NHL Draft: Tigers’ defenceman Bryce Pickford selected 81st overall by Montreal Canadiens

By James Tubb on June 28, 2025.

NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Bryce Pickford dances the blue line with the puck in front of Lethbridge Hurricanes' forward Brayden Edwards in the first period of a 7-2 Game 2 win April 26 at Co-op Place.

Medicine Hat News

A year after going un-drafted in his first shot at the NHL Draft, Bryce Pickford heard his name called Saturday.

The Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman was selected in the third round, 81st overall by the Montreal Canadiens.

Pickford finished his regular season with 20 goals and 47 points in 48 games, scoring 13 goals and 24 points in 18 playoff games en route to his second WHL championship, carrying an eight-game goal streak in the post season. He also scored twice in the Memorial Cup. The 19-year-old led the WHL in defenceman scoring before suffering an injury in a fight on Feb. 1, keeping him out of the lineup until the second last weekend of the WHL regular season.

The Chauvin, Alta. product was eligible for the draft last season as a member of the Seattle Thunderbirds, going unselected but earning a rookie camp invite from the Colorado Avalanche that he could not attend due to illness.

He entered the draft as the 100th ranked North American skater.

This story will be updated throughout the NHL Draft.

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