From the Montreal Gazette
“I was a little surprised,” Romanov told reporters in Dallas through a Russian translator. “I thought that I was going to go towards the end of the second, maybe early third round, and so I was surprised.”
The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder was ranked No. 115 among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting, but the Canadiens obviously had him ranked a lot higher.
Canadiens assistant general manager Trevor Timmins told reporters in Dallas that Romanov really impressed the team’s scouts when he played for Russia at the World Junior A Challenge.
“Right there, you could see it was on the smaller ice in Truro, N.S., and he really stepped his game up and played really well there,” Timmins told reporters in Dallas. “With less time and space, he showed us that he could make quick decisions with the puck. And he plays physical. He does it all.”
That challenge took place months before the combine