Montreal Canadiens 2016 Draft Class: Only Michael Pezzetta Remains

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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 2016 class will be the subject of our sixth look at the history.

Montreal Canadiens 2017 Draft Class: Cayden Primeau Emerges As Best Selection

The 2016 NHL Entry Draft was at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. It wasn't a great draft for the Habs, as it was the one where the Maple Leafs picked up franchise center Auston Matthews first overall. The top three included players who have been on the Habs radar recently, with Patrik Laine going second overall to the Jets and Pierre-Luc Dubois going third overall to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Arizona Coyotes v Montreal Canadiens / Minas Panagiotakis/GettyImages

Round 1

9th Overall - MIkhail Sergachev

Sergachev made the Canadiens out of his first training camp, playing four games before returning to the Windsor Spitfires. That would be the last Habs fans would see of Sergachev, as the Canadiens traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Jonathan Drouin in the 2017 NHL Draft.

The rest is history for the Canadiens. Drouin had a less-than-stellar career in the blue, blanc, et rouge, and Sergachev is one of the main pieces on a two-time Stanley Cup Champion in Tampa Bay. To add insult to injury, the Lightning were the team that defeated the Canadiens in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. The trade is one of the worst of the Marc Bergevin era.

Round 3

70th Overall - Will Bitten

Bitten signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Canadiens at the end of the 2017-18 season. He attended training camp with the Habs, but they traded him to the Minnesota Wild for Gustav Olofsson before the season began. Bitten played four games with the St. Louis Blues in 2022-23, the only ones of his career.

Edmonton Oilers v Montreal Canadiens / Minas Panagiotakis/GettyImages

Round 4

100th Overall - Victor Mete

The Canadiens signed Mete to an entry-level contract on March 27th, 2027. The fourth-rounder had no big expectations, but a good training camp helped him make the opening night roster in his first professional season. Mete played parts of the following four seasons with the Montreal Canadiens but was claimed off waivers by the Ottawa Senators during the 2020-21 season. Mete's career has steadily declined, with the 2023-24 season being his first-ever campaign in the Flyers' AHL system.

Round 5

124th Overall - Casey Staum

Staum's career ended after the 2019-20 season when he played 11 games with one assist for Colorado College. He was on the Colorado College roster for the next two seasons but didn't have a game played.

Montreal Canadiens v Ottawa Senators / Chris Tanouye/Freestyle Photo/GettyImages

Round 6

160th Overall - Michael Pezzetta

Pezzetta's first four seasons with the franchise were split between the AHL and ECHL levels. The Canadiens recalled him during the 2021-22 season, and he excited fans with his blend of tenacity and sometimes comical antics. Pezzetta has been a nice story over the last three seasons with the team, but he unforunately won't be a piece they can keep around as a contender.

Round 7

187th Overall - Arvid Henrikson

Henrikson never ended up signing with the Montreal Canadiens. He played four seasons at Lake Superior State University, one game with the San Jose Barracuda at the end of the 2022-23 season, then returned to Sweden to play in the HockeyAllsvenskan in 2023-24. He had zero points in 48 games.

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