Fansided

Montreal Canadiens 2011 Draft Class: Disappointing Classes Are A Trend In The Early 2010s

The Montreal Canadiens had just two players from their 2011 class play in an NHL game.

By Nate Duffett |
Montreal Canadiens v New Jersey Devils
Montreal Canadiens v New Jersey Devils / Bruce Bennett/GettyImages
2 of 4
Next

It's officially draft month! For June, we will look back at some of the draft classes to see how the Habs front offices of the past did with their selections. It's too early to examine some of Kent Hughes' first few draft classes. The 2011 class will be the subject of our 11th look at the history.

The NHL held the 2011 Draft at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Edmonton Oilers won the Draft Lottery for the second straight season, picking Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to join Taylor Hall. Gabriel Landeskog went to the Colorado Avalanche with the second pick, while Jonathan Huberdeau rounded out the top three. The top ten had plenty of talent, with Mika Zibanejad, Mark Scheifele, Sean Couturier, and Dougie Hamilton also getting their names called.

Montreal Canadiens depth forward Joel Armia went 16th to the Buffalo Sabres, while longtime Canadien Phillip Danault also went late in the first round.

2011 NHL Entry Draft - Round One
2011 NHL Entry Draft - Round One / Bruce Bennett/GettyImages

Round 1

17th Overall - Nathan Beaulieu

Beaulieu debuted with the Hamilton Bulldogs at the start of the 2012-13 season, playing in 67 games. He recorded 31 points in his first season, earning him a call-up to the Canadiens at the end of March. He played six games, tallying two assists.

Beaulieu's play wasn't enough to stick in Montreal, as he played another 57 games with Hamilton the following season. He earned more playing time in Montreal. He played in 17 games but still got just two assists.

Beaulieu finally played with Montreal full-time in 2014-15, dressing for 64 games with one goal and eight assists. It was the beginning of a three-year run for him with the Canadiens, with his best season coming in 2016-17 when he had four goals and 24 assists.

The Canadiens traded Beaulieu to the Buffalo Sabres before the 2017 offseason as a pending restricted free agent.

St. John's IceCaps v Toronto Marlies
St. John's IceCaps v Toronto Marlies / Graig Abel/GettyImages

Round 4

97th Overall - Josiah Didier

Didier played four years at the University of Denver, before signing an AHL PTO with the Hamilton Bulldogs at the end of the 2014-15 season. He played eight games with the Bulldogs, earning himself an AHL contract with the St. John's IceCaps the following season. Didier played two seasons split between the IceCaps and Brampton Beast, before signing with the Charlotte Checkers and winning a Calder Cup in 2019.

Didier joined the providence Bruins next, where he eventually became team captain.

108th Overall - Olivier Archambault

Archambault's only run with the Canadiens organization was a ten-game stretch with the Bulldogs in 2012-13. He returned to the QMJHL the following season and signed with the Iowa Wild after his junior career.

Archambault returned to Montreal's organization in 2021-22, recording 54 points in 51 games with Trois-Rivieres, but went overseas to Europe after that season.

113th Overall - Magnus Nygren

Nygren signed a two-year entry-level deal with the Canadiens at the end of the 2012-13 season. He recorded eight points in 16 games with the Bulldogs but returned home to play with Farjestad for the remainder of the season. He made another trek across the pond to play with Hamilton the following season but appeared in just 15 games. Nygren has been in Europe ever since, playing with top teams like HC Davos and Farjestad.

Detroit Red Wings v Montreal Canadiens
Detroit Red Wings v Montreal Canadiens / Minas Panagiotakis/GettyImages

Round 5

138th Overall - Darren Dietz

After his three-year run with the organization ended, Montreal never offered Dietz an NHL contract. He appeared in 13 games for the Canadiens in 2015-16, earning his first career goal and four assists. He has been in the KHL since 2017-18.

Round 6

168th Overall - Daniel Pribyl

The Canadiens relinquished Pribyl's rights, as he continued his career with HC Sparta Praha. The Calgary Flames signed Pribyl to a two-year entry-level contract for the 2016-17 season, and he recorded 15 points in 33 games. Pribyl tore his ACL before the following year's training camp and returned home after his contract ended.

Round 7

198th Overall - Colin Sullivan

Sullivan stayed at Avon Old Farms Prep School after getting drafted by the Canadiens before attending Boston College in the 2012-13 season. He left Boston College to return to the USHL the following season, then attended Miami University for three more seasons. He played for a year in the ECHL with Atlanta before heading overseas for three seasons in France.

manual

Next
Home / Draft

Schedule