The Montreal Canadiens won’t see all of their picks for the upcoming NHL Draft get anywhere near the big club, and some may not even end up signing. But they do have five picks in Rounds 1 through III, and those will be the spots general manager Kent Hughes must strike gold on, especially in the first round.
Using the mock draft simulator at FC Hockey, I tried my hand at playing the GM role to see who would fall to me and at which pick. Something I found myself doing was going for free fallers - players who ranked a little higher but slipped through past the first round and, in some cases, the later rounds.
So, who did I land and where in Mock Draft 1.0 for the Montreal Canadiens in 2024? The first pick may be a shocker, and he won’t be the only one on this lengthy list to surprise you.
Round 1: Ivan Demidov, RW/SKA St. Petersburg
I was lucky enough to see Ivan Demidov fall to fifth overall in this scenario, and while the high-scoring winger likely won’t play in North America for the upcoming season, he’s too elite to pass up. With 88 points and 34 goals in 47 total games in the MHL, Demidov should dominate at the KHL level before bursting onto the scene in North America.
Round 1B: Cole Beaudoin, C/Barrie Colts
Cole Beaudoin will be fun to watch over the next two seasons in the OHL, and we should expect nothing less than a point-per-game pace for the 2024-25 campaign as his overall skill-set continues to grow. His size was one reason I went with him here, but leadership and his recent breakout season were also factors.