Part of Montreal’s overhaul at the minor-league level, Nikita Jevpalovs comes to the Montreal Canadiens organization looking to find some stability in his young professional career. After two less-than-impressive QMJHL seasons, he exploded for a 100-point campaign in his final year under head coach Joël Bouchard. That final season caught the eye of the San Jose Sharks, who signed the Latvian forward to a three-year entry-level deal in 2015.
His transition to the professional game would not be an easy one, as in his first complete season with the Sharks' AHL club he managed a paltry five goals and nine assists in 60 games.