Montreal Canadiens 2023 Mock Draft

All seven rounds of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft

Image via CBS Sports

The countdown to the 2023 NHL Entry Draft is almost over, and with anticipation at an all-time high, there’s no better time to publish a mock draft! For this exercise, I will be drafting on behalf of my favorite NHL team, the Montreal Canadiens.

This wouldn’t be possible without draftprospectshockey.com’s Draft Simulator, which I have used to complete this mock draft. I highly recommend checking them out if you want to make your own mock draft.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

1st Round (5th Overall): Leo Carlsson, C/LW - Örebro HK / SHL

In an interesting turn of events, the simulator had Columbus go with fellow centerman Will Smith of the USNTDP over Carlsson. That left San Jose with an incredibly difficult decision at 4th overall, as they had both Matvei Michkov and Leo Carlsson right there for the taking. The simulator had San Jose favoring Michkov, leaving the Canadiens with a can’t-miss prospect in Carlsson.

Carlsson spent his draft year playing in the third-best league in the world, the SHL, with Örebro HK. Throughout 44 games, the Swede notched 25 points, which is one of the best draft-year scoring paces to ever grace the SHL. Carlsson also joined the Swedish national team at this year’s IIHF World Championship, earning himself 5 points in 8 games on the team’s top line. This gave Carlsson his first real taste of NHL competition, and he handled it quite well.

Beyond the production, Carlsson is the second-best power forward in this draft after the University of Michigan’s Adam Fantilli. His two-way game is already quite good for a pro level, and the argument could be made for Carlsson playing in the NHL next season. While it is most likely that he returns to the SHL for another year, it’s possible that Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton would prefer a more hands-on approach to his development, while acclimating him to the North American ice surface.

For these reasons, I could see Carlsson starting next season in the AHL, with the Laval Rocket.

1st Round (31st Overall): Andrew Cristall, LW - Kelowna Rockets / WHL

If you told most hockey fans at the beginning of this season that Andrew Cristall would be available at the end of the first round, they’d probably call you crazy. Cristall’s decline in most public rankings has been an interesting case study to watch this season, and can likely be chalked up to a few main reasons, the first of which being his rather poor skating.

Cristall is no doubt one of the most intelligent, flashy, and dynamic players in this draft class. Playing for a mediocre Kelowna team, Cristall seemed to make plays appear out of thin air. That being said, his skating is very far below the NHL average and will need to come a long way before he can be considered NHL-ready.

Another “deficiency” of Cristall’s is his height. He stands at just 5’10”, which isn’t all that short when you consider some of the players in this class. Despite this, some scouts have concerns over Cristall’s size, and how it could affect his ability to become an NHL player.

"If the Canadiens draft me, I'm going to go completely crazy! Personally, I could see myself playing with Cole Caufield in the future. I think my playmaking skills and his terrific scoring touch could wreak havoc." - Andrew Cristall

I don’t think his size is the issue here, but rather his skating for someone of his size. If Cristall had even an NHL-average level of skating, he’d likely be a top-10 prospect in this draft. With the right development team, I believe that Cristall’s skating can be easily worked out, making him quite the steal at 31st overall.

2nd Round (37th Overall): Quentin Musty, LW - Sudbury Wolves / OHL

Musty was another gradual faller throughout the rankings this season. His production in the OHL was nothing to scoff at, but he failed to secure a spot on both the United State’s U20 and U18 IIHF World Juniors teams.

Musty is the perfect prospect for the Canadiens’ Director of Hockey Development, Adam Nicholas, to get his hands on. He’s a toolsy kid with an incredibly large frame, standing at 6’2”. Spending some quality time with the Canadiens’ development staff could do wonders for Musty’s game, and we could very well see a seriously refined Musty torch the OHL next season.

Although it is unlikely that Musty falls to this spot, the simulator had him available. Should the Canadiens get the opportunity to draft Musty on day two of the draft, they shouldn’t have to think very hard about their decision.

3rd Round (69th Overall): Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, C - HV71 / SHL

While this might be a rather obscure pick to those who aren’t as familiar with this year’s draft class, Mølgaard would be a great get by Montreal in the 3rd round. He is my 26th-ranked prospect in this year’s draft and for good reason.

If you miss Atturi Lehkonen on the Canadiens, you should be very excited at the idea of Mølgaard joining the Habs. His playstyle is very reminiscent of Lehkonen’s, and while the draft-year production isn’t all that comparable, Mølgaard’s time in the J20 Nationell tells a very different story than his SHL production.

It’s not all too common to see a Dane follow the Swedish development path, but Mølgaard breaks the mold here. Mølgaard will likely see an expanded role with HV71 next season, and I expect an uptick in his SHL production.

For someone who projects to be a middle-six contributor, Mølgaard would be a great addition at 69th overall.

4th Round (101st Overall): Timur Mukhanov, C - Severstal Cherepovets / KHL

This is where things started to get tricky for me. I had to find a healthy balance between picking who I thought was the best player available, even if they were likely to be available with later picks, or picking someone who was less likely to fall, and running the risk of another team drafting my BPA. In the end, I decided to play it safe by just drafting who I thought was the best player available.

I cannot stress enough how big of a steal it would be to draft Mukhanov in the 4th round. I know public scouts who have him ranked in their 1st round, and while I’m not quite as high on him, he should not fall out of the 2nd round. In all reality, Muhkanov will likely fall somewhere in the later rounds, and whichever team drafts him will be very, very lucky.

The likeliest reason for Mukhanov’s fall is that he is a 5’8” forward who spent his draft year season in the MHL, the top Russian junior league. High-scoring, undersized forwards are not rare in the MHL, so it’s hard to gauge how successful they will be beyond that. Most even struggle to replicate their success in the VHL, and very few make it to the KHL.

In Mukhanov’s case, it’s his unrelenting motor that gives him the edge here. The kid is tireless in his forecheck and definitely plays bigger than his size would lead you to believe. For being such a short player, he’s managed to keep his weight at a solid 170 lbs, which certainly helps him against larger opponents.

I’m excited to see what Mukhanov can do when given a full season against KHL competition. While he might not be NHL-ready for another 2-3 years, I expect him to be a middle-six guy.

4th Round (110th Overall): Felix Unger Sörum, RW - Leksands IF / SHL

We’ve already drafted the Dane playing in Sweden, so why not grab the Nord playing in Sweden? It would be pretty hard to mess up by picking Unger Sörum in the 4th round, so this isn’t a pick that Montreal should have to think too long about.

Beyond his quite productive season in the J20 Nationell, Unger Sörum enjoyed a very impressive U18 World Juniors tournament, notching 10 points in 7 games on a very deep Swedish team.

While his seven-game stint in the SHL was nothing to write home about, Unger Sörum will likely see an expanded role with Leksands next season.

4th Round (128th Overall): Matthew Mania, RD - Sudbury Wolves / OHL

For the Canadiens’ third and final selection of the 4th round, I have them taking Matthew Mania. While it’s incredibly unlikely that they wait this long to select a defenseman come draft day, Mania would be one hell of a pickup in the 4th round.

A teammate of 2nd-round selection Quinten Musty, Mania is quite easily a 2nd-round talent in this draft. The 6’0” tall, right-handed defenseman didn’t win over many scouts with his point production, which was a modest 38 points in 67 games. Rather, Mania’s puck-moving ability is what makes him an intriguing prospect. His ability to pull off high-skill plays with minimal time and space makes Mania a worthy gamble in the 4th round.

While his defensive game still has a long way to go before he can be considered NHL-ready, the upside heavily outweighs the risk for Mania, especially in the 4th round.

5th Round (133rd Overall): Will Vote, RW - Boston College / NCAA

As we enter the 5th round of this mock draft, I have the Canadiens selecting one of the most undervalued members of this year’s USNTDP group, Will Vote.

The incredibly undersized winger is following his star teammates Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, and Gabe Perreault to Boston College next season, where he’ll likely start out in the bottom six.

While Vote lacks the weight to make up for his smaller frame, and certainly didn’t match the production of his aforementioned teammates, he could very well end up as a 3rd line guy if everything goes right. In the 5th round, taking swings on guys like Vote, who have higher upsides but lower floors, is my preferred move.

The next two years will be so crucial for Vote’s development. If he gets shoved down the lineup consistently on a loaded BC team, his development will likely plateau. I’m rooting for the little guy here.

5th Round (144th Overall): Cole Knuble, C - University of Notre Dame / NCAA

Knuble is one of those guys who never really worked out for the NTDP, and so he found a home elsewhere in the USHL, with the Fargo Force. Despite being passed on last year in his first year of draft eligibility, Knuble seems like a good bet to get drafted this summer.

Knuble has finally found himself an NCAA commitment with the University of Notre Dame and for good reason too. He’s very smart off of the puck and will go to battle for his team in front of the net every time. That willingness to get dirty is so valuable in the NCAA and will serve him well next season.

His production as an over-ager in the USHL didn’t blow anyone away, but Knuble is one of the more safe players that will be available this late in the draft. If the Canadiens can snag Knuble in the later rounds, they’re almost guaranteed to be getting a bottom-six forward. It might take him a while to get there, but I believe in Knuble.

6th Round (165th Overall): Yegor Klimovich, C - Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk / MHL

Klimovich may be the biggest gamble out of all the players I selected in this mock draft. At first glance, his MHL production jumps out at you and seems quite impressive. Unfortunately, as I mentioned with Mukhanov, very few high-scoring, undersized MHL forwards make it to the next level.

Klimovich went from a diminutive 9 points in 52 MHL games last season, to 49 points in 36 games this year in the MHL. What makes him so interesting is that despite his insane production at the junior level, virtually no public scouting outlets have him ranked, and there’s a real chance that he goes undrafted this year.

With this pick, I’m betting on Klimovich’s pure offensive upside, and with a 6th round pick, I think it’s a risk worth taking. Even if there’s a 90% chance that Klimovich never becomes anything more than a productive junior player, that 10% chance that he continues to score at the next level makes him worth the risk.

I’m really interested to see how Klimovich performs next season in the MHL, and hopefully, he’ll get some looks in the VHL and KHL. Once I can see how he performs against actual men, in a professional league, I’ll be able to better assess his chances of becoming an NHLer.

7th Round (197th Overall): Lucas St-Louis, LD - Harvard University / NCAA

While the odds of the Canadiens making this selection are probably close to zero, I think it would be incredibly fun to see Hughes draft Martin St-Louis’ son, Lucas. Hughes stated last year that he would not go out of his way to draft his own son, Jack, who was draft eligible at the time, and the same is likely true for Lucas St-Louis.

The Burlington, Vermont native spent this past season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL. His USHL rookie season was aided by the addition of his older brother Ryan, who returned to the USHL from the NCAA after just one season, so he could play with his brother.

St-Louis finished 6th in scoring among rookie defensemen in the USHL this season, notching 24 points in 61 games. The smooth-skating defenseman will be taking his talents to Harvard University this fall, where he’ll look to mold his game into an effective puck-moving defenseman.

Harvard has churned out some of the best NHL prospects over the last few years, so the opportunity to work with their development staff will be great for St-Louis. Outside of the name recognition, I think St-Louis would be a nice addition in the 7th round.

Tempering Expectations

Let’s get real for a minute here. Montreal rarely does what the fans want, and HuGo have their own, very unique philosophy. While I would be thrilled if the Canadiens picked even half of these guys, chances are they won’t pick any of them. They have their own draft list, and nobody will know who they like until after the draft is over.

This was meant to be a fun exercise to keep me from pulling my hair out as I wait for the draft to be over. This isn’t who I think Montreal will draft, but rather who I would draft given the players available to me by the simulator.

Thank you for reading along! Hopefully, you’re as optimistic as I am that the Canadiens won’t botch this draft, but if not, that’s ok. Nobody can predict the future, and much of the draft is just shooting in the dark and hoping it hits.

Note: All graphics are sourced from JFresh except for Knuble’s, which is via HockeyProspecting. All graphics shown use NHLe models, which adjust scoring across different leagues and remove biases such as age and height.