Canadiens’ Adam Engstrom to make NHL debut Wednesday vs. Mammoth

The Montreal Canadiens announced Wednesday afternoon that defense prospect Adam Engstrom will make his NHL debut against the Utah Mammoth that night.

The Canadiens officially recalled Engstrom from the AHL’s Laval Rocket on Sunday, the same day they signed center Alexandre Texier to a one-year contract.

Engstrom, 22, has appeared in 18 games with Laval this season, collecting five goals and 14 points. The Jarna, Sweden product will fill in for the rugged Arber Xhekaj in the Canadiens’ defensive lineup at the Delta Center in Utah on Wednesday.

A third-round pick (No. 92 overall) of the Canadiens in the 2022 NHL Draft, Engstrom spent his first two post-draft seasons with SHL club Rögle BK. The 6’2″ lefty collected 10 goals and 38 points in 94 games over two full seasons with Rögle before leaving for North America in 2024.

Engstrom didn’t take long to adjust to the AHL game in 2024-25, collecting five goals and 27 points in 66 games as a rookie with Laval. He added five assists in 13 playoff contests with the Rocket to cap off a stellar first year in Lower Canada.

After a hot start that saw them near the top of the Atlantic Division standings, the Canadiens have stumbled a bit in November. They currently sit in fifth place in the Atlantic Division and just one point outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture with an 11-7-3 record and 25 points in 21 games.

Coming out for Engstrom on Wednesday is Xhekaj, who has averaged just 11:40 of ice time while recording one assist in 20 games with the Canadiens in the 2025-26 season. The 24-year-old rearguard is in his fourth season with the Canadiens; his younger brother, Florian, is a winger in the organization who skated in his first NHL game earlier this month.