The Montreal Canadiens moved up to select a forward at 69th, then used the 81st overall selection to claim a defenceman. With those positions addressed, their final pick of the third round at 82nd was spent on a goaltender.
Montreal had several nations represented among their goaltending pool already heading into the draft. Jakub Dobeš of the Czech Republic served as the NHL backup last year, Russian Vevgeni Volokhin was drafted in 2023, and Mikus Vecvanags of Latvia was drafted one year ago. In 2025, Belarusian Arseni Radkov was the choice as the team’s first of two goaltenders selected in the nine-player class.
Birthplace: Mogilev, Belarus
Date of birth: August 5, 2007
Catches: Left
Position: Goaltender
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 194 lbs.
Team: Tyumenski Legion (MHL)
Like Vecvanags, Radkov is a player with a future commitment to head to North America to play in the NCAA, in Radkov’s case with the University of Massachusetts in the 2026-27 season. The Canadiens know they won’t need to be concerned about him signing a string of contracts in Russia and never coming overseas, and will also have the opportunity for more in-person viewings once his collegiate career begins.
Radkov is a bit of a world traveller already, playing in Finland a couple of seasons ago before playing in the Russian Junior system. Outside of a difficult couple of games in the MHL back in 2023-24, he’s typically finished above a .900 save percentage. It wasn’t a strong team he played on in the MHL, with his Tyumenski Legion providing one goal or less of support in six of the 19 games he played this season. You could argue it was good for his development to get a heavy workload in his draft season, which including facing at least 40 shots on five occasions and 70 on January 21 in a 4-3 overtime loss.
He is a raw talent with some promising underlying skills. Not turning 18 until early August, he has a long way to go before he’s ever an option at even the AHL level, but that’s the path the Canadiens are envisioning with these recent goalie selections.
Radkov is an athletic goalie who covers his crease well with his lateral movement, but doesn’t yet have the technical skills to get the most of that style. While he does square up to shooters for an initial shot, and it looks good (like in the highlight reel above) when he smothers it, he will scramble in a rebound situation rather than making a calm adjustment to put himself in the best spot to make a save. That’s not an uncommon trait of a young goalie, and those who’ve followed the Canadiens are no stranger to that type of netminder with Samuel Montembeault developing from that style as well.
Reining in his athletic instincts somewhat will come with time and proper coaching. Improving his glove hand is something that might take a bit more targeted instruction. Radkov isn’t quick with his catching hand, and doesn’t often grab the puck when it does hit his glove, letting it bounce off of his open palm instead. He also tends to fall forward when making his initial save on a high shot which limits what he can do on a follow-up, so he will need some training on maintaining his balance as well.
There’s no guarantee that he pans out, but you can say that about even the two goalies that were selected in the first round of this year’s draft. Radkov showed that he could handle a step up in competition level this year without his effectiveness dropping, and the Canadiens will hope that applies when he’s ready to make the move to the NCAA a year from now. There are no concerns about limitations like a lack of mobility or effort level, and that’s a good starting point for what is going to be a long journey through his development.
