LAS VEGAS – Canadiens director of player personnel and director of amateur scouting Martin Lapointe and co-director of amateur scouting Nick Bobrov said they were very pleased with the prospects obtained by the Habs at the conclusion of the 2024 NHL Draft .
Here are some excerpts from their press briefing on Saturday.
Please note that some answers have been edited for clarity and conciseness.
Lapointe on the personality of Ivan Demidov:
We saw it when he got on stage. He has flair, he was confident. It’s good confidence, well placed. We like his fighting spirit. He’s a young guy who wants to change the game in a match, who wants to get the crowd going. He’s very dimensional, and I think he’s the steal of the Draft. He’s the player we were looking for and we were lucky. [de l’obtenir] in fifth place.
Lapointe on the selection of Aatos Koivu:
We’ve seen a lot of Aatos play during the season. He’s a guy who’s responsible on the ice, a guy who’s really dedicated to hockey. Obviously, his dad played as well, and Saku’s talent is very much reflected in Aatos’. We like his sense of responsibility on the ice, and he’s a guy who’s going to continue to improve.
Lapointe on selecting multiple forwards in the 2024 draft:
We added a lot of offensive talent, some great offensive skills. […] We took guys with good size and who compete. So Nick and I are very happy with today’s draft.
