The Habs hope to have found the eventual replacement for Andrei Markov in the top pairing with fellow Russian Mikhail Sergachev, a 6-2 220 pound defender who stepped seamlessly into North American hockey last season, accomplishing the rare feat of winning the OHL Defenceman of the Year honours as a rookie. Despite surrendering both of their second-round picks in a deal for Chicago’s Andrew Shaw, Montreal still added two players ranked top 60 by McKeen’s in the third and fourth rounds in William Bitten and Victor Mete.

RND PICK RNK PLAYER POS CTY HT/WT TEAM 1 9 14 Mikhail Sergachev D RUS 6-2/210 Windsor (OHL) 3 70 47 Will Bitten C CAN 5-10/170 Flint (OHL) 4 100 55 Victor Mete D CAN 5-10/175 London (OHL) 5 124 NR Casey Staum D USA 5-11/185 Hill-Murray (USHS-MN) 6 160 117 Michael Pezzetta C CAN 6-1/205 Sudbury (OHL) 7 187 NR Arvid Henrikson D SWE 6-3/180 AIK (Swe)

Bitten is a whirling dervish on the ice…creating offensive opportunities with a non-stop motor and quickness, and was a solid third-round pick considering he was a top-line player on Canada’s U-18 team. Mete represented even better value in the fourth round…the only drawback to the hard-nosed defender’s game is a lack of height. He was London’s main shutdown defenceman on the PK and late in games protecting a lead, and is not without some offensive upside thanks to his elite skating ability. Casey Staum is another undersized defender with elite speed who will have a five-year window to show the Habs he has pro potential.

Michael Pezzetta is a former first-round OHL draft pick with good size, speed and competitiveness. Montreal obtained a seventh-round round pick to draft 6-3 Swedish defender Arvid Henriksson…described by head scout Trevor Timmins as a raw sleeper pick with decent long-term upside.

Grade: A-: Sergachev was considered by most scouts to be the second-best defenceman in the draft, and when you include the acquisition of Shaw, addition of two more picks ranked in McKeen’s top 60 and a late sleeper pick in Pezzetta, Habs fans should be pleased with this draft.