Potential Canadiens First-Round Draft Picks Listed By TSN

The Montreal Canadiens own a pair of first-round picks heading into the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, set to take place on June 27.

We’ve already discussed several players who may be available once the Habs take to the podium with the 16th and 17th overall selections, and there’s a strong possibility general manager Kent Hughes may trade one or both picks, but until we reach that point we will continue to monitor which players various outlets expect to be available in that range.

With that in mind, former Dallas Stars scout Craig Button released his top-80 prospects on TSN’s website, a list that is based on projections for the undrafted players in three to five years.

Kashawn Aitcheson, Defenceman, Shoots Left, 6’1″, 200 lb. Erie Otters (OHL).

Button believes it will be an important draft for teams looking for centres, and that certainly includes the Canadiens, but he doesn’t seem to think any of the top centres will be available midway through the first round.

Button lists Kashawn Aitcheson at 16th overall, a left-shooting defenceman who is currently evolving with the Barrie Colts in the OHL. He finished the year just shy of maintaining a points-per-game average, scoring 26 goals and 33 assists in 64 games.

Aitcheson projects as a spitting image of a hard-hitting defenceman, using his physical dominance to ensure he keeps opposing players at bay whenever they attempt to drive the net. He has great gap control, not to mention a voracious appetite for delivering bone-crunching hits. He’s also adept at generating offence, and will rarely hesitate to join the attack if the opportunity allows for a pinch. On top of his impressive regular-season production, Aitcheson notched 12 points in 16 playoff games with the Otters. His slap shot, in particular, tends to do a lot of damage whenever he has a chance to unleash it.

Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has often mentioned the desire to pick rough-and-tumble players that also bring a certain level of skill to the table. At 6’1″, 200 lbs, Aitcheson fits the bill when it comes to the desired frame for Canadiens draft picks.

He’s the type of prospect that reminds scouts of old-school defencemen, and though that may be interpreted as a negative in the modern NHL landscape, his skill level is high enough to counter any idea that he’s strictly a physical player.

According to Elite Prospects, Aitcheson ranks anywhere from 11th to 46th overall among all players available in 2025, with most outlets listing him in the 16 to 20 range, exactly where the Canadiens are set to draft.

It’s very difficult to predict how the Habs will approach the draft, but if they do keep their picks and Aitcheson is available, it would be fairly surprising to see them ignore the truculent blueliner.

Cameron Schmidt, Right Wing, Shoots Right, 5’7″, 160 lb. Vancouver Giants (WHL).

While I agree Aitcheson would be the type of player that would garner a lot of attention from the Montreal Canadiens at the draft, I’m not sure if we can say the same about Cameron Schmidt.

Let’s get it out of the way from the very get-go.

Schmidt is a small winger. Both fans and management are looking to avoid players who can’t reach the top shelf in the kitchen.

That being said, he’s also very talented, having scored 40 goals and 38 assists in 61 games with the Giants this season. He added nine points in just five playoff games, yet more evidence that good things do come in small packages.

The biggest concern is whether his current skill set, which features a fantastic shot, elite skating, as well as high-end playmaking, will translate to the professional level. Admittedly, I haven’t had a chance to watch Schmidt play much, but from what some scouts have told me, he is likely to struggle in a professional setting, where time and space will be limited.

Simply put, if Schmidt manages to make the NHL, most expect him to play in a top six role, but the word “if” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence.