Welcome back to another edition of the Montreal Canadiens draft class revisited, where we look at each selection and use hindsight to determine whether they made the right choice or missed out on big-name talent. Next up is 2015, the shortest draft under Marc Bergevin’s thumb, with just five picks.
Like in 2014, the Canadiens entered the 2015 Draft without their second and fourth-round picks, both of which were part of the Jeff Petry deal. The Canadiens made the second round of the playoffs but failed to reach the Eastern Conference Final for a second consecutive year.
Related: Montreal Canadiens: 2015 NHL Draft Review
Entering Bergevin’s fourth draft as general manager, there was no room for error with so few picks. Here are the five prospects chosen in 2015, a review of their development, where they are now, and who they probably should have taken instead.
1st Round, 26th Overall
Montreal Selects: Noah Juulsen
For a second consecutive year, the Canadiens found themselves with the 26th pick and went with a defenseman with Noah Juulsen. A solid two-way defenseman with tremendous offensive upside and solid skating, he was a great addition to their defensive pipeline. It also helped that Juulsen had a phenomenal season with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League (WHL), leading all d-men on his team with 52 points in 68 games.
His offence dried up in the following two seasons in Everett, but his defensive game flourished enough to earn him a 23-game stint with the Canadiens during the 2017-18 season. His skating remained his strong point, but his defensive awareness couldn’t keep up in the NHL. The Canadiens put Juulsen on waivers in 2021, and he was quickly picked up by the Florida Panthers.
Hindsight Pick: Vince Dunn
With no second-round pick, the crop of good defensemen selected after Juulsen is large, but Vince Dunn is our pick in this spot. Selected by the St. Louis Blues at 56th overall, Dunn became a stud defenseman quickly and was a regular in their lineup. Unfortunately, the Seattle Kraken claimed Dunn in the expansion draft.
3rd Round, 87th Overall
Montreal Selects: Lukas Vejdemo
The Canadiens returned to the Swedish hockey program for a second time in three years, picking up forward Lukas Vejdemo from the Djurgardens IF program, a fantastic two-way centre with the potential to become a shutdown third-line player in the NHL, so using their third-round selection felt like a win. Vejdemo had already started playing in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) as an 18-year-old; what could go wrong?
Vejdemo’s game translated nicely to the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Laval Rocket, and his defensive awareness stood out. He got a few brief stints in the NHL, playing 13 games and scoring two goals, but was more efficient in the minors. After an injury derailed his 2022 playoff run with the Rocket, Vejdemo was not re-signed and underwent surgery, ultimately returning to Sweden to continue playing for the Djurgardens IF program.
Hindsight Pick: Conor Garland
Meanwhile, in Montreal’s backyard was Conor Garland, who torched the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in his draft year with 129 points in 67 games. The Arizona Coyotes drafted Garland in the fifth round, seven picks before the Habs’ next turn, who served the team for three seasons. He was involved in the Oliver Ekman-Larsson deal with the Vancouver Canucks, where he currently resides. plays?
5th Round, 131st Overall
Montreal Selects: Matt Bradley
If you got excited about this name, even for a second, you were fooled. This isn’t the Matt Bradley who the San Jose Sharks drafted in 1996. This Bradley was selected by Montreal in the fifth round after a decent season with the Medicine Hat Tigers, and his offensive production picked up in the Western Hockey League (WHL) over the next two years. He eventually graduated to the ECHL, where he saw some success but never stood a chance at the AHL level. As quickly as he arrived, Bradley left North America and debuted in Austria, where he is now a point-per-game player with Vienna.
Hindsight Pick: Kirill Kaprizov
Hundreds of Montreal fans are likely punching air when they realize that Kirill Kaprizov went just four picks later at 135. While it took four years for the Russian forward to make the jump to the NHL, at the time, he was in his early 20s and had ample experience in a pro league. Kirill blew up in 2021-22, with 108 points in 81 games for the Minnesota Wild, and became a two-time NHL All-Star in his first three seasons in the league.
What hurts most is that Kaprizov’s rookie season was in 2020-21, the same year the Canadiens reached the Stanley Cup Final. Imagine a world where Kaprizov is on the same bench as Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, throwing wave after wave of dynamic offensive bursts. Montreal could have become an instant contender with that kind of depth up front.
6th Round, 177th Overall
Montreal Selects: Simon Bourque
Dipping back into defence, Montreal took a hometown kid named Simon Bourque with their sixth-round pick. Touted as a consistent d-man, Bourque had good size, skated very well, and began to pick up his offensive game with the Rimouski Océanic. He was named captain in 2015 after capturing the QMJHL Championship and led his team to a second victory the following year.
Related: Ryan Leonard is a Legitimate Montreal Canadiens Draft Target
Bourque played 46 games with the Rocket in 2017-18 but struggled to hold a regular spot in the lineup. The Canadiens traded him to the Winnipeg Jets for a monster package that included two draft picks, goaltender Steve Mason and forward Joel Armia, the following season. Bourque’s contract was mutually terminated by the Jets in 2019, leading the defenseman to pursue his academics with Concordia University in Quebec.
Hindsight Pick: Matt Roy
Two defensemen selected in the seventh round have played 200 games or more, but we’ll go with Matt Roy. Drafted out of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Roy played a physical game and was sound defensively during his time with Michigan Tech. His offensive upside was limited, but the Los Angeles Kings liked his transition game and developed him with the Ontario Reign for three seasons before he got his shot.
Since joining the Kings permanently, Roy has blossomed into a sturdy blueliner, first playing alongside Sean Durzi and later with Vladislav Gavrikov – after he was traded from the Columbus Blue Jackets. He’s managed to grow his offensive game, picking up 26 points in 81 games last season while providing the Kings with three points in six playoff games. It’s hard to fault Bergevin for taking what seemed to be the safe bet with Bourque, while Los Angeles pulled a rabbit out of their hat by landing Roy.
7th Round, 207th Overall
Montreal Selects: Jeremiah Addison
One of the more intriguing prospects selected by Bergevin in his time as general manager came in the seventh round when Jeremiah Addison finally heard his name announced. A forward with some offensive potential, who played a tough brand of hockey and loved to go into dirty areas, seemed like a potential steal. He then recorded six goals and ten points in six playoff games with the Windsor Spitfires in his draft year.
By 2017, Addison suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, limiting his time in Laval to six games. It was a devastating realization for the 21-year-old, as the ink on his three-year, entry-level deal had just finished drying. Following the injury, the Canadiens terminated Addison’s contract, and he has since appeared in USports Hockey with stints in Slovakia and Germany.
Hindsight Pick: N/A
After Addison, only four players remained, and one of them was a forward. John Dahsltrom was the official last pick of the 2015 Draft, selected by the Chicago Blackhawks. He was never given a contract and has spent the past seven years in Sweden. Under contract with the SHL’s IK Oskarshamn for the 2023-24 season, Dahlstrom has yet to make the NHL and it’s unlikely he ever does.
This was a disappointing draft class. Bergevin put his faith into players with raw talent and upside who never panned out, as we’ve seen often in the past. The Bradley selection sticks out like a sore thumb, especially with Kaprizov going shortly after him. It was the year when low-risk decisions resulted in no rewards.
