Montreal Canadiens 2018 Draft Class: Depth Players Highlight Big Group of Prospects

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 2018 class will be the subject of our fourth look at the history.

• Montreal Canadiens 2019 Draft Class: Habs Select Their Sniper of the Future At 15

The 2018 NHL Entry Draft was held at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The Montreal Canadiens had the third-overall draft pick, missing out on Rasmus Dahlin and Andrei Svechnikov but picking Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The players that Habs fans most worry about are the ones after Kotkaniemi, which include Brady Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes, and Evan Bouchard.

The 2018 draft class is interesting, as most of these players were affected by the 2020 pandemic since turning pro during the COVID-shortened seasons.

Round 1

3rd Overall - Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Kotkaniemi didn't waste any time, joining the Canadiens as an 18-year-old for the 2018-19 season. He was the first person born in 2000 to play in North America's Big Four professional sports leagues. He scored his first goal on November 1st against the Washington Capitals, making him the second youngest goalscorer in Canadiens' history behind Mario Tremblay.

Kotkaniemi's first season with 34 points in 79 games was his best with the Canadiens. He had knee surgery at season's end but was back for the next season's first game. Kotkaniemi's injuries piled up, suffering a concussion in December.

Kotkaniemi was part of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final run, recording eight points in 19 games. He signed a one-year, $6.1 million offer sheet from the Carolina Hurricanes, which the Canadiens decided not to match. The Canadiens received a first and third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft as compensation.

Round 2

35th Overall - Jesse Ylonen

Ylonen stayed in Finland until the end of the 2019-20 season, leaving the Liiga once his team fell out of contention to sign an AHL contract with Laval. The pandemic caused Ylonen to not play for Laval, leading him to sign a three-year entry-level contract with the Canadiens. Ylonen was loaned back to the Liiga with the pandemic delay in 2020-21, but returned to Montreal for the opening of training camp.

Ylonen had 17 points in 29 games before making his NHL debut in the last game of the season. He split time between Laval and Montreal in the next two seasons, but 2023-24 was his first full-time run in the NHL, recording eight points in 59 games.

38th Overall - Alexander Romanov

Romanov signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canadiens in 2020 after two seasons in the KHL. He played 54 of 56 games in the Covid season but just four of 22 during the 2021 Stanley Cup Final run. He returned to the Habs lineup in 2021-22, playing 79 games with 13 points. However, his relationship with the Canadiens never recovered.

The Canadiens traded Romanov to the New York Islanders during the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the first of a series of trades that helped them acquire Kirby Dach.

56th Overall - Jacob Olofsson

Olofsson's career has gone on a downward trajectory in Sweden. He played in the SHL since 2018-19, except for a stint in the Allsvensken in 2020-21 when he went to Timra. Olofsson went on loan to Frolunda in 2021-22 but returned to Timra. His return to Timra didn't last long, as he joined Bjorkloven in Allsvenskan permanently.

Round 3

66th Overall - Cameron Hillis

Hillis signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Canadiens on May 13, 2020. He played in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season with Laval, recording one goal in 18 games. Hillis played one game with the Canadiens in 2021-22, the only one of his career. He has split time between the AHL and ECHL since then, and the Canadiens traded him to the Blackhawks for Nicolas Beaudin at the beginning of the 2022-23 season.

71st Overall - Jordan Harris

There were concerns that Harris wouldn't sign with the Canadiens out of college, but he ended up joining the Canadiens on a two-year entry-level deal after the 2021-22 season. He played ten games with the Canadiens and scored his first NHL goal in the final matchup with the Panthers.

Harris has been a full-time member of the Canadiens ever since, with eight goals and 24 assists in 131 games.

Round 4

97th Overall - Allan McShane

McShane's career has been an up-and-down ride since being drafted in 2018. He went to Slovakia during the 2020-21 season and has been in Europe ever since. He went to the Allsvenskan in 2021-22, then Italy from 2022 to 2024, but joined the Swiss League to end last season. He is signed with EHC Winterthur in Switzerland for 2024-25.

123rd Overall - Jack Gorniak

The Canadiens relinquished the rights to Gorniak last season after leaving the University of Wisconsin. Gorniak spent five seasons at Wisconsin but didn't perform well enough for the Canadiens to use a contract slot on him. He signed with Fort Wayne for the 2023-24 season, recording 25 points in 65 games.