CH: five brave Quebecers drafted late

If the Canadian has never been very successful in drafting a Quebecer in the first round, it is different for some players from Quebec selected from the second round by the Montreal club.

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We obviously think of goalkeeper Patrick Roy, drafted in the third round by the CH in 1984, but there have been many others since.

Take a look at various judicious choices made by the Habs in the last 35 years:

Stéphane Robidas (7th round – 1995)

The Canadian got it right by betting on defenseman Stéphane Robidas in the seventh round (164th overall) of the 1995 draft. He had a very interesting stay with the Shawinigan Cataractes, in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Robidas played 937 games in the National Hockey League (NHL), but only 122 with the Habs. In October 2002, the Quebecer had in fact been claimed on waivers by the Atlanta Thrashers, who passed him without delay to the Dallas Stars in return for a sixth round choice.

José Théodore (2nd round – 1994)

You had to be daring to draft goaltender José Théodore while Patrick Roy was still with the Canadiens, in 1994. Time proved the Montreal club right since “Théo”, chosen 44th overall, had a very successful career in the NHL .

Mike Ribeiro (2nd round – 1998)

Forward Mike Ribeiro still played 293 games with the Montreal Canadiens, including the playoffs. If he had to pursue his career elsewhere, he was an excellent selection in the second round (45th) in the 1998 draft.

François Beauchemin (3rd round – 1998)

In the same vintage as Ribeiro, the CH were not mistaken in calling the defender François Beauchemin in the third round. Much like Robidas, however, he was unable to establish himself in Montreal when the Columbus Blue Jackets claimed him on waivers.

Maxim Lapierre (2nd round – 2003)

Forward Maxim Lapierre was the 61st player claimed near the end of an extended second round in the 2003 draft. He played a total of 694 games in the NHL, including the playoffs.

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Honorable mentions

Sébastien Bordeleau (73rd overall in 1993), Patrice Brisebois (30th in 1989), Benoît Brunet (27th in 1986), Éric Desjardins (38th in 1987), Gilbert Dionne (81st in 1990), Donald Dufresne (117th in 1985), Gabriel Dumont (139th in 2009), Mathieu Garon (44th in 1996), Guillaume Latendresse (45th in 2005) and Charles Hudon (122nd in 2012).