The Montreal Canadiens' prospect pool is loaded. While most people will focus on the forwards in Montreal’s system, the franchise has a couple of defencemen who could be making the jump to the NHL in the not-so-distant future. While they were not all top picks or “blue chip” prospects, their progressions over the past season should have Canadiens fans excited at the possibility of adding more talent to their blueline, which already boasts players like Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson.
3. Bryce Pickford
If this list were which Canadiens defencemen prospect had the best season, it would easily be Bryce Pickford. Montreal’s 2025 third-round pick was originally passed over in his first year of draft eligibility, but after a strong 2024-25 season with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL, where he had 20 goals and 27 assists in 48 games. After pretty pedestrian numbers offensively in his first two years in the WHL, there were some thoughts that his offensive explosion was due to a stacked Hat Tigers team, which included Gavin McKenna, the projected first overall pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. Entering the 2025-26 season, with McKenna leaving the team to go play for Penn State in the NCAA, eyes were now on Pickford, now captain of the Hat Tigers, to see if he could replicate his 2024-25 season.
Pickford did not just replicate his previous season's production; he set the league on fire. He finished the year third in the league in goals, but by a defenceman, the entire league. He scored 45 goals in 55 games, setting the record for most goals in a season by a defenceman in Hat Tigers history. Pickford became just the second defenceman in WHL history to score 40+ goals in a season, third if you include Larry Sacharuk, who played in the league before the name change in 1978. In addition to his 45 goals, Pickford added 38 assists. He had 19 power-play goals and 11 game-winning goals, tied for first in the CHL. He won the WHL Defenceman of the Year and CHL Defenceman of the Year, capping off one of the greatest goal-scoring seasons by a defenceman in junior history.
2. David Reinbacher
Prior to this season, David Reinbacher would likely have been first on the list, but after being injured to start the season and the player in first having a stellar season, he comes in second. The Canadiens 2023 5th overall pick, dealt with injuries in the 2024-25 season, limiting him to just 10 regular season games for the Laval Rocket, and this season started off on that same foot. In a pre-season game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Reinbacher suffered a broken bone in his hand, sidelining him for just over a month. He made his season debut on Halloween and played in a career high 57 games, which is a step in the right direction for the young defenceman.
Reinbacher was not drafted to be a high-point producer, recording five goals and 19 assists this season, but instead someone who could be reliable on both ends of the ice. He showed developments in his defensive game this season, but the concern was never whether his game could translate to the NHL; it was whether he could stay healthy over the course of the season. Despite the early hiccup, Reinbacher stayed relatively healthy for the rest of the season, and the Canadiens rewarded him. Late in the season, when Dobson went down with an injury, the Canadiens called up Reinbacher, making his NHL debut on April 12 against the New York Islanders. He played just over 11 minutes in his debut and recorded his first career assist. He only played in two games during his call-up, but he did not look out of place. If Reinbacher has an impressive training camp going into next season, there is a realistic chance he could start the season on the Canadiens opening day roster.
1. Adam Engstrom
The third-round pick the Canadiens received as part of the offer sheet for Jesperi Kotkaniemi from the Carolina Hurricanes was used to select Swedish defenceman Adam Engstrom. Engstrom continued to play in Sweden in the two years after being drafted, but made the jump to North America following the 2023-24 season. In his first season with the Rocket, he led the team in rookie scoring by a defenceman with five goals and 22 assists in 66 games, but his offensive production took a giant step forward this past season.
Engstrom doubled his goal total from his rookie season in the AHL, playing in 21 fewer games. He had 10 goals and 24 assists in 45 games with the Rocket, and after a performance where he tied a franchise record with five points in a single game, he was called up to the NHL and made his debut against the Utah Mammoth. He played just under 11 minutes in his debut, recording just a single shot. He played in 12 games during his first call-up stint, but was sent back to Laval in early January. He would play three more games for the Canadiens over the rest of the season and picked up his first career assist in the team’s win against the Florida Panthers on April 7th. Engstrom struggled to replicate the offensive production he had in the AHL in limited minutes with the Canadiens, but continued to excel with the Rocket. Engstrom was rewarded for his stellar play with the Rocket, being named to the 2025-26 AHL Top Prospects Team. After excelling at the AHL level, Engstrom will be looking to come into the next season as a regular in the Canadiens lineup.
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