Brayden Klimpke is turning heads in Saskatoon, and the numbers are impossible to ignore. The Montreal Canadiens prospect has piled up 15 points in 10 WHL games with the Blades, a blistering start that already puts him past last season’s goal total.
That kind of production is exactly why his head coach, Dan DaSilva, thinks Montreal might have found a steal.
Klimpke’s offensive jump, DaSilva said, comes down to confidence and a willingness to let it fly more often. The left-shot defenseman from Calgary is also wearing the captain’s C for the Blades, and he’s opened the year looking every bit like a player with momentum behind him.
The bigger story, though, is how far he’s come physically. Four years ago, when Saskatoon picked him in the fourth round of the WHL Bantam Draft, Klimpke was listed at 5-foot-4 and 98 pounds. DaSilva said he worried about the youngster’s safety at his first training camp, where he was lining up against 20-year-olds who topped 200 pounds.
That reality forced Klimpke to adapt. He learned to dodge heavy contact, slip away from bodychecks and survive with smarts instead of force. DaSilva said those instincts are similar to Lane Hutson.
Now 19, Klimpke has grown into a 6-foot, 176-pound defenseman, and the change has altered his outlook as much as his frame. His skating stands out, and it has helped fuel the belief that his NHL ceiling is real.
The Canadiens drafted him on June 27, and without that growth spurt, they likely never would have taken him.
Klimpke’s postseason workload also showed how much trust he already earned. During the last WHL playoffs, he was regularly on the ice for more than 30 minutes a night.
He has committed to the University of North Dakota, which means Montreal keeps his rights through 2031. There’s no need to rush him, especially with the Canadiens already deep on the blue line.
Still, draft picks can take time to reveal themselves, and it usually takes about five years to get a true read on one. Even so, Klimpke’s early-season surge is making Montreal’s bet look awfully sharp.
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For Canadiens fans, the intrigue is less about what is already on the table and more about what could change if Larkin broadens his list. Montreal remains interested if that happens, and there is at least a sense around the league that the fit would make sense if the door ever opens. Until then, the story stays stuck in that familiar trade-deadline limbo, with the Canadiens hoping patience pays off. [Read more 🡒]