Montreal Canadiens: Was The 2018 NHL Draft Really That Bad?

The Montreal Canadiens, like every team around the league have had some hits and misses at past NHL Drafts.

Looking back at past drafts usually reveals a lot of “could have beens” for each team as there are always seemingly far better options that are drafted just after your favorite team made their selection. This is kind of foolish when looking at late round picks, as the odd fifth round pick turns out to be fantastic, but your team didn’t “miss” on that player, he just completely defied the odds and came out of nowhere to be a great player.

But when you team has a huge miss in the first round, it stands out as a missed opportunity. When that happens in the top three, it can haunt the organization for years to come.

A quick glance back at the 2018 NHL Draft can be a tough task for many organizations, and right at the top of that list is the Canadiens. They ignored the first-round rule of thumb for drafting, don’t draft for need, especially not in the top three.

Trevor Timmins (Director of scouting) and Marc Bergevin (GM) were desperate for help down the middle, with no number-one centre in the prospect pool or on the roster.

Rasmus Dahlin and Andrei Svechnikov went number one and two, setting up the Canadiens for the third overall pick. Bergevin had a seemingly easy decision to make, grab the big power forward, Brady Tkachuk or the potential top-pair defenseman, Quinn Hughes, but they opted for the top-ranked centre Jesperi Kokaniemi. It was a reach then, no doubt about it, and with the circumstances that have occurred, it wasn’t the right pick.

However, the Habs ’18 draft produced 11 additions to the Canadiens prospect pool. They put a heavy emphasis on centremen, selecting eight centres. The draft class was rounded out by a pair of defensemen and a right winger.

Jesperi Kokaniemi

Kotkaniemi was a polarizing player, as the number one ranked centre of the ’18 Draft class, but the centre crop wasn’t a strong one. Although the Canadiens had a glaring need at centre, there were much better options at other positions that would help the Canadiens. As mentioned, Tkachuk and Hughes were available there, and they would have been tremendous additions to the fold.

It obviously didn’t go that way, and the Habs selected the Finnish centre. And his start wasn’t bad, there were flashes, but he looked gassed and like he was rushed before the end of his rookie season. Whether he was rushed or not, it’s a lesson learned, draft the best player available.

He stuck around for a few seasons, and his play drew the ire of the Carolina Hurricanes. They offersheeted him and the Canadiens decided not to match their offer, making Kk a Hurricane. The Canadiens received a first and second-round selection as compensation.

Jesse Ylonen

Ylonen was selected in the second round of the draft with the 35th overall selection after he posted 27 points through 48 games in the Finnish Mestis League with Espoo United. He was touted as a jitterbug-type player, he skates brilliantly and his puck skills are a strength of his game. And he was set to have the Habs brass watching him from now on, and his 2018-19 season saw him make the jump to the top Finnish League, playing for the Lahti Pelicans.

He played 53 games and scored 27 points (13 goals and 14 assists) in his draft-plus-one season. Canadiens fans knew what they had, and while he failed to beat his numbers in his sophomore season with the Pelicans, he showed an ability to play a sound game against men at just 18-19 years old. The following year was more of the same, and Ylonen opted to sign his entry-level contract to play in Laval with the Rocket.

Over the past three seasons, Ylonen has fought his way up to the NHL, and he has a huge opportunity to secure a spot with the Canadiens. Over three seasons with the Rocket, he has played 120 games and posted 85 points (34 goals and 51 assists). He played 37 games for the Habs this year and scored six goals and 16 assists. He looks primed to play in the Canadiens’ top nine and produce solid numbers, which is a push in the right direction for the ’18 Draft class.

Still Figuring It Out

I saved the worst for last, if you will, and there are some definite head-scratchers here. This list represents the eight other selections from the draft. Two players were selected ahead of Harris which makes their failed development sting a little extra.

Jacob Olofsson

Olofsson represents one of the two players selected ahead of Harris and given the expectations from the Habs scouting, he has fallen off. He was viewed as a smart two-way centre, who was solid all around and had a strong offensive game. Nothing ever materialized, and the Canadiens let their signing rights expire.

Cameron Hillis

Hillis was selected with the Habs next pick, representing the second player drafted ahead of Harris, and he wasn’t able to secure himself a role at the American League level. So with the NHL way out of the equation and a demotion to the ECHL, Hillis never lived up to his draft selection at number 66. He was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for dman Nicholas Beaudin, who has been solid on the Rocket blueline, one notch for the ’18 draft, because of the trade. A negative notch on the draft.

Allan McShane

After a strong season in the OHL with the Oshawa Generals, McShane put himself on the Habs’ radar. This materialized with the Canadiens taking a flier on the young center with the 97th overall selection. He has bounced around the European professional leagues, posting his best numbers in the Italian ICEHL with Asiago (59 points in 48 games). His NHL aspirations look grim, so this is a gaff, but beyond the two first rounds of the draft, the success rate of being an NHLer isn’t high.

Jack Gorniak

A fourth-round selection by the Habs at pick number 125, Gorniak put up strong numbers during his time in High School. There was an onus put on his potential, and it never really came along they wanted it to. He played five NCAA seasons, and the Canadiens decided not to retain his rights, making him a free agent. He is currently set for a season in the ECHL, so his future isn’t likely to be with the Habs.

Cole Fonstad

Fonstad had his name called in the fifth round of the draft after his second consecutive 73-point season. The Canadiens never signed him to his entry-level deal, but he found work in the Blue Jackets system with the Cleveland Monsters. He will head to Germany for the 2023 campaign, which adds another miss in the late rounds for the Habs

Samuel Houde

Although the Habs selected the left-shot defenseman from the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Sagueneens in the fifth round, he never played for the organization. After his final season of junior in 2020-21, Houde signed a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins farm team in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. This upcoming season will be his third with the club, so an NHL future isn’t out of reach, which speaks to his potential, so this could still be a good value pick.

Brett Stapley

Stapley earned the distinguished honour of becoming the Canadiens’ final selection of their ’18 Draft class after being selected in the seventh round. He played four years of college hockey, exploding for 43 points in 41 games in his senior year, earning himself a contract with the Rocket, who sent him down to the ECHL where he scored 52 points in 52 games. The Habs weren’t impressed, and he was free to sign elsewhere, and he did so with the Colorado Eagles in the AHL. He could also be a great value pick, in the seventh round, albeit elsewhere.

So while the first selection drew a lot of negative attention and comments, this draft could have ended up much worse. And given the strength of the top half of the draft for the Habs, the players selected beyond Jordan Harris would have just been a bonus. It stings not having Tkachuk or Hughes, and seeing Kk in Carolina. But the past is the past, and we came away with some nice pieces.

I say that’s a pretty good outing, and Dach wouldn’t be here in Montreal if it weren’t for the selection of Romanov. So that is a reason to be excited. The ’18 Draft wasn’t all that bad for the Habs.

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