We’ve reached the No.13 spot on our Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings, giving us a perfect opportunity to discuss one of the most interesting newcomers to the organization, forward Hayden Paupanekis.
As a reminder, to qualify for our list, Habs prospects must under 24 years old and have fewer than 75 NHL games under their belt. The rankings are based on the votes from almost 10,000 Canadiens fans.
13. Hayden Paupanekis, Centre, Shoots Right, 18, Kelowna Rockets (WHL), 6’5″, 205 lb. Picked 69th Overall (2025)
The Habs moved up in the draft to select Paupanekis, a clear sign that they were highly interested in the towering forward.
The Montreal Canadiens trade up to select Hayden Paupanekis 69th overall! pic.twitter.com/IgLJlvZ5nk
— Elite Prospects (@eliteprospects) June 28, 2025
It’s also worth noting Montreal pulled off a trade with Boston to make it happen, acquiring the 69th overall pick in exchange for 79th and 108th overall picks. It was just the third trade between the Bruins and the Canadiens to take place since the Ken Dryden robbery back in 1964, which means we can expect another trade between the historic rivals sometime in 2040.
Most Recent Canadiens/Bruins Trades:
2001 – Eric Weinrich traded to the Bruins for Patrick Traverse.
August 1964 – Cash sent to the Bruins for Orval Tessier.
June 1964 – Guy Allen and Paul Reid traded to the Bruins in exchange for Alex Campbell and an unknown goalie named Ken Dryden.
Drafting Big Players
The driving force behind the interest from Montreal (among many other NHL teams) was Paupanekis’ impressive frame, not to mention the amount of raw skill possessed by the former Spokane Chiefs forward.
Tall players tend to struggle in the skating department, a significant drag on their NHL potential. When this is a risk, you’ll see scouts describe the bigger prospects as having decent skating… for a big player.
That’s the ultimate red flag, because it usually means they’re awful skaters.
But that’s not the case for Paupanekis.
I wouldn’t go as far as saying his skating is elite, but he is a good skater, full stop.
Beyond his wingspan, which rivals a wandering albatross, Paupanekis is a creative forward who does not shy away from physical confrontations, the exact type of player Kent Hughes wanted to add to the prospect pool. He can fight, but I’d argue his true strength lies in his penchant for landing bone-crushing hits.
More importantly, his defensive acumen is evident, and led to almost four takeaways per game last season.
Even if most of the pre-draft talk focused on his offensive potential, his strong defensive positioning is what stood out to me when I watched a dozen of his games following the draft. He combines an impressive reach with good anticipation to shut down opposing players.
Potential Montreal Canadiens Impact
You rarely find elite offensive prospects in the third round, and Paupanekis is no exception.
He scored 11 goals and 13 assists for the Chiefs before he was traded to the Kelowna Rockets, where he produced 11 goals and eight assists in 32 games.
We should allow for some growth from an offensive standpoint since he owns such a raw skill set, but it’s difficult to ignore his relatively underwhelming scoring pace in the WHL, even if he played half the season as a 17-year-old.
Fortunately, he has a very good shot. I’d argue he could improve his shot mechanics a little, but the accuracy is there, and the hand-eye coordination is clearly above average.
He also has a tendency to generate controlled entries off the rush, a skill that should help him make the jump to professional hockey once he shores up a few glaring issues, including his penchant for forcing plays in the offensive zone, as evidenced by the fact that Paupanekis averaged almost four giveaways per game last season.
What’s Next For Montreal Canadiens Prospect Hayden Paupanekis
The biggest question in his case is whether he will maintain his impressive upward trajectory and expand on his offensive capabilities. Ideally, you’d like to see him reach the point-per-game mark in the WHL before discussing a jump to professional hockey, and to do so he’ll have to add a little more finesse to his game.
Improved decision-making, as well as a relatively long runway to allow him to hone his raw skill set, is in order, but there’s no denying the Montreal Canadiens landed one of the most interesting players of the draft when they picked the Winnipeg native.
Previously Published 2025 Montreal Canadiens Prospect Articles:
Canadiens Prospect Rankings No.15 – Jared Davidson
Canadiens Prospect Rankings No.14 – Bogdan Konyushkov
Montreal Canadiens Top Prospect Rankings – Final List
Do you agree or disagree with the Montreal Canadiens prospect rankings? Let us know in the comments below!
Montreal Canadiens and Hayden Paupanekis statistics via Elite Prospects
