Aatos Koivu was ranked 27th among international skaters by NHL Central Scouting and Habs took him with 70th overall pick Saturday.
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Talk about a chip off the old block.
The Canadiens selected Aatos Koivu, the son of former team captain Saku Koivu, in the third round (70th overall) of the NHL Draft Saturday in Las Vegas.
Aatos was ranked 27th among international skaters by NHL Central Scouting. The 6-foot, 170-pound centre had 9-13-22 totals in 20 games last season with the TPS U18 team in Finland and had 16-15-31 totals in 28 games with the TPS U20 team.
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Aatos, 18, was born on June 22, 2006 in Turku, Finland. His father played with the Canadiens from 1995-96 through 2008-09 after being selected in the first round (21st overall) of the 1993 NHL Draft.
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Aatos Koivu didn’t attend the draft in Las Vegas, but he did do an interview with Anthony Martineau of TVA Sports at the scouting combine earlier this month in Buffalo. Koivu said his strengths are his skating, his ability to read the game and his ability to score goals. He said he still needs to work on his play without the puck.
When asked about the role his father has played in his hockey career, Koivu told Martineau: “He kind of just tries to stay as a dad at home, which I prefer. I mean, I have my coach and my team, which is good that way, and a dad at home. Of course, he’s very interested, he’s always at the games. He always wants to help if I have a question and I have those a lot and I always just ask him and he’s always giving his best advice. But he kind of just lets me do my own thing, which I prefer.”
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Koivu told Martineau he has fond memories about his childhood in Montreal.
“Definitely the coolest thing, just being at the games, being able to see every game,” Koivu said. “It was just unbelievable. I was at a young age, I can’t remember too much. But I definitely remember some things and it’s cool that I can experience that at a young age.
“I’ve only heard good things about the city, the fans, the Bell Centre, everything … I’ve only heard good things from (his father),” Koivu added. “He liked it there a lot. My mother did as well. They always talk about how they loved the city and everything and my dad loved the fans as well. Everything I’ve heard it’s an amazing place.”
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No second-round pick
For the second straight year, the Canadiens didn’t have a pick in the second round of the draft.
The Canadiens traded their second-round pick (57th overall) to Los Angeles ahead of Friday night’s first round of the draft, along with a first-round pick (26th) overall and a seventh-round pick (198th overall), in exchange for the No. 21 overall pick from the Kings. The Canadiens used the No. 21 pick to select 6-foot-1, 188-pound centre Michael Hage, who had 33-42-75 totals in 54 games last season with the USHL’s Chicago Steel and is headed to the University of Michigan next season.
The Canadiens used their No. 5 overall pick to select 6-foot, 192-pound Russian winger Ivan Demidov, who posted 23-37-60 totals in 30 games last season with the St. Petersburg junior team in Russia. Singing superstar Céline Dion announced the pick for the Canadiens.
Two years ago, when the Canadiens had two second-round picks at the draft, they used them to select centre Owen Beck (33rd overall) and defenceman Lane Hutson (62nd overall). They are now two of the Canadiens’ top prospects.
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The Kings used the 57th overall pick they acquired from the Canadiens to select goalie Carter George, who had a 23-21-9 record, a 3.30 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage last season with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack.
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Habs draft Stanstead College grad
With their second pick in the third round (78th overall), the Canadiens selected 6-foot-1, 173-pound centre Logan Sawyer, who played one year at Stanstead College in the Eastern Townships of Quebec before joining the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits last season, where he posted 26-33-59 totals in 39 games. Sawyer was ranked 114th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. He went to Stanstead instead of playing major-junior hockey so he could keep his eligibility to play college hockey in the U.S.
“Best jersey in the league for sure, best team,” Sawyer, who was born in Calgary, told reporters in Las Vegas after being drafted and putting on a Canadiens sweater and ball cap. “I can’t wait to get started.
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“It was a little nerve-wracking,” Sawyer added about waiting to get drafted. “But just tried to stay as positive as I could and I got drafted by the best team that could have taken me, so pretty cool. … Original Six (team), it’s just a dream come true. I live in Toronto. I’ve been in Montreal a bunch. It’s a beautiful city and I just can’t wait to get out there.”
Sawyer described himself as a skilled forward who can create a lot of chances, adding that he uses his hockey IQ and big frame well to be an offensive threat.
“I had an interview with (the Canadiens) on Thursday,” Sawyer said. “Obviously, you never know where you’re going to get drafted, but I had a good feeling with them. I didn’t know what round exactly, but fortunate enough to go in the third round, which is pretty surreal.”
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Habs add big defenceman
With their fourth-round pick (102nd overall), the Canadiens selected Owen Protz, a 6-foot-1, 213-pound defenceman who shoots left.
Protz was ranked 100th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting after posting 3-16-19 totals in 66 games last season split between the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves and Brantford Bulldogs. He is considered to be one of the most physical defencemen in the OHL.
Matt Turek, who is GM of the Bulldogs and acquired Protz from Sudbury in a trade last season, used to work as a scout for the Canadiens.
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Late-round picks
The Canadiens had two picks in the fifth round, selecting right-winger Tyler Thorpe with the 130th overall pick and goalie Mikus Vecvanags with the 134th pick.
The 6-foot-4, 209-pound Thorpe had 23-21-44 totals in 51 games last season with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. Vecvanags was the goalie for Latvia at the world junior championship.
In the sixth round, the Canadiens took centre Ben Merrill with the 166th overall pick. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder had 18-19-37 totals in 25 games last season playing high-school hockey for St. Sebastian’s School in Needham, Mass. That’s the same school where Canadiens defenceman Jayden Struble played.
In the seventh and final round of the draft, the Canadiens took right-winger Makar Khanin with the 210th overall pick. The 5-foot-11, 161-pound Russian posted 9-18-27 totals last season playing for the St. Petersburg Dynamo in the VHL.
With their final pick (224th overall), the Canadiens selected 5-foot-6, 128-pound defenceman Rasmus Bergqvist, who had 4-8-12 totals in 36 games last season with the Skelleftea AIK junior team in Sweden.
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Hutson’s brother drafted
Lane Hutson’s younger brother, Cole, was selected by the Washington Capitals in the second round (43rd overall).
Cole, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound defenceman, had 15-36-51 totals in 51 games last season with the U.S. National U18 team. He also had 4-9-13 totals in seven games at the world junior championship to help Team USA win the gold medal. Cole was named to the tournament all-star team.
“He definitely has special abilities,” Lane said about his younger brother at the end of the Canadiens’ development camp last summer. “I don’t want to say it … hopefully he doesn’t watch this … but, yeah, I think he has that ability to be better than me. I think he’ll get drafted much higher. He’s a super-talented player. Smooth skater, sees the ice really well. He’s got the shakes. A really good shot, too. He’s a really good hockey player.”
Lane was right. Cole was drafted 19 spots earlier than him.
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First QMJHL player finally selected
Spencer Gill became the first player from the QMJHL to get drafted this year when the Philadelphia Flyers picked the defenceman in the second round (59th overall).
The 6-foot-4, 186-pounder from Riverview, N.B., had 12-34-46 totals in 65 games last season with the Rimouski Océanic.
Right-winger Maxim Massé was the first Quebec player from the QMJHL to get drafted, going to the Anaheim Ducks with the first pick in the third round (66th overall). The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder from Rimouski had 36-39-75 totals in 67 games last season with the Chicoutimi Saguenéns.
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Lightning trades Sergachev
The Tampa Bay Lightning traded former Canadiens defenceman Mikhail Sergachev to the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday.
In exchange for the 26-year-old Sergachev, who won two Stanley Cups in Tampa, the Lightning received forward Connor Geekie, the signing rights to defenceman J.J. Moser, a second-round pick at next year’s draft and a seventh-round pick at this year’s draft.
Former Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin selected Sergachev in the first round (ninth overall) at the 2016 NHL Draft. Sergachev only played four games with the Canadiens before Bergevin traded him to the Lightning on June 15, 2017 in exchange for Jonathan Drouin.
Sergachev was limited to 34 games last season, posting 2-17-19 totals, because of surgery required in February to stabilize fractures to the tibula and fibula on his left leg. Sergachev has seven seasons remaining on his eight-year, US$68-million contract with an annual salary-cap hit of US$8.5 million.
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