Draft Class Breakdown: Why the Montreal Canadiens were one of the 2025 Draft's big winners

The Montreal Canadiens had two first-round picks just a few days before the NHL Draft and sent both to Long Island to acquire Noah Dobson.

With that move, they weren’t on the clock until they traded up to 34th overall to make their first selection. A grand total of nine picks gave the Habs a chance to take a few high upside swings on top of some safer picks.

Alexander Zharovsky, RW, Tolpar Ufa (MHL)

Montreal was the team to pull the trigger on the biggest riser of the 2025 NHL Draft class.

Alexander Zharovsky is an offensive powerhouse in the Russian junior scene. In his debut season with Tolpar Ufa, he led all draft-eligible players in scoring and earned his KHL debut in the Gagarin Cup Playoffs with Salavat Yulaev Ufa.

From the EliteProspects Draft Guide:

“With Zharovsky, the selling point is