The 2026 NHL All-Rookie Team vote didn’t just crown a few promising young players. It sent a pretty loud message about where the league might be heading next.

And for Montreal Canadiens fans, that message was impossible to miss.

Ivan Demidov finished as the top rookie forward in the voting with 195 points, Jakub Dobes finished as the top rookie goaltender with 151 points, and Oliver Kapanen also appeared among the forward vote-getters. That is not just a nice little pat on the back for Montreal’s prospect pool. That is a flashing neon sign that says the Canadiens may finally be building something real.

The All-Rookie Team featured Ivan Demidov, Beckett Sennecke, Jimmy Snuggerud, Matthew Schaefer, Alexander Nikishin, and Jakub Dobes. That is a pretty impressive group, but the headline for Habs fans is obvious: Demidov and Dobes did not just sneak in. They led their positions.

Demidov’s vote was especially eye-catching. He finished with 195 points, barely edging out Anaheim Ducks forward Beckett Sennecke, who had 191 points. That is razor close, but close or not, Demidov still finished on top. For a player who has carried so much hype, pressure, and expectation before even fully settling into life as an NHL player, that matters.

Montreal fans have been waiting a long time for a true game-breaking offensive star to grow with this young core. Not just a good player. Not just a useful player. A real difference-maker. Demidov being voted the top rookie forward is the type of thing that fuels belief. It gives fans something they can point to and say, “Okay, this is not just hype anymore.”

And the voting tells you Demidov did not run away with it uncontested. Sennecke was right there. Jimmy Snuggerud of the St. Louis Blues finished third among forwards with 136 points, which is a strong total as well. Ryan Leonard, Fraser Minten, Ben Kindel, Justin Sourdif, Oliver Kapanen, and Linus Karlsson also received votes, but the top three were clearly in their own tier.

That is what makes Demidov’s finish so exciting. He did not win because there was nobody else. He won in a strong rookie class, against other players who clearly had serious support around the league.

Then there is Jakub Dobes.

Dobes finishing first among goaltenders with 151 points is a massive development for Montreal. Goaltending is always one of the hardest positions to project, and rookie goalies rarely arrive without some bumps along the way. But Dobes being recognized at the top of the rookie goalie class says a lot about how quickly his stock has risen.

Jesper Wallstedt of the Minnesota Wild finished second with 44 points, which makes Dobes’ margin even more impressive. This was not a tight vote. This was a statement. Dobes was viewed as the clear top rookie goaltender, and for a Canadiens team trying to build something sustainable, that is huge.

Every rebuilding team talks about needing a goalie. Every fanbase wonders whether they have the guy. You can have young forwards, talented defensemen, and promising prospects, but if the crease is chaos, everything gets harder. Dobes earning this kind of recognition gives Montreal another major piece to dream on.

And honestly, that is what this whole list is about: dreaming.

The Islanders also have a huge reason to be excited with Matthew Schaefer. He finished first among defensemen with 194 points, just ahead of Alexander Nikishin of the Carolina Hurricanes, who had 184 points. That was another close race at the top, and Schaefer coming out ahead shows how highly he is already viewed.

Schaefer being named to the All-Rookie Team gives the Islanders a potential cornerstone on the blue line. Young defensemen who can step in and earn league-wide respect early do not grow on trees. If Schaefer becomes what many believe he can become, that changes the outlook for the Islanders’ future in a major way.

Nikishin finishing second by just 10 points is also worth noting. The Hurricanes have been one of the most consistently dangerous teams in the league, and adding a young defenseman with that kind of recognition only makes them more annoying to play against. Carolina always seems to find players who fit their system, and Nikishin looks like another one.

Zeev Buium of Vancouver finished third among defensemen with 9 points, while Cole Hutson, Yan Kuznetsov, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka each received a single point. That voting gap shows how much Schaefer and Nikishin separated themselves from the rest of the pack.

But back to Montreal, because that is where the most fascinating storyline lives.

The Canadiens having both the top-voted rookie forward and top-voted rookie goalie is not something fans should just shrug off. That is the exact kind of recognition that can change the energy around a franchise. It does not guarantee a Stanley Cup. It does not mean the rebuild is over. It does not mean every young player will become a superstar.

But it absolutely means the Habs are not just selling hope anymore.

They have tangible pieces earning real respect.

Demidov gives Montreal flash, skill, creativity, and the type of offensive ceiling fans have been craving. Dobes gives them stability and promise in the crease. Kapanen getting votes adds another layer to the idea that Montreal’s pipeline is not just top-heavy; there is depth coming too.

That matters because rebuilding in the NHL is never just about one player. It is about waves. One star prospect gets people excited. Multiple young players getting recognized around the league starts to feel like a foundation.

For years, Canadiens fans have heard about the future. They have heard about patience. They have heard about development. They have heard about the plan.

Now, with Demidov and Dobes both landing on the All-Rookie Team, that plan looks a little less like a promise and a little more like reality.

The rest of the NHL should probably pay attention.

Because if Montreal’s best young forward is already getting top rookie recognition, and their young goalie is already being voted ahead of the field by a landslide, the Canadiens may be closer to turning the corner than some people want to admit.

And for Habs fans?

This is the kind of award graphic you save. Because a few years from now, it might look like the first real warning sign that something big was coming in Montreal.