The Montreal Canadiens have the opportunity to really play up the nostalgia factor at the upcoming NHL Draft.
With Aatos Koivu, son of longtime Canadiens captain Saku Koivu, eligible to be selected, many fans are hoping Montreal GM Kent Hughes will give him the chance to don the jersey his father did for over a decade.
Per Kevin Dube of Le Journal de Quebec, the Canadiens met with the Finnish forward at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo over the weekend.
And according to Koivu, it was one of the most favourable NHL interviews he’s taken part in so far.
“It went well. They are good guys, respectful,” the 17-year-old prospect told Dube after his meeting with Montreal’s management team. “I think it was one of the best interviews I had during the week. I came away with a good feeling when I came out of that room.”
Koivu, born in Montreal in 2006, played most of the 2023-24 season with a U20 team in Finland, logging 16 and 31 points over 28 games. Throughout his latest campaign, he earned a few call-ups to the Liiga, Finland’s top league.
Projected to go somewhere in the top 100 at the draft, he is currently ranked No. 27 by NHL Central Scouting among European skaters. TSN insider Bob McKenzie has Koivu, who measures in at 6-foot, 165 pounds, going in the late second round (60th overall).
With that in mind, the Canadiens have 12 picks in the upcoming draft, barring they don’t trade any. Of those selections, they have three in the second and third rounds.
The 2024 NHL Draft will be held in Las Vegas on June 28 and 29.
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