New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the team has acquired defenseman William Trudeau from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forward Brett Berard.
Trudeau, 23, appeared in 62 games for the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League (AHL) during the 2025-26 season. He matched his career high of eight goals and tallied 12 assists for 20 points. Among all Rocket defensemen, Trudeau ranked third in goals and fourth in assists and points. He also appeared in five postseason contests.
The Varennes, Quebec native has skated in 260 games across four AHL seasons, all with Laval, and has registered 28 goals and 62 assists for 90 points. He has also appeared in 15 postseason contests and recorded three assists. During the 2024-25 season, he tied for second among all Laval defensemen in goals (5) and ranked fourth in points (19). He established career highs in assists (16) and points (24) during the 2023-24 season. Prior to playing professionally, the 6-1, 205-pound defenseman spent three seasons skating with the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL. He recorded 20 goals and 70 assists for 90 points in 166 games.
Trudeau was originally selected by the Canadiens in the fourth round, 113th overall, of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
