With their third overall selection at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft the Montreal Canadiens selected Jesperi Kotkaniemi, a centre from Finland who went vaulting up the prospect rankings very late in the season.
One of the reasons for his ascent was his performance at the Under-18 World Championship, where he was a point-per-game player with Finland. His results playing on wing in the top Finnish league also gave rise to a lot of optimism regarding his potential.
So now Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin has his marquee centreman, and along with Ryan Poehling drafted last season, he has quickly addressed a hole in his prospect pipeline down the middle.