Cooper Cleaves: The CH drafts another big right-handed defenseman with the 93rd overall pick

After moving up to the 26th pick to draft Gleb Pugachyov and to the 57th pick to select Timofei Runtso, the Habs decided to keep their 93rd overall pick in the third round.

There was speculation as to whether, just as with Pugachyov and Runtso, the team would opt for another big-framed player.

And once again, that's exactly what happened: the Habs selected Cooper Cleaves, a right-handed defenseman who stands six feet three inches tall and weighs 203 pounds.

Much like Runtso, he's a player who doesn't have immense potential but has a solid baseline and is likely to add depth to the roster.

And while Runtso was one year “overage,” Cleaves is… 20 years old.

With the 93rd overall pick, the Canadiens selected defenseman Cooper Cleaves from Dartmouth College's Big Green in the NCAA.

With the 93rd overall pick, the Canadiens have drafted defenseman Cooper Cleaves from the Dartmouth College Big Green in the NCAA.#GoHabsGo… pic.twitter.com/MVbSmImDbj

— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) June 27, 2026

It's worth noting that the Canadiens were already very familiar with Cleaves, as he was invited to the team's development camp last year.

He currently plays in the NCAA for Dartmouth, where he recorded four goals and 10 points in 30 games last season.

The Canadiens selected defenseman Cooper Cleaves with their third-round pick.

He was a guest at the team's development camp last year.

He plays for Dartmouth in the NCAA.

— Vincent Duquette (@VincentDuquette) June 27, 2026

More details to come…