NHL Draft: Canadiens take Mikhail Sergachev 9th overall
Senators trade up to grab Logan Brown with 11th pick
The Montreal Canadiens selected Russian defenceman Mikhail Sergachev with the ninth overall pick at the NHL draft on Friday.
The 17-year-old played for the Windsor Spitfires in 2015-16, leading all Ontario Hockey League defenders with 17 goals in his rookie season.
He also had 40 assists and 57 points, good for third at his position.
Sergachev became only the second rookie ever to win the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL's outstanding defenceman, and was also the second youngest ever to do so.
Sergachev skates well for his position and six-foot-two frame, and can be a dangerous offensive element on the back end.
It's been a noisy draft week for the Canadiens with speculation involving a trade of star defenceman P.K. Subban. General manager Marc Bergevin tried to put such talk to rest Thursday, insisting that he was not actively shopping Subban.
The Canadiens acquired forward Andrew Shaw from the Chicago Blackhawks earlier Friday for a pair of second round draft picks at the draft.
Montreal also traded forward Lars Eller to the Washington Capitals for second round draft picks in 2017 and 2018.
The two draft selections acquired from Chicago are the 39th and 45th overall picks at this year's draft.
Montreal unraveled last season after losing No. 1 goaltender Carey Price to a knee injury. The club is looking to bolster the roster this season off-season, primarily by upgrading the top of the forward group.
Senators trade for 11th pick to select Brown
The Ottawa Senators selected centre Logan Brown with the 11th overall pick.
Brown scored 21 goals and 53 assists in 59 games in his second season with the Ontario Hockey League's Windsor Spitfires.
Ottawa traded up to the 11th pick with the New Jersey Devils for its 12th overall selection and the Senators' third round pick in this year's draft (80th overall).
At six foot six and 218 pounds, Brown brings a big presence at centre for the Senators.
"Growing up I always kind of dreamed of being a Senator. It's a dream come true and words can't really describe the feeling right now," said Brown.
He's the son of former NHL defenceman Jeff Brown, who played 747 games, scoring 585 points.
The Senators have undergone major changes to the organization after missing out on the playoffs this past season.
Pierre Dorion replaced Bryan Murray as the team's general manager and Guy Boucher was recently hired to take the place of a fired Dave Cameron behind the bench.
Ottawa came the closest of the Canadian teams to reaching the post-season, still eight points back though of Detroit for the final playoff spot in the East.