The Montreal Canadiens entered Friday with the 28th overall pick, but couldn’t quite wait that long to get their guy. By moving up two slots in a draft-night trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, the Canadiens were perfectly positioned to land Russian winger Gleb Pugachyov 26th overall.
Here’s what you need to know about the Canadiens’ first-rounder.
26th Overall: Gleb Pugachyov
2025-26 Team: Chaika Nizhny Novgorod, MHL
Stat Line: 10G-14A-24PTS in 33 games
What you need to know about Pugachyov:
He’s big, he’s physical, and he packs a punch offensively, too.
Pugachyov spent most of the 2025-26 campaign in Russia’s top development league, but did get a taste of the pros. He scored twice in a 13-game KHL stint this past season.
He’s slated to remain in Russia for 2026-27. Pugachyov has all the makings of a complete NHL power forward, and if he continues to develop at the trajectory he’s on now, it sounds like it won’t be long before he brings that skillset to Montreal.
Pugachyov has spent the past three years developing within the system of the KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod — a fitting name, considering the way he plays. Call him a torpedo, a missile, a wrecking ball… this guy is built to disrupt. Whether he’s throwing devastating hits or going into battles along the boards, he is unafraid to intimidate opponents with his size and physicality. NHLers, you’ve been warned.
57th Overall: D Timofi Runtso
2025-26 Team: Victoria Royals, WHL
Stat Line: 11G-33A-44PTS in 68 games
The California native moved up to the WHL last season after playing in the NAHL. Runtso’s dad is a Hollywood stuntman and actor in television shows and movies.