The NHL Draft is finally here, with the first round set to kick off later on Friday and the remaining rounds to be completed Saturday afternoon. As of Friday morning, the Montreal Canadiens still have eight draft picks, but that could change depending on any trades they might make over the next two days.
If they do use their first-round pick, which is currently 28th overall, the general consensus is that they will add a forward. That was the case in The Athletic's final mock draft by Corey Pronman, with the Canadiens selecting center Jack Hextall, who played last season in the USHL.
The past two seasons, he played for the Youngstown Phantoms and saw a significant jump in production from his first season with 34 points to last season with 58 points after scoring 20 goals and adding 38 assists.
His scouting report on The Hockey Writers describes a player who can compete, whether that is on the forecheck, in puck battles, or on faceoffs.
"He’s highly competitive, has a high motor, and is almost always in the right spots, a true sign of a guy who just understands how to play hockey. He also wins puck races through hard forechecking and plays with underrated vision by finding teammates when under pressure. Finally, he’s strong on faceoffs and can be trusted in most situations."
The scouting report also did note that Hextall has already signed to go to Michigan State this fall.
Montreal Canadiens also reportedly linked to Casey Mutryn
In the mock draft by Pronman, it was also mentioned that the Canadiens had been linked to Casey Mutryn. While the Canadiens didn't have a chance to pick him in this mock draft, as he went a few picks earlier to the Ottawa Senators, it is worth watching on Friday night.
Mutryn is a right wing and has a little more size than Hextall at 6'3", but is only 17 years old and still a few years away. He has already completed two seasons in the NTDP and played in 55 games with 37 points this past season.
It is sometimes tough for teams late in the first round because so much can change before it is their time to pick. However, the Canadiens have done a good job finding good prospects in this range with picks like Alexander Zharovsky (who was a second-round pick last year) or Michael Hage (who was selected 21st overall in 2024).
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