The Montreal Canadiens may have found a gem in Bryce Pickford - and they didn’t have to look in the usual places to get him.
With the 81st overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Montreal used their third-round selection on Pickford, a right-shot defenseman out of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. It was his second year of draft eligibility, but this time, Kent Hughes and the Canadiens weren’t going to let him slip through the cracks.
So far, that decision is aging well.
Pickford has been lighting it up early this season, racking up 27 points - 13 goals and 14 assists - in just 25 games from the blue line. That kind of offensive production from a defenseman doesn’t just jump off the stat sheet; it demands attention.
And it’s not a one-off. He showed flashes of this kind of impact last spring, too, when he put up 24 points in 18 playoff games and helped lead Medicine Hat all the way to the Memorial Cup final in Rimouski.
Despite those numbers, Pickford's name still doesn’t come up often when people talk about the Canadiens’ top defensive prospects. Most of the spotlight tends to land on first-rounder David Reinbacher or Swedish blueliner Adam Engstrom. But if Pickford keeps trending the way he is, that conversation might need a serious update.
What’s clear is that Pickford plays with a chip on his shoulder - and it’s not just about being overlooked in the draft the first time around.
After going undrafted in 2024, Pickford was invited to the Detroit Red Wings’ development camp. He turned them down. Not because he didn’t want the opportunity - but because he felt it wasn’t genuine.
“I was angry,” Pickford said. “I had already planned to spend the week at Darryl Belfry’s camp - the best skills coach in the world.
I told them: ‘You didn’t draft me. You don’t want me that much.
So I’m not coming.’”
That kind of fire is hard to teach. And it’s exactly what makes Pickford such an intriguing prospect for Montreal. He’s not just producing; he’s playing with purpose.
Now, with the WHL season in full swing, Pickford is already looking ahead. Once his junior season wraps, he’s expected to join the Laval Rocket in the AHL - and he’s not lacking confidence about making that leap.
“I can play at that level right now,” he said. “I’m very confident. I believe I would do very well.”
It’s early, of course. But between the production, the attitude, and the upside, the Canadiens may have quietly added a future offensive weapon to their blue line. If Pickford continues on this trajectory, Montreal’s third-round swing could end up looking like a home run.