Canadiens sign prospect Bryce Pickford to entry-level contract

The Montreal Canadiens have signed defense prospect Bryce Pickford to a three-year, entry-level contract that will kick in for the 2026-27 season.

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The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract (2026-27 to 2028-29) with defenseman Bryce Pickford. News release ↓ #GoHabsGo nhl.com/canadiens/news…

3:00 PM · Dec 24, 2025

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Montreal selected Pickford in the third round (81st overall) of the the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

Pickford, 19, is having a dominant season for the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. In 31 games played so far, he has 25 goals and 19 assists for 44 points.

Last season for the Tigers, he put up 20 goals and 27 assists for 47 points in 48 games. He then ramped up his game in the playoffs, notching 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points in 18 postseason games en route to Medicine Hat winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions.

The Tigers acquired Pickford ahead of the 2024-25 season from the Seattle Thunderbirds in exchange for a package of four picks in the WHL Prospects Draft. In the previous two full seasons with Seattle, the Chauvin, Alberta native had seven goals and 27 assists for 34 total points in 119 combined games. He also won the Ed Chynoweth Cup with the Thunderbirds in 2023.

Pickford is the first member of Montreal’s 2025 draft class to sign their entry-level contract with the team.

Despite not having a 2025 first-round pick as a result of the trade with the New York Islanders that netted them defenseman Noah Dobson, the Canadiens came away with a nine-player draft class thanks to having three third-round picks and two sixth-round picks. The class was headlined by Russian forward Alexander Zharovsky, selected 34th overall. Pickford was the second of Montreal’s three third round picks, sandwiched between Canadian center Hayden Paupanekis and Belarussian goaltender Arseni Radkov.

Pickford joins one of the NHL’s youngest and most promising organizations. Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis ranked Montreal’s prospect pool second behind only the San Jose Sharks‘ this past offseason.