BROSSARD – The Canadiens have spoken, and the pick is in.
After acquiring the 26th-overall pick in 2026 from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for the 28th-overall pick in 2026 and a third-round pick in 2027 from Montreal, the Habs selected forward Gleb Pugachyov from the Nizhny Novgorod Chaika in the MHL.
Here’s a look at his career so far by the numbers:
18 – The native of Almaty, Kazakhstan is 18 years old and was born on March 25, 2008.
24 – Pugachyov recorded 24 points (10G, 14A) in 33 games with the MHL’s Nizhny Novgorod Chaika in 2025-26.
224 – The forward measures up at 6-foot-3 and weighs 224 pounds.
1 – On January 14, 2026, Pugachyov scored his first goal in the KHL with Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo at just 17 years old.
3 – The right winger played in three separate leagues in 2025-26: the MHL, VHL, and KHL.
5 – Pugachyov is the fifth player to be taken at 26th overall by the Canadiens after Filip Mesar (2022), Noah Juulsen (2015), Nikita Scherbak (2014), and Claude Lemieux (1983).
9 – NHL Central Scouting ranked Pugachyov ninth among international skaters ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.
