Jack Hextall landed in The Athletic's final mock draft as the Montreal Canadiens' choice at 28th overall. The projection arrived on the day of the NHL Draft, when late first-round boards were still fluid and the Canadiens still held eight picks.
Jack Hextall and 58 points
Hextall's rise is built on production. He moved from 34 points in his first season to 58 last season in the USHL, finishing with 20 goals and 38 assists for the Youngstown Phantoms.
The center has already signed to go to Michigan State this fall. That makes the projection more than a simple late-first-round guess; it places a player with a set next step into a slot that could still open if Montreal keeps the pick.
Montreal Canadiens and Casey Mutryn
The Canadiens were also connected to Casey Mutryn in the same mock draft, but he went a few picks earlier to the Ottawa Senators. Mutryn is a 6'3", 17-year-old right wing who completed two seasons in the NTDP and posted 37 points in 55 games this past season.
That movement leaves Montreal with a choice that can change quickly. Its first-round slot was 28th overall Friday morning, but the team could alter its draft-pick situation through trades before the first round finishes and the remaining rounds continue Saturday afternoon.
Jack Hextall and Michael Hage
Hextall's profile fits the kind of late-first-round gamble teams make when the board starts to tighten. He can compete on the forecheck, in puck battles, or on faceoffs, and his jump from 34 points to 58 shows the offense that pushed him into first-round range.
For Montreal, the question is simple: whether the 28th pick survives long enough to turn that projection into a selection. If it does, the Canadiens would be taking a USHL center who has already signed for Michigan State and has already shown a clear scoring climb.
