Potential Canadiens Draft Picks To Watch At World Juniors

In most years, the World Junior Championship has a rather heavy Montreal Canadiens presence among the participating teams. It’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 being said, if not for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, top prospect Ivan Demidov would be featuring in the tournament, and seeing that it wouldn’t be a team run by SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg, he probably wouldn’t be punished for producing with a confusing downtick in ice time.

Of course, given what’s at stake in Ukraine, we can’t bemoan the decision to remove Russia from international tournaments.

But since the Canadiens only have one player taking part in the 2025 World Junior Championship, Team Sweden defenceman Rasmus Bergqvist, it’s a good opportunity to take some early notes on players who should figure among the top players in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

Team Canada Options

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

Top drafted prospects such as Zayne Parekh, Tij Iginla, Beckett Sennecke, and Carter Yakemchuk were all ignored, while Michael Misa, a talented forward who is 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, as he’s 17, and it’s very much a tournament for older players, but it does rob of us of an opportunity to watch 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, should the Habs end up with a top-10 pick at the draft.

Matthew Schaefer, a 17-year-old, left-handed defenceman currently part of the Erie Otters lineup, did manage 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 rather impressive when we consider his age and role. He’s on pace for a 23-goal, 49-assist, 55-game prorated season in the OHL, which may lead to Schaefer being picked before the Canadiens have a chance to make their way to the podium. As it stands, he’s expected to be among the top players picked, with most outlets suggesting he’ll go somewhere between second overall and fourth overall, though some do expect him to drop out of the top five.

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

He’s 6’3″, 210 lb, which should garner a lot of interest around the NHL, especially from teams like the Canadiens that focus on attempting to keep size in the mix when they’re 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 will pick before Montreal.

Expect Martone to play in a third-line role, as the top six is already overflowing with talent, whereas Schaefer could end up logging heavy minutes while playing on team’s 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 just 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 could lead to them being a little too low to pick someone of Hagens’ ilk, but it’s worth keeping in mind that the Canadiens are just a few points ahead of 30th place, and there’s a lot of hockey left to play in the season.

In other words, all bets are off for now.

Hagens will likely be picked somewhere between first and third overall, even if he’s slightly older than many of his counterparts, which is always worth keeping in mind when evaluating top prospects. He’s a dynamic centre who primarily focuses on playmaking, though he did manage to score 39 goals on top of his 59 assists for the U.S. National U-18 team last season.

Hagens should 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 do catch Team USA in action, keep an eye out for Logan Hensler, as the right-handed defenceman is also set to be among the top players in the upcoming draft. However, he’s expected to be drafted closer to the 10th overall range, rather than being among the top three picks.

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

Click here to check out the schedule for the 2025 World Junior Championship, which is taking place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.