Hughes could be preparing a huge surprise with his first-round pick

What will Kent Hughes do with his 5th overall pick?

With now two drafts under his belt, we can say that the Canadiens' GM has often surprised. He first chose, to the surprise of many, Juraj Slafkovsky as the first overall pick in 2022 and David Reinbacher instead of the talented Matvei Michkov in 2023 with the 5th selection.

According to Arpon Basu, Hughes could once again go off the beaten path at the next draft by selecting a player currently ranked between 20th and 30th on many lists. This player is none other than Ontario forward Beckett Sennecke.

Sennecke, 18, scored 68 points, including 27 goals, in 63 games with the Oshawa Generals in the OHL. He had 55 points in 61 games in his first season in the Ontario league in 2022-2023. He is a solid power forward who possesses size, skating, game sense, and good stickhandling.

Not only does Basu see the Canadiens selecting Sennecke, but if they don't turn to Cayden Lindstrom, they might look at Tij Iginla. Jarome's son, however, like Sennecke, is currently ranked outside the top 10...

We remember that the last time the Canadiens took such a chance with a lower-ranked prospect, it didn't turn out very well. It was during the 2018 draft, and Marc Bergevin chose Jesperi Kotkaniemi with his 3rd pick. The Finn was, however, ranked in the top 15 on several lists, not in the top 3.

Let's hope that if Kent Hughes and his team really bet on Beckett Sennecke with the 5th pick, they know what they're doing!

Via HabsolumentFan - Un joueur surprise pourrait être le choix du Canadien au 5e rang