The Montreal Canadiens had an immediate resurgence in the regular season standings, jumping from last place in the Eastern Conference in 2011-12 into second, behind the Pittsburgh Penguins. Newly drafted Alex Galchenyuk had an immediate impact on the team’s third line, and thanks to several players having stellar seasons, the Canadiens not only made the playoffs but clinched the Northeast Division.
While the remaining prospects from the 2012 draft class continued to develop in junior pro and overseas, Habs fans started to believe in the team again. The winds of change were in the air, and under new management, the direction of the Canadiens never appeared better.
Related: Canadiens Prospects Need More Support in the AHL
In Marc Bergevin’s second draft as Canadiens’ general manager, he and his scouting team aimed to target several weaknesses up front while bolstering their depth between the pipes. It was time to move the team to a tougher one to play against, one with size and skill.
1st Round, 25th Overall
Montreal Selects: Michael McCarron
The team emphasized the importance of big players, and the Canadiens found a mountain of a man in Michael McCarron. The 6-foot-6 American forward split his draft season between the United States Hockey League (USHL) and National Team Development Program (NTDP), playing for the USNTDP Juniors and the U.S. National U18 Team, respectively. McCarron was mean, hit well, and was decent with the puck from a playmaking perspective. His offensive numbers didn’t indicate a consistent point producer or a play driver, but it was enough to give him a shot.
His speed and skating were McCarron’s major downfall, as he never truly earned a full-time role with the Canadiens. He played a total of 69 games over three seasons with the Habs while spending most of his tenure in the American Hockey League. In 2020, McCaron was traded to Nashville for forward Laurent Dauphin, bringing the end to his stay in Montreal.
Hindsight Pick: Ryan Hartman
Five picks later, the Chicago Blackhawks landed Ryan Hartman, another player out of the same program that bred McCarron. Hartman was a half-foot shorter than the Canadiens’ selection, but what he gave up in height, he more than made up for in offensive skill and speed. After stints with the Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, and Philadelphia Flyers, Hartman found a home with the Minnesota Wild, where he registered a season-high 34 goals in 2021-22.
2nd Round, 34th Overall
Montreal Selects: Jacob de la Rose
The second round was a perfect time for the Canadiens to grab a two-way forward, and they found their guy in Jacob de la Rose out of Sweden. He possessed all the tools you want from a Swedish prospect — strong skating, excellent defensive structure, and decision-making capabilities. De la Rose earned early exposure at the international level, representing his country at various levels of competition and even serving as the team’s captain in 2013.
While his defensive game transitioned well into the NHL, his ability to produce on a semi-consistent level never caught up. He struggled with some early injuries, and when placed on waivers in 2018, the Detroit Red Wingers claimed him. They traded him to the St. Louis Blues a year later for Robby Fabbri, and de la Rose eventually lost his place in the league and returned to Europe.
Hindsight Pick: J.T. Compher
One pick later, the Buffalo Sabres took J.T. Compher of the U.S. National Development Team. He never dressed for the team as he was part of the Ryan O’Reilly deal with the Colorado Avalanche, but he blossomed shortly after the fact. Compher has become one of the best bottom-six players in the league, recording at least 10 goals in the last eight seasons, and he registered a career-high 52 points in 82 games during the 2022-23 season.
2nd Round, 36th Overall
Montreal Selects: Zachary Fucale
Montreal used their next second-round pick in the draft to add depth to the goaltending position, taking Zachary Fucale of the Halifax Mooseheads. On a team with Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin scoring at will, the team didn’t have to rely too heavily on big saves in important moments. Still, Fucale offered the Mooseheads consistent goaltending, enough to capture both a Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) Championship and Memorial Cup in the 2012-13 season. Fucale entered the draft as the number-one ranked goaltender in North America, so this was a slam dunk of a pick at the time.
Fucale put up decent numbers at both the American Hockey League (AHL) and ECHL levels but never panned out enough to earn himself some time in the NHL. After three seasons, Montreal did not tender an offer in 2018, which led to a departure from the organization as Fucale signed with the Vegas Golden Knights. Since then, Fucale appeared in four games with the Washington Capitals in the 2021-22 season.
Hindsight Pick: Tristan Jarry
Eight selections later, the Pittsburgh Penguins grabbed Tristan Jarry, and that decision paid off quite nicely. A two-time Western Hockey League (WHL) champion, Memorial Cup winner, and two-time NHL All-Star, Jarry became a good goaltender at the NHL level, serving as the 1A option following the departure of Matt Murray in 2020. If you’d ask management a few years later whether they’d prefer a decent AHL goaltender or one with ample NHL experience, they’d go Jarry.
2nd Round, 55th Overall
Montreal Selects: Artturi Lehkonen
The Canadiens’ third and final selection in the second round turned into Finnish winger Artturi Lehkonen. He played one more season in Finland following the draft, plus two years in Sweden, before jumping over to North America. The patience paid off as Lehkonen gelled with the playstyle immediately and recorded 18 goals in his rookie campaign.
Lehkonen remained with the Canadiens for six seasons, playing a pivotal role in the team’s top nine and giving it his all every shift. His hard-working nature was contagious, but once the team started trending downward, the Canadiens traded him to Colorado for future assets. Lehkonen suited up for the Colorado Avalanche and scored eight goals in 20 games en route to winning the 2022 Stanley Cup.
Hindsight Pick: Tyler Bertuzzi
The second round ended with a bang as players like Zach Sanford and William Carrier were all taken after Lehkonen, but the name that stands out above them is Tyler Bertuzzi. He took a few more years to develop and find his place in the NHL, but after doing so, he recorded back-to-back 21-goal seasons before registering a 30-goal campaign in the 2021-22 season.
Related: Canadiens Prospect Pyramid: Midseason 2022-23
Like Lehkonen, Bertuzzi got dealt to a contending team in exchange for future assets and some cap relief, but unlike the former Canadiens’ forward, he did not make it out of the first round. Bertuzzi is probably the wiser pick between the two, but it’s hard to fault the Bergevin regime in this situation based on Lehkonen’s overall contribution to the team.
3rd Round, 71st Overall
Montreal Selects: Connor Crisp
Connor Crisp was a centre with decent size and knew how to use it. In his final two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one with the Erie Otters and the other with the Sudbury Wolves, Crisp registered seasons of over 120 penalty minutes while adding a combined 50 goals. The risk did not pay off, as the third-rounder suffered a concussion during the 2016-17 season that would ultimately railroad his entire career. After two seasons in the ECHL, Crisp retired from hockey and moved on to open his hockey school called Elite Hockey Training.
Hindsight Pick: Jake Guentzel
Between the Canadiens’ 71st and 86th picks, six players have dressed for a minimum of 200 games in the NHL. Of the bunch, Jake Guentzel is likely the most notable, with Pavel Buchnevich and Anthony Duclair following behind. He’s also the only player of the six who remains with the team that drafted him, which speaks volumes about what he means to the Penguins.
His resume speaks for itself, as Guentzel recorded two 40-goal campaigns and has his name engraved on the Stanley Cup. He’s also become one of the most consistent forwards on the team, scoring no less than 20 goals in six of his seven seasons. In the end, it was a catastrophic loss with the Crisp deal, but there was an opportunity to make up for it a little further down the list.
3rd Round, 86th Overall
Montreal Selects: Sven Andrighetto
At the QMJHL level, Sven Andrighetto was a point-producing machine, which put any concern about a switch to North American hockey to rest. In his first season, Andrighetto produced 74 points in 62 games and followed it up with a 98-point season the following year. He led the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in points in both years and was named to the QMJHL All-Rookie Team in 2012.
The Swiss forward put up decent numbers in the AHL, enough to earn him a few glimpses in the NHL. He played in 44 games in the 2015-16 season, but sadly his offensive prowess could not translate to the big stage. The Canadiens traded him to Colorado for Andreas Martinsen, who appeared in a total of nine games with the Habs. Andrighetto played in parts of three seasons with Colorado before returning to Europe.
Hindsight Pick: Oliver Bjorkstrand
Oliver Bjorkstrand was a former 50-goal scorer in the WHL, but what’s even more impressive was his 63 goals the following year. He was a goal-scoring phenom in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), and in five years, the Danish forward turned into a 20-goal scorer at the NHL level. What’s even crazier is that the Seattle Kraken obtained his services for a 3rd-round pick and 4th-round pick in 2023. His answer: A 20-goal performance in 2022-23, helping Seattle achieve their first playoff-round victory.
4th Round, 116th Overall
Montreal Selects: Martin Reway
Undersized but overflowing with offensive potential, Martin Reway could have become the steal of the draft for the Canadiens’ camp. His raw talent and potential to grow as a top-six player were enough to make any Habs fan excited at the time, but disaster struck for Reway in the summer of 2016. During a routine checkup before the team’s rookie camp, doctors discovered a heart problem that required immediate attention. The issue forced the Czech forward to miss the entirety of the 2016-17 season (from ‘After dealing with heart problem, Habs prospect Martin Reway just happy to back on the ice’, Toronto Star, 9/7/17).
Hindsight Pick: Tyler Motte
It’s tough to give the Canadiens a failing grade for this selection in particular, as it had the potential to be a fantastic payout had it not been for the circumstance. Be that as it may, the result remains the same, Reway played just five games in the AHL, while Tyler Motte became an effective player at the NHL level as a bottom-six forward.
Motte bounced around several teams in his seven years in the NHL, spending a good chunk of that time with the Vancouver Canucks. As most would expect out of a fourth liner, Motte isn’t relied upon for driving the play forward and picking up points, but he is good at throwing his weight around and blocking shots. It’s the opposite of what Reway offered, but his play has proved enough to remain in the NHL.
6th Round, 176th Overall
Montreal Selects: Jeremy Gregoire
If you’re noticing a trend by now, it’s that Montreal put no focus on their blue line in this draft. That continued into the sixth round when the Canadiens selected Jeremy Gregoire with their final pick of this draft. The Quebec native put up modest numbers in the QMJHL, but his best moments came during the playoffs when he posted 16 points in 18 games in 2013. He also won the Guy Lafleur Award of Excellence in 2014 and claimed a gold medal at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial.
Related: Canadiens’ Player Development Changes Having a Big Impact
With his offense drying up in the AHL, Gregoire became a player willing to drop the gloves and defend his teammates. In his rookie season with the St. John IceCaps of the AHL, he scrapped eight times while registering six goals in 65 games. Gregoire exited the Montreal organization in 2018, spending four more seasons in the AHL before making his way to Europe.
Hindsight Pick: Dominik Kubalik
Since Montreal had no seventh-round pick in this draft, there was quite the pool to choose from, but none fit the bill better than Dominik Kubalik. Sure, it took plenty of time for him to develop but after five seasons in Europe, and the team that drafted him lost patience, his rookie season with the Chicago Blackhawks kicked off with a bang. He scored 30 goals in 68 games as a rookie and followed it up with 32 goals the following two seasons combined.
Surprisingly, Kubalik was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Blackhawks after the 2021-22 season, which led him right into the arms of the Red Wings. He signed a two-year deal with Detroit, and with a new team came a 20-goal season. It’s hard to knock Montreal for missing out on this seventh-round pick, but they’d likely trade for the chance of a secondary scorer like Kubalik in place of Gregoire.
In terms of pure potential, it’s difficult to point the finger at the Habs’ scouting department for their misses in this draft. The forwards they picked up after the first round had plenty of skill and could have developed into full-time NHL players with the correct development. Unfortunately, it’s another year of swinging and missing for the organization in a year that could have pushed the needle in the right direction.