Draft: The third round pays off for the Habs recently

In recent years, the Habs have drafted guys like Lane Hutson, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov, and David Reinbacher, who will be important players for years to come.

Alexander Zharosvky is also a guy I can't wait to see, even if he was drafted in the second round.

But it's not just the first two rounds that have smiled on the Canadiens. Recently, the club picked up two gems in the third round: Bryce Pickford and Jacob Fowler. Pickford has just been named WHL Player of the Month.

Congrats to Habs prospect Bryce Pickford on being named the WHL Player of the Month.

He scored 14 goals & 8 assists for 22 points in 9 games in December pic.twitter.com/50dHpIiUpl

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) January 2, 2026

In nine games, the defenseman collected 22 points.

And in 35 games this season, the youngster has collected 52 points.

Pickford signed his entry-level contract with the Habs a few days ago, and not for nothing: the guy is very talented. What impresses me most about him is the fact that he was drafted 81st and has better stats in the last two seasons than Carter Yakemchuk, who was drafted 7th by the Senators in 2024.

19-year-old Bryce Pickford in the WHL:

– 35 games
– 28 goals
– 24 assists
– 52 points
– +41

19-year-old Carter Yakemchuk in the WHL:

– 56 games
– 17 goals
– 32 assists
– 49 points
– +6

We were one win away from swapping draft pick spots with Ottawa in 2024.

– The Habitant (@the_habitant) January 3, 2026

Both play the same position in the same league.

Now, I'm not saying that Pickford is going to be better than the Sens defender, but the Habs protégé could prove to be the steal of the last draft.

As for Fowler, he's the team's future number-one goalie and is showing good flashes in the NHL. For a third-round pick, he's encouraging.

Overtime

– Will he be traded?

Elliotte Friedman: Re Steven Stamkos: I think teams have called; the one thing I've heard there is that Nashville isn't interested in eating money, so I think it depends on if there's a team that has the ability and willingness to do that during the season – FAN Hockey Show (12/29)

– NHL Rumor Report (@NHLRumorReport) January 3, 2026

– To see.

Barrett Hayton obviously didn't like something about the Devils' first goal…https://t.co/OQJzxUh9Dl

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) January 3, 2026

– Here's hoping.

Can MLB really return to Montreal? @MurphysLaw74 spoke exclusively with Ashkan Karbasfrooshan, who laid out a private equity-driven ownership model aimed at reviving the Expos – and maybe the Nordiques too.

Read the full interview https://t.co /pHomwsXb0o

– RG (@TheRGMedia) January 3, 2026