“Alexander Zharovsky is a top-6 talent and we had him where we needed to draft in the 1st round.”

The Canadiens had a busy day today. A total of nine prospects came to Montreal in this draft.

It could have been more if yesterday’s picks hadn’t been traded, but you know… #NoahDobson

So here’s the #CHs crop for the 2025 draft.

Are you satisfied?

Of course, Noah Dobson has to be factored into the equation too#Habs #Canadiens #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/JaKTktGyQu

– Marc-Olivier Beaudoin (@MOBeaudoin1) June 28, 2025

That said, even though he wasn’t drafted in the first round, the Habs still talked at No. 34, a very high second-round pick. And with that pick, they selected Alexander Zharovsky.

And when you listen to Martin Lapointe and Nick Bobrov’s post-draft press briefing, you’ll understand that the Montreal club is really happy to have gotten their hands on the young Russian, especially so late in the game.

Because both men revealed that on their list, Zharovsky was located right where they had their first-round picks. Nothing less.

Martin Lapointe and Nick Bobrov address the media at the conclusion of the #DraftNHL 2025

Martin Lapointe and Nick Bobrov address the media at the conclusion of the 2025 #NHLDraft #GoHabsGo https://t.co/aaVHvaWYuB

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) June 28, 2025

Time and again, Lapointe and Bobrov insisted that their mission was to find top-6 talent. And in Zharovsky, they really feel they’ve found a player who fits the bill.

You’d think the fact that he dreams of playing on the same line as Ivan Demidov, for example, would be a big motivator for the kid… but also, the fact that he was drafted 34th rather than 16th (which might have been the case had Noah Dobson not come to town) will take some of the pressure off his shoulders.

And speaking of Dobson, both men noted that they didn’t object to the transaction that sent the two first-round picks. They weren’t going to say otherwise, of course, but they did say it on more than one occasion.

That said, they still got the best of both worlds, with Zharovsky available at No. 34. So they were happy to see him available, just as they were happy to see Kent Hughes go for that pick to select the forward.

All’s well that ends well, then.

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Martin Lapointe also gave some love to two other prospects selected today in Alexis Cournoyer and John Mooney. In particular, he praised Cournoyer’s character.

The character of the prospects is something Lapointe stressed a lot.

Martin Lapointe has no shortage of good words for Alexis Cournoyer #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/ivNfyslsEZ

– RDS (@RDSca) June 28, 2025

And in Mooney’s case, Lapointe praised the kid‘s talent, even if the frame isn’t necessarily ideal.

He reminded us that in the fourth round, aiming for a home run becomes much easier… and he also recalled the success the organization enjoyed with the Lane Hutson pick.

“He’s a talent, and his size doesn’t scare us!”

-Martin Lapointe on L.J. Mooney pic.twitter.com/BKJboHpHVo

– RDS (@RDSca) June 28, 2025

Getting back to Mooney, it’s worth noting that he takes a lot of inspiration from Cole Caufield.

And for those wondering, L.J. stands for “Little John”, his father’s nickname for him.

LJ Mooney addresses the media after being drafted 113th overall by the Canadiens at the #NHLDraft in Los Angeles

LJ Mooney addresses the media after being selected 113th overall by the Canadiens at the #NHLDraft in Los Angeles
#GoHabsGo https://t.co/tvdlaChlT3

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) June 28, 2025