Introduction
When the Montreal Canadiens executed their trade for Noah Dobson, it gave the impression that they’d have a quieter 2025 NHL Draft. While that may have been the case in the first round, they executed two early trades on Day 2 to leverage their draft capital and move up to grab some impact players for the future.
The second such trade saw them flip picks 79 and 108 for pick 69, where they used to select Hayden Paupanekis out of the WHL.
A towering centre, standing at 6’5″ and over 200 pounds, Paupanekis didn’t have elite production in the WHL last season. But context is very important there: he outpaced his rookie season of 20 points in just 39 games, and then was traded from the Spokane Chiefs to the Kelowna Rockets mid-season. He had to adjust moving from a checking role to being a play-driver in Kelowna.
While the post-trade numbers in Kelowna don’t jump off the page, it’s important to point out that the Rockets finished dead last in the Western conference, and third-last in the league overall, missing the playoffs. They traded away their best player in Andrew Cristall for Paupanekis and a bunch of picks, knowing that Cristall would not be back for them next season. Paupanekis was part of a package that the Rockets are hoping will significantly improve the team for this upcoming season, as they’ll be hosting the Memorial Cup.
As part of what should be an improved roster, Paupanekis is in line for a top-six role with a guaranteed appearance in the Memorial Cup tournament. The stars have aligned for him to have a breakout year that could have pundits wondering whether he should have gone earlier in the 2025 draft.
Voting
Eight of the 12 votes, including that of the EOTP community, put Paupanekis in their Top 25. A range running from 16th all the way to 30th is relatively significant, if not uncommon for players in the 20-25 group on our list.
Particularly given the strength of this year’s eligible group, this is an impressive debut for the big centre. He’ll need a strong showing in the WHL this season to hold on to this position, let alone rise in the ranking.
History of #22
| Year | #22 |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Hayden Paupanekis |
| 2024 | Sean Farrell |
| 2023 | Jayden Struble |
| 2022 | Michael Pezzetta |
| 2021 | Joshua Roy |
| 2020 | Michael McNiven |
| 2019 | Otto Leskinen |
| 2018 | Lukas Vejdemo |
| 2017 | Daniel Audette |
| 2016 | Brett Lernout |
| 2015 | Zachary Fucale |
| 2014 | Gabriel Dumont |
| 2013 | Zachary Fucale |
| 2012 | Joonas Nättinen |
| 2011 | Joonas Nättinen |
| 2010 | Alexei Emelin |
Strengths
As you would expect from a player of his size, Paupanekis is more than a handful to deal with in front of the net and in puck battles at the Junior level. He can outmuscle just about anyone in the league to take the puck from them, and his reach affords him some puck-protection ability that most players his age can only dream of.
If you made it through this entire highlight pack, it would be impossible to not notice how heavy his shot is. There is something to be said for his shot selection and needing to get better at shooting in traffic, but there’s no doubt that the quality of his shot suggests an ability to score at the next level.
Of particular interest when it comes to responsible centres is his defensive acumen. He plays very well at both ends, but his physical tools appear to really shine on the defensive side. He often engages on the backcheck, denying zone entries entirely by pushing players off the puck as they’re trying to gain the zone. It is a very desirable quality for centre prospects to have, and should benefit him greatly with respect to his NHL future.
Skating and puck-handling are usually weak points for bigger Junior players, but they’re surprisingly strong qualities in his game. He moves quickly, and when he joined the Habs for development camp this summer we saw a bit of that on display among the other prospects.
The big guy, Hayden Paupanekis, shows some wheels and ties the game for team white. #gohabsgo pic.twitter.com/Sh551SxryC
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) July 3, 2025
There is a lot to like in his game, with little concern that he’ll end up being nothing more than a big bruiser.
Weaknesses
While he has better puck skills and skating than you would expect from a Junior-level player of his size, he still needs some refinement to succeed at the professional level. His stride can look a bit choppy, and he’ll want to focus on improving his mechanics to be able to get by professional defenders as he can in the WHL.
To circle back to his offensive output, there will be an obvious focus for him to improve that before he can turn pro. He shoots well, passes well, and protects the puck well, but just needs to put everything together more consistently to see a spike in his numbers. The Habs are essentially betting that his need to adjust to different roles last season delayed that process, and that he’ll be able to show a more complete game as early as this coming season.
He’ll be a focal point for the Rockets, who will need him to put up numbers in order to show that they belong in the Memorial Cup in any way other than as hosts.
Projection
The unteachable physical tools give him a higher floor than most of his peers drafted in the second round. He looks every bit like a player who will have some sort of future in the NHL, at least as a capable fourth-liner at some point. Where his ceiling lies could depend a lot on how he fares this season now that he’s a lock for top-six minutes.
If that breakout year does come with him in that role, and he shows the progression that many believe him to be capable of, it could easily put him in the conversation for a two-way, middle-six centre spot with upside scoring potential. I don’t think we’re looking at a player with a top-six future here, but his combination of size and skill, if developed properly from here on out, makes me hesitant to rule that out entirely. If you have faith in your player development staff, which the Habs obviously do, it is easy to see why you’d want to trade up to get a player like this.
Paupanekis was a very interesting swing by the Canadiens after moving both of their firsts. Yes, he has a high floor thanks to his size, but there’s no denying that he can unlock a lot more in his game if things go well for him over the next couple of seasons. You could call this somewhat of a safe pick, but there’s also the potential for it to turn into a grand slam.
A lot of Habs fans’ eyes will be on the WHL this season, as Paupanekis will be a player to follow.
Click the play button below to listen to our latest podcast episode, where Jérôme Bérubé from Hockeyprospects.com joins us to discuss Hayden Paupanekis.
