The Montreal Canadiens have selected Noah Juulsen of the Everett Silvertips in the Western Hockey League with the 26th pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
Juulsen is a solid two way defensemen who activates with the puck when he needs to. The 18-year-old played in 68 games for the Silvertips last season where he recorded nine goals and 52 points with a plus-22 rating. Juulsen’s being picked at number 26 falls in line with the second half of the first round ranking that most scouting reports gave him coming into the Draft.
[Related– Noah Juulsen’s Next Ones Profile]
With Carey Price between the pipes, P.K. Subban anchoring the blue line and resigning Jeff Petry it is no secret the Canadiens have been built from the backend out. The Canadiens selecting Juulsen, who stands six feet above the blue line, shows Montreal is continuing that trend. Players like Andrei Markov are getting older and will need to be replaced sooner rather than later. Drafting Juulsen shows the Canadiens have a plan for the future.
Including their pick in the first round, the Canadiens have only five picks during the 2015 NHL Draft. Outside of the first round Montreal has the 87th in the third round, in the fourth round the 131st pick, the 177th pick in the sixth round and their final pick, the 207th pick in the seventh round.
Make sure to keep an eye on THW’s NHL Draft Live Tracker and THW’s Deal Tracker for up to the minute info on the Draft, deals and signing going down.
