Are you a defenseman from the WHL? Well, there’s a good chance that the Montreal Canadiens are going to select you in the NHL Draft. With the 117th pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Habs selected Brayden Klimpke from the Saskatoon Blades.
The Canadiens traded twice in the fourth round to get to the 117th pick. First, trading the 103rd pick with the LA Kings for the 113th and 190th pick, then flipping the 113th pick to Vegas for pick 117 and 223.
The 18-year-old from Calgary, Alberta, is the smallest Canadiens pick in this year's draft, weighing in at 6’0 and 174lbs. Klimpke was an Alternate Captain in his second full season with the Blades, putting up an impressive 4 goals and 42 assists for 46 points in 68 regular season games last season.
BRAYDEN KLIMPKE WINS IT IN OT!!@BladesHockey | #WHLOpeningWeek pic.twitter.com/jzA71iTB62
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) September 21, 2025
Klimpke is yet another NCAA commit with the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, joining the Ruck twins, 22nd overall pick Liam, and 39th overall pick Markus.
Klimpke is a left-shot defenseman who plays a reliable two-way game and was ranked 74th in NHL Central Scouting’s North American skater rankings. He’s a mobile playmaker who has a good view of the ice and solid hockey IQ.
Per a Neutral Zone scouting report, Klimpke is “An offensive threat any time he is in the zone, with or without the puck - He is capable of handling the puck under pressure and snapping clean, controlled breakout passes to start transition.”
All this adds up to the Canadiens reinforcing their quick transition plays from the blue line and adding defenders who find intelligent ways to end up on the scoresheet.
The trade backs have given the Canadiens more draft picks and they still have five picks left combined over Round 6 and Round 7.
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