A year ago, the Montreal Canadiens took a bit of a gamble by selecting Adam Engström with the 92nd-overall pick of the 2022 draft.

Sure, the six-foot-two defenseman had shown promise with Djurgårdens' J20 team, having already made his SHL debut and displaying some intriguing skills, even though he still had room for improvement to become a complete, well-rounded player. Nonetheless, he was nowhere to be found on the vast majority of public draft boards, including ours.

Fast forward one season, and it seems like the Canadiens' gamble just might pay off.

After signing with Rögle during the off-season, Engström quickly proved he was too talented for the junior ranks and eventually earned a full-time spot in the SHL. His role grew as the season progressed, culminating in averaging over 17 minutes