Potential Canadiens Draft picks to watch at World Juniors

In most years, the World Junior Championship has a fairly heavy Montreal Canadiens presence among the participating teams. That’s par for the course during a rebuild, but now that the Habs are a few years into the project, many of their top prospects have already graduated to the AHL or even the NHL.

That said, if not for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, top prospect Ivan Demidov would be in the tournament, and since it wouldn’t be a team run by SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg, he likely wouldn’t be penalized for producing. with a puzzling downtick in Ice Age.

Of course, given what is at stake in Ukraine, we cannot regret the decision to remove Russia from international tournaments.

But with the Canadiens only having one player participating in the 2025 World Junior Championship, Team Sweden defenseman Rasmus Bergqvist, it’s a good opportunity to take some early notes on players who should be among the top players in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

Team Canada settings

If you’re losing sleep over the fact that Canada didn’t bring Canadiens prospect Michael Hage to Ottawa, rest easy knowing that the exciting NCAA rookie, who currently has an impressive 10 goals and eight assists in 15 games, is to the credit of the University of Michigan this season is far from the only talented player not making the trip.

Top draft prospects like Zayne Parekh, Tij Iginla, Beckett Sennecke and Carter Yakemchuk were all ignored, while Michael Misaa talented forward currently producing more than two points per game in the OHL was also left off the team. It’s a little less surprising in his case since he’s 17 and it’s very much a tournament for older players, but it does rob us of an opportunity to see him play for Canada over the holidays.

Fortunately, there are a few undrafted players in the mix for Canada that could end up being part of the organization if the Habs end up with a top-10 pick in the draft.

Matthew Schaefer, a 17-year-old left-handed defenseman who is currently part of the Erie Otters lineup, managed to make the team despite his young age. At 6’2″, 185 lb, Schaefer has the right frame to one day thrive in the NHL, and his production is quite impressive considering his age and role. He’s coming off a 23-goal, 49-assist, 55-game relative season in the OHL, which could lead to Schaefer being drafted before the Canadiens have a chance to get to the podium. As it stands, he is expected to be among the top players selected, with the most businesses suggests he will go somewhere between second overall and fourth overall, though some expect him to fall out of the top five.

Forward Porter Martone, another top prospect set to be drafted in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, will also play for Team Canada, making the team thanks to a stellar showing with the Brampton Steelheads in the OHL. He has scored 21 goals and 33 assists in just 26 games, which equates to nearly a 130-point, 62-game season

He is 6’3″, 210 lb, which should draw a lot of interest around the NHL, especially from teams like the Canadiens who focus on trying to keep size in the mix when fishing for talent. There’s even a chance Martone could end up being drafted ahead of Schaefer, though much of that depends on the needs of the teams that pick before Montreal.

Expect Martone to play in a third-line role as the top six is ​​already overflowing with talent, while Schaefer could end up logging heavy minutes while playing on Team Canada’s top two pairings.

Team USA Options

James Hagens is a name you may have heard if you’ve started scouting potential Canadiens draft picks, and like Martone and Schaefer, he’s expected to be one of the first few names called at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

The recent uptick in results from the Habs may lead them to be a little too low to pick one of Hagens’ relatives, but it’s worth remembering that the Canadiens are only a few points ahead of 30th place, and there There is a lot of hockey left to play in the season.

In other words, all bets are off now.

Hagens will likely be selected somewhere between first and third overall, although he is a bit older than many of his peers, which is always worth keeping in mind when evaluating top prospects. He is a dynamic center who primarily focuses on playmaking, though he did manage to score 39 goals on top of his 59 assists for the U.S. Under-18 National Team last season.

Hagens was to play a crucial role for the USA throughout the tournament. Don’t be surprised if he ends up logging minutes alongside his Boston College teammate, Gabe Perreault.

If you catch Team USA in action, keep an eye on Logan Hensler, as the right-handed defenseman should also be among the top players in the upcoming draft. However, he is expected to be drafted closer to the 10th overall pick instead of in the top three picks.

There are a few other players worth monitoring on other teams, including Victor Eklund (Sweden, LW), Jan Chovan (Czech Republic C) and David Lewandowski (C, Germany).

Click here to check the schedule for the 2025 World Junior Championships taking place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.