Trevor Timmins has been the man behind the draft for the Montreal Canadiens for 15 years, and it’s interesting to see where those players came from.
The Montreal Canadiens have had the benefit of having a solid draft guy in their organization for more than a decade. Trevor Timmins joined the brigade in 2003 after previously working with the Ottawa Senators as their Director of Hockey Operations. Once making the jump to Montreal, it was all about recruiting and developing young talent within the system.
Since then Timmins has seen a total of 106 players drafted to the Habs. Some have worked and grown to play games for the Montreal Canadiens, while others didn’t.
It’s hard not to get excited for this year’s kick at the can. Thanks to some deals along the way, Montreal has a total of ten picks going into the 2018 NHL Draft. Four of them are in the second-round, while the remaining five fall within rounds three and five. Based on all the interviews, Timmins and his staff look well-prepared to handle the podium this year.
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But who do they take? Third overall seems to be relegated to two options with a clear favourite (*cough* Jesperi Kotkaniemi). The other nine are a mystery. Not just who they are, but where they’re from. When looking at Timmins’ draft record since joining the Montreal Canadiens, there hasn’t been a true go-to area to find talent.
The number of players taken in a specific league is in parentheses.
- 2003: OHL (2), QMJHL (4), Europe (4), Junior A (1)
- 2004: OHL (1), WHL (1), QMJHL (2), Europe (3), College/USHL (1), HS (1)
- 2005: OHL (1), WHL (1), QMJHL (1), Europe (2), HS (1)
- 2006: OHL (3), QMJHL (1), Europe (1), HS (1)
- 2007: OHL (2), QMJHL (1), Europe (1), College/USHL (2), HS (3)
- 2008: OHL (1), Europe (1), College/USHL (3)
- 2009: OHL (1), QMJHL (1), Europe (3), College/USHL (2), HS (1)
- 2010: WHL (1), QMJHL (1), Europe (1), College/USHL (1), Junior A (1)
- 2011: WHL (1), QMJHL (2), Europe (2), College/USHL (1), HS (1)
- 2012: OHL (2), WHL (2), QMJHL (1), Europe (2)
- 2013: OHL (1), QMJHL (4), Europe (2), College/USHL (1)
- 2014: WHL (2), QMJHL (1), College/USHL (1), Junior A (2)
- 2015: OHL (1), WHL (2), QMJHL (1), Europe (1)
- 2016: OHL (4), Europe (1), HS (1)
- 2017: WHL (4), Europe (1), College/USHL (2)
In total: 19 players have been taken from the OHL, 14 from the WHL, 21 from the QMJHL, 25 from Europe, 14 from College/USHL, 4 from Junior A, and 9 from high school.
What’s interesting is that the Habs have seemed to focus on one league for the last two drafts. 2017 saw 4 of their 7 selections come from the WHL, while 4 of their 6 were out of the OHL in 2016. The QMJHL had their time to shine in Montreal in 2013 when half of their picks came from them. Sven Andrighetto has been the only one of the bunch to play in a Habs uniform.
The most important thing is the picks becoming options for the Montreal Canadiens down the line. There’s a new young crop about the enter the professional scope of the organization down in the AHL. Jake Evans, Lukas Vejdemo, Will Bitten, and Michael Pezzetta were all drafted in the last four years and could have big roles on the Laval Rocket. Additionally, there is already drafted talent there in Daniel Audette, Simon Bourque, and Jeremiah Addison.
The main club has Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher, Charles Hudon, Carey Price, Victor Mete, Noah Juulsen, Artturi Lehkonen, Jacob de La Rose, and Nikita Scherbak in their ranks as far as homegrown talent. This year’s draft, as well as the progression of other young prospects, can increase that total.
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It’s expected to be a deep draft with a lot of talent in the top 50. If the Montreal Canadiens can hit on a good amount of those picks, they’ll be well on their way to having a flourished prospect pool. As much as it comes down to proper scouting, there’s also a good degree of luck that goes with it. It’s safe to say the Habs are due for some.