowna Rockets.

Bryce Pickford

Had two-time WHL Champion and Medicine Hat Tigers captain Bryce Pickford avoided a late-season injury, there was a very real chance he’d lead the WHL in goals. Instead, he had to settle for WHL Player of the Year and CHL and WHL Defenceman of the Year honours. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound right-shot defender ripped up the league with 45 goals (including a league-best 11 game-winners and three hat tricks) and 38 assists for 83 points in 55 games. Pickford tied for second in the WHL goals race, finished 14th in points and set a franchise record for single-season goals by a defenceman. The 20-year-old added another 12 points (6G-6A) in 15 playoff contests, though the Tigers saw their title defence end in the Eastern Conference Championship. Drafted by the Canadiens with the 81st overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NHL Draft, Pickford signed his entry-level deal in December of 2025 and is expected to turn pro in 2026-27.

Timofei Runtso

Six-foot-3, 196-pound Timofei Runtso used his first WHL season to propel himself to a second-round draft position with Montreal. The right-shot rearguard totalled 44 points (11G-33A) and nine multipoint efforts to finish fifth in scoring on the upstart Victoria Royals and 20th among all WHL defenders. Runtso, from Marina Del Rey, Calif., represented Team West at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game, where he picked up an assist. The 19-year-old was selected 57th overall in the second round of the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo.

Ethan Samson 

Twenty-two-year-old defenceman Ethan Samson is ready for a fresh start with a new organization after signing a one-year, two-way contract with Montreal on the opening day of the 2026 NHL free agency period. The 6-foot-1, 181-pound rearguard had four assists in 10 games with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms before a trade to the Syracuse Crunch saw him net another 14 points (5G-9A) in 30 outings. Samson was picked by the Flyers with the 174th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL Draft. The Delta, B.C. product played the entirety of his junior career with the Prince George Cougars, where he was an alternate captain for his final two seasons and piled up 122 points (36G-86A) across 211 games in four seasons. Samson was a B.C. Division First-Team All-Star in 2022-23 and made the second team in 2021-22.

Tyler Thorpe 

Six-foot-5, 220-pound winger Tyler Thorpe had plenty of bright spots in his first season of professional hockey. The former Vancouver Giants standout notched 16 points (4G-12A) and 77 penalty minutes in 68 games with the AHL Rocket, leading all Rocket rookies in scoring and finishing fourth on the team in PIMs. Originally selected by Montreal with the 130th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2024 NHL Draft, Davidson will look for an even bigger impact as he enters the second season of his three-year, entry-level contract. Thorpe established himself as a consistent goal scorer and intimidating physical presence over parts of three seasons with the Vancouver Giants, where he earned 102 points (54G-48A) in 167 games.

Parker Trottier

Eighteen-year-old Parker Trottier will spend his draft-plus-one season with the Regina Pats after plying his trade with the U.S. National Team Development Program. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound forward from Edina, Minn. was chosen in the sixth round of the 2026 NHL Draft (189th overall). He strung together 14 points (8G-6A) in 24 outings with the USHL U.S. NTDP Juniors, in addition to 27 points (11G-16A) in 61 outings with the U.S. National U18 Team in 2025-26.