Brayden Klimpke is a smooth-skating, high-IQ two-way defenseman the Montreal Canadiens selected 117th overall, the third blueliner Montreal took in a row and the first first-year-eligible player in the group. He broke out in his sophomore Western Hockey League season, an alternate captain who posted a career-high 46 points, 42 of them assists, in all 68 games for the Saskatoon Blades, then added four points in a seven-game upset of Edmonton in the first round of the playoffs. His game is defined by the combination rather than any single standout trait. He owns an excellent first pass, joins the rush without cheating his defensive reads, walks the blue line on the power play, and closes games out with a calm, situational feel. Central Scouting ranked him 74th among North American skaters. He returns to Saskatoon for a fourth WHL season before enrolling at the University of North Dakota in 2027-28, so this is a longer runway. For fantasy the profile is a dependable puck-moving two-way defenseman whose ceiling reads more solid than spectacular, with power-play time the swing factor. He is a dynasty stash to hold, and whether his offense scales against tougher competition at North Dakota is the tell before any add.

An intelligent, smooth skating, defenseman with a refined two-way game. Klimpke is currently producing at just under a point per game, and has a tendency to make the game look easy. He is calm in possession, always keeping his head up to read the game. His transition defense is highly effective, utilizing an active stick and hip-checks to drive attackers to the outside, while demonstrating a willingness to play the body on dump-ins. Klimpke is decisive and dynamic on offense, while still being patient enough to wait for lanes to open and plays to develop. He is highly effective on the power-play and is more than capable of walking the blue line.