There is a laundry list of attributes that make Cooper Cleaves an intriguing talent.
The rugged blueliner from Riverside, Conn., stands at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds. Cleaves plays a hard-hitting defensive game and has shown he can be a dynamic two-way playmaker at the college level.
But there is one characteristic of his game — an intangible one — that has propelled the overage prospect to be chosen by the Montreal Canadiens in the third round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
“I feel like I’ve been really good at getting better,” Cleaves said. “I think that’s kind of a skill in its own.”
In his third year of draft eligibility, Cleaves cracked the final NHL Central Scouting rankings at No. 166 but was picked 93rd by the Canadiens.
The Dartmouth standout and Brunswick product had already been on Montreal’s radar for some time — Cleaves attended development camp last summer as an invite — and a productive debut campaign in the NCAA elevated his draft stock to an all-time high.
To get there, though, Cleaves had to reinvent himself.
Cleaves always viewed himself as an offensive-minded defender growing up in the youth circuit and in prep at Brunswick. In his senior year, Cleaves posted seven goals and 30 assists for 37 points in 34 games and played in all situations for head coach Mike Kennedy.
While Cleaves started laying the foundation as a reliable two-way stalwart on the back end at Brunswick, leaning on his offensive capabilities became more challenging as he played at higher levels. Cleaves tallied 2-13-15 in 25 games with the BCHL’s Vernon Vipers and 2-9-11 in 38 contests with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers in 2024-25.
“I realized as I grew and as I moved up levels, that stuff doesn’t really fly anymore,” Cleaves said.
When Cleaves arrived at Dartmouth this past season, he worked with head coach Reid Cashman, assistant coach Byron Pool and the rest of the Big Green staff to focus on becoming a better defender.
Developing good habits was everything. Playing above the blue line. Disrupting plays quickly in transition. Speedy breakouts. Cleaves learned that committing to these pillars led to offense. He played in 30 games as a freshman and recorded 10 points (four goals and six assists).
“Playing that way kind of made the game a little bit easier in a sense,” Cleaves said, who will return to Dartmouth for his sophomore season.
Cleaves’ size allowed him to be effective in all three zones, making him one of the toughest defenders to play against in the ECAC.
He didn’t always have that size.
Kennedy remembers when Cleaves arrived in Brunswick as a 5-foot-9 defender with a relentless work ethic.
“He’d be in the locker room like an hour and a half after practice,” Kennedy said.
As Cleaves developed — he reached 6-foot-3 by his senior season — he kept working on his skating to maintain his quick step as he grew into a bigger frame. He also credits Chris Gragnano, a well-known skills coach in the Connecticut area, for his rise while at Mid Fairfield before heading to prep.
“He was sort of heavy-footed maybe his sophomore year and prior to that, but as he’s kept growing and growing into his body and working into his game, his skating has become a real strength,” Kennedy said.
An impressive year in juniors culminated in an invite to Canadiens development camp last summer, where Cleaves got his feet wet with the team that would draft him some 12 months later.
“To hear them call my name, an organization that I had some familiarity with, I couldn’t have imagined it going any better,” Cleaves said.
And Cleaves was treated to the complete draft day experience, from getting called to the stage at the KeyBank Center to the behind-the-scenes festivities like EA Sports head scans and photo shoots for his first Upper Deck hockey card.
He did so with his family in attendance. Along with his mother, Sam, and father, Gene, Cleaves was joined by brothers Hank and Colton and younger sister Chloe. Hank recorded 40 points at Dartmouth this past season and recently attended Los Angeles Kings development camp. Colton is a top ‘09 forward at Brunswick and just committed to Dartmouth, and Chloe is committed to play at Yale next season.
“Just seeing the smiles on their faces and seeing how happy they were for me was definitely something I’ll remember forever,” Cooper said.
Kennedy has coached all three Cleaves brothers. He said they were all considered late bloomers who didn’t grow into their size right away but remained fixated on bettering their games every day.
For Cooper, it was a slow process. There was nothing instant about his path to the NHL Draft. He graduated from Brunswick, trusted his abilities and focused on a trait as old as time.
Getting better.
“He didn’t leave early,” Kennedy said. “He did play a little junior hockey the fall of his senior year, but we’re hoping that he’s an example for younger kids who can see Brunswick as an opportunity for them. Graduate here, enjoy their senior year of high school, play a year of juniors and then go off to college.”
