NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs at Montreal Canadiens draft
Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Montreal Canadiens have made their final selections at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, picking Jean-Samuel Daigneault with the 221st overall pick, and Tyler Deakos with the 224th pick.

Originally, the Habs also owned the 223rd overall pick, but they sent it to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a seventh-round pick in 2027.

Daigneault is a 6’3″ defenceman who weighs 190lb, and shoots left. He spent the 2025-26 season playing for the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL, where he produced five assists in 47 games. He’s committed to playing for the Brantford Bulldogs (OHL) in 2026-27. He is the son of former Hab Jean-Jacques Daigneault.

As for Deakos, the 19-year-old forward stands at 6’1″, and shoots right. He split the 2025-26 season between two different leagues, playing for the Drumheller Dragons (AJHL) and the Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL), where he scored seven goals and 10 assists in 19 games.

Deakos is expected to play for the Penticton Vees (WHL) in the upcoming season.


Seeing as they could not swing a deal for a player who can make an immediate impact in the NHL, the Canadiens opted to use their first round pick, selecting Gleb Pugachyov. They also moved up in the draft to ensure they could select Pugachyov with the 26th overall pick.

You can click here to view the complete draft list via the NHL.

The Montreal Canadiens owned eight draft picks heading into the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, but they made several trades to change the draft order.

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Marc has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for Journal Metro, The Athletic, The ... More about Marc Dumont