Canadiens select Gleb Pugachyov No. 26 overall in 2026 NHL Draft
The Montreal Canadiens prioritized a high floor with the No. 26 selection in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft by picking hulking Russian winger Gleb Pugachyov.
The Canadiens traded up to take Pugachyov. Montreal traded the No. 28 pick and a third-round pick in the 2027 draft, to the Vegas Golden Knights to take their guy.
Despite only having turned 18 in March, Pugachyov earned his KHL and VHL debuts with Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo and its second-tier affiliate club, respectively, in 2025-26. At 6’3, 200 lbs, Pugachyov is just that physically advanced, and didn’t look at all out of place in hockey’s top non-North American league; he scored a pair of goals and earned an impressive +7 rating in 13 games.
With his native Russia barred from IIHF competition and already having made headway in the pro ranks, Pugachyov is unlikely to get another chance to bully teenagers who are ill-equipped to contain his massive frame and post huge scoring seasons at youth levels.
He does, however, have an opportunity to gain valuable experience against grown men in a relevant middle-six role for a solid Torpedo outfit. Given that Russian players often stay in the ‘K’ into their early 20s, that experience might ensure that the Canadiens can drop a ready-made NHL power forward into their lineup a few years from now.
A banger with solid two-way instincts, Pugachyov was a riser throughout his draft year and played his way into the first round of Daily Faceoff draft expert Steven Ellis’s final mock draft despite his lack of a signature tool on offense. “Pugachyov plays a solid two-way game and won’t stop moving, even if he doesn’t have high-end top speed yet,” Ellis wrote, with the disclaimer that “his offensive game (won’t) translate to the NHL outside of a third-line role.”
For that reason, Pugachyov should not be expected to come in and dominate the rookie scoring race like some recent KHL alums have. There is, nonetheless, serious value in taking a player with such a clear pathway to a productive NHL career in this slot.