Canadiens sign prospect Bryce Pickford to entry-level contract

The Montreal Canadiens have signed one of their top Canadian junior prospects.

The club announced Wednesday that they signed defenceman Bryce Pickford to a three-year, entry-level deal starting in 2026-27.

Pickford was the team’s third-round pick, 81st overall, in the 2025 NHL Draft. He was drafted as an overager after he went undrafted in his first year of eligibility.

As the captain of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, the 19-year-old blue-liner leads the league (including forwards) in goals with 25. He has 44 points, good for fourth in the league.

Pickford is a 6-foot-1, 186-pound right-shot defenceman born in Chauvin, Alberta. He did not receive an invitation to join Team Canada for the upcoming 2025-2026 World Junior Championship.

The club did congratulate prospects L.J. Mooney (USA), Carlos Handel (Germany) and Aatos Koivu (Finland) for being named to their respective World Junior teams.

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