Montreal Canadiens: Highlighting the 2007 NHL Draft Class
By Austin Owens
Round One / Pick 12 – Ryan McDonagh / D / Cretin Derham Hall H.S. (MINN)
Not too bad for a first round pick in the draft. McDonagh was selected out of high school, something that is seldom seen in the NHL, especially with such a high pick (The latest player taken from H.S. was Casey Mittelstadt in 2017) After being drafted, McDonagh went to play at the University of Wisconsin.
While playing with the Badgers, McDonagh was a part of a seven-player deal that landed Scott Gomez in Montreal.
McDonagh made his NHL debut in 2010-11, playing 40 games for the Broadway blue shirts. He scored only nine points in the 40 games he played that year. But it didn’t take long for him to become a staple in the Rangers lineup. He averaged at least 24 minutes over the next three seasons with the Rangers.
Before the 2014-15 season, McDonagh was named the 28th captain in Rangers history.
So far in his career, the American has amassed 467 games played and 212 points over that span. He’s also represented the United States at the 2014 WInter Olympics in Sochi, the 2011 World Championships, and the World Cup of Hockey last fall.
McDonagh was a great start to the draft by the Canadiens, but it wasn’t the only significant pick they made in the draft.