Habs Sign Bryce Pickford To His ELC Contract
On Tuesday afternoon, the Montreal Canadiens reportedly signed defenseman Bryce Pickford to his entry-level contract. While Pickford is still playing in the WHL this year, his contract will only kick in at the start of the 2026-27 season and will last through the 2028-29 campaign. Pickford has been a dominant force offensively from the blue line for the Medicine Hat Tigers this year.
Sounds like an entry-level contract is done for Bryce Pickford with the Canadiens. The RHD, taken 81st in the 2025 Draft, has been torching the WHL with Medicine Hat this season. He has 25G, 44P in 31 games after posting 13G and 25P in 18 playoff games last spring.
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) December 23, 2025
The Habs prospect is currently leading all WHL players in goals with 25 in 31 games as a defenseman. He is on pace to score 53 goals in 66 games, which would make him only the 2nd defenseman in league history to put up 50+ goals. The other was Troy Mick, who did it twice in the 1987-88 and 1989-90 seasons. In fact, Mick put 60+ in both those seasons, making him the only one to do so. Now, Pickford almost definitely won’t score 60 goals, but being just the 2nd defenseman in league history to hit 50 goals is definitely within reach at the halfway point of the season, which would be a remarkable feat in an era where scoring at the junior level is not nearly as high as it was during the years Mick played in the league. Even more impressive is that he’s on pace to be the only defenseman in league history to lead the WHL in goals.
🔟 in a row for the Medicine Hat Tigers 🔥 Bryce Pickford continues to make a major offensive impact as the Tigers keep rolling. 🐅⚡️#Hockey #EliteProspects #NHLdraft pic.twitter.com/JiPCK2Wm6u
— Elite Prospects (@eliteprospects) December 19, 2025
On top of leading the WHL in goals, he is currently 4th in point totals among all players in the league and is the top producer among defensemen with 44. Pickford does have an underrated playmaking game, but based on his numbers, it’s very clear that his best asset will be his shot at whatever level he is playing in.
It should be noted that, due to the new agreement, players from the three major junior leagues are now able to transfer to the NCAA. This means many of the best junior-aged players who would have been in the WHL this year, such as Gavin McKenna, Roger McQueen, Cole Reschny, etc., are in the NCAA, which gives players like Pickford less competition overall. However, this shouldn’t take away from the production that he has put up as a defenseman.
This is something else. #Habs prospect defenseman (!!!) Bryce Pickford has a 5-game multi-goal streak in the WHL and leads the league in goals with 24 in 30 GP. Has 42 points now on the season (5th in league), 2025 3rd round draft pick (81st). #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/BsZY3gewD1
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) December 14, 2025
All these early-season accomplishments made the Habs jump on getting his entry-level contract done, assuring him that he will at least start next year with the Laval Rocket. This move was likely an obvious one to get done over the next few months, but now that he’s signed, it’s just a piece of business that is behind Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton before the summer.
The signing coming early also means that the Habs management believes the hype of what Pickford is doing in the WHL this year. It actually happens often when a player is tearing up his junior league that he gets his entry-level deal signed early. Both Owen Beck and Joshua Roy had it happen during their Draft+1 years as well.
Signing Pickford doesn’t guarantee he will be an NHLer, although he has plenty of tools that make him seem like he can become a solid 2-way defenseman for the Habs someday.
Bryce Pickford on the power play for his sixth of the year! 🚨🐅 pic.twitter.com/ptF1BTXUDT
— Medicine Hat Tigers (@tigershockey) October 12, 2025
His defensive game will need some work, but at the very least, he is showing that he can be a serviceable player in that area. Pickford is good at positioning himself in his own zone to prevent offence against his team, it will be interesting to see what parts of his game translate to the pro level. As it stands, his floor is looking like he could become someone like Erik Gustafsson or Marc-Andre Bergeron, who could be a serious power-play threat with his shot. His ceiling shows that he could become a solid four right-handed defenseman whose offence is his main asset. Nonetheless, it is looking like a major 3rd steal for the Habs early on.
What are your thoughts on Pickford getting his ELC just before the Christmas break starts?
