Martin St-Louis has previously coached Cooper Cleaves

Marc-Olivier Cook
Martin St-Louis has previously coached Cooper Cleaves
Credit: Capture d'écran / X

With the 93rd overall pick in the 2026 draft, the Canadiens selected Cooper Cleaves.

He's described as a 6'3″ defenseman who models his game after Zach Whitecloud's. He's known as a two-way defenseman with good mobility and a strong breakout.

Interesting.

Cleaves attended the Canadiens' development camp last summer and is already familiar with some members of the Canadiens' organization. He said he's been following the Habs for the past year and wanted to be drafted by the Montreal club.

Good for him!

The Habs' new prospect also spoke with the media after being selected and said he knows Martin St-Louis. St-Louis briefly coached him during the summer in the past, and Cleaves also mentioned that he knows the guys on the Canadiens' farm team.

So there were already ties between him and the organization before the draft. 

It's worth noting that Cleaves confirmed he will return to college next season to continue his development. This will be his second season in the NCAA.

It's unclear what the plan is moving forward, but the fact that he's already 20 years old could help him make the jump to the pros more quickly.

Especially since he already has the physical stature to play with the big boys at the professional level. 


Quick Notes

– The last time he went to an outdoor game, it ended badly… Hehe. 

– Meh.

– Note:

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