The shape of this draft has considerably changed over the last week with the number of trades. I would suspect the trading is not done, and may well run right through Saturday’s Day 2 of the 2026 NHL Draft.
One thing that won’t change is the Toronto Maple Leafs selecting Gavin McKenna first overall. The Maple Leafs visited Whitehorse and met with the family not long after winning the first overall pick in the NHL Draft Lottery.
Recent trades by San Jose Sharks GM Mike Grier also strongly suggest Ivar Stenberg is next off the board, and rightly so.
The intrigue starts at pick number three, where it is widely projected that the Vancouver Canucks will take head coach Manny Malhotra’s son, Caleb. Regardless of that occurring, the Buffalo Sabres are of great interest as well. I do believe the pick is in play, and there will be a number of suitors. Jarmo Kekalainen has been known to think outside the box, and if he does indeed make this pick, he will have a number of options at his disposal.
Viggo Bjorck presented himself quite well at the NHL Combine, and his track record playing against men this season should eliminate any size concerns. As such, he does have the men’s world recency bias working in his favour, and it is not a stretch to see him be picked inside the top five.
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Defensively, there’s also plenty of top-ten options, three of which are right-handed in Chase Reid, Daxon Rudlolph and Keaton Verhoeff. Don’t sleep on the most NHL-ready prospect in Alberts Smits either. He could very easily be a top-five selection.
From a team perspective, St. Louis has four picks in the first round, which hasn’t been seen since 1999 when the Islanders picked four players in round one of the draft. Add in San Jose’s three first-rounders, and there’s still plenty of potential for chaos during the next couple of days.
For now, though, this is how I see it playing out.
1. Toronto Maple Leafs: Gavin McKenna, LW, 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, Penn St. (NCAA)
There’s too much upside to this player. Helped himself immensely at the NHL Combine with how he presented both physically and personally.
2. San Jose Sharks: Ivar Stenberg, LW 5-foot-11, 183 pounds, Frolunda (SHL)
Two moves signal this pick: the acquisition of Michael Kesselring (indicates a move off of Chase Reid) and the departure of William Eklund to Ottawa. Stenberg will fill the Eklund void immediately based on his track record playing against men all season long, right through the men’s worlds.
3. Vancouver Canucks: Caleb Malhotra, C, 6-foot-1.75, 182 pounds, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)
This is a feel-good story in a market that could use it. It is incumbent on the organization to pick the best player available, regardless of who the coach is. It wouldn’t shock me if Vancouver avoided potential drama and went in a different direction.
4. Buffalo Sabres: Chase Reid, RD, 6-foot-2.5, 195 pounds, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
Kekalainen is a bit of a wildcard, so anything can happen here, but Reid has game-changing ability. He has experienced adversity along the way, and there’s plenty more growth to be experienced before he hits his ceiling.
5. New York Rangers: Alberts Smits, D, 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Munchen (DEL)
He is the most NHL-ready player in the draft class. Played against men all season long in a number of high-leverage events and was equally as good or better in Buffalo.
6. Calgary Flames: Viggo Bjorck, Djurgardens, RW, 5-foot-9, 177 pounds, Djurgarden (SHL)
Addresses a need and is also the best player available here. His size will not be an issue, even at the NHL level. He has a great track record in the SHL, and he was fantastic at the men’s worlds. He gained even more traction at the combine.
7. Seattle Kraken: Carson Carels, D, 6-foot-1.75, 198 pounds, Prince George Cougars (WHL)
Character, compete and work ethic through the roof on this natural born leader. There is some medical stuff to be concerned about, but if that checks out, this will mark the first time the Kraken have picked a defenceman with their first-round pick.
8. Winnipeg Jets: Daxon Rudolph, RD, 6-foot-2.5, 206 pounds, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
There will be heavy debate as to which defenceman the Jets will take here, but they can’t go wrong with either one. Rudolph by a nose.
9. San Jose Sharks: Keaton Verhoeff, RD, 6-foot-3.75, 212 pounds, North Dakota (NCAA)
Pre-draft, this seems like a player whose range is higher, but the way the board has fallen, the Sharks add an elite right-shot defenceman after getting Stenberg at No. 2.
10. Nashville Predators: Wyatt Cullen, LW, 6-foot-1, 176 pounds, USNTDP (USHL)
After Gavin McKenna, Cullen is the most dynamic player this draft class has to offer. He’s got great wheels, sick hands and NHL bloodlines, what more could you ask for?
11. St. Louis Blues: Nikita Klepov, RW, 5-foot-11, 178 pounds, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
A replacement for Jordan Kyrou is found in Klepov, who led the OHL with 97 points this season. He also looked good in a recent viewing at the Milstein Florida camp.
12. New Jersey Devils: Ryan Lin, RD, 5-foot-11.25, 178 pounds, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
A different player than Nemec, but will fill a similar void two years down the road. Showed another layer to his game at the U18 worlds after coming back from injury at the end of Vancouver’s season.
13. New York Islanders: Ethan Belchetz, LW, 6-foot-5, 228 pounds, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Has an amazing array of skills for someone his size. He is an elite shooter who continues to work hard on his skating. Belchetz will go the college route next season, coming off a broken collarbone suffered in early March.
14. Columbus Blue Jackets: Tynan Lawrence, C, 6-foot-0.5, 185 pounds, Boston University (NCAA)
While he may have slipped from pre-season projections, the Blue Jackets get a hard-working player who has had some production in the past. A higher draft slot would’ve been likely had he stayed the full year in Muskegon
15. St. Louis Blues: Malte Gustafsson, LD, 6-foot-4.25, 201 pounds, HV71 (SHL)
A late riser with his play at the U18 worlds, Gustafsson has size, can skate, defend well and help move pucks quickly and efficiently.
16. St. Louis Blues: Alexander Command, C, 6-foot-.05, 186 pounds, Orebro (SWE-J20)
Another high riser from having been cut from the Hlinka-Gretzky, he worked his way back to being a key contributor on a gold medal-winning team at the U18s.
17. Los Angeles Kings: Adam Novotny, LW, 6-foot-1, 204 pounds, Peterborough Petes (OHL):
A successful volume shooter, Novotny transitioned seamlessly to the North American game. He is of high character who will endear teammates and coaches alike. Novotny has shown that he can play the game in different ways and doesn’t necessarily have to score to have an impact.
18. Washington Capitals: Ilia Morozov, C, 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Miami (NCAA):
The Capitals have shown a penchant for size. Morozov is bigger than his frame suggests and a player who is coachable with the work ethic to improve. As one of the youngest players in the draft class, there’s additional runway, which has also worked in the past for the Caps.
19. Utah Mammoth: Oscar Hemming, LW, 6-foot-3.5, 193 pounds, Boston College (NCAA)
Fits both the physical and playing profile of GM Bill Armstrong. Hemming only got a half-season to strut his stuff, but he does play a typical power forward game with some skill.
20. Buffalo Sabres: JP Hurlbert, LW, 5-foot-11.75, 183 pounds, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
Multiple position versatility for this elite shooter. Hurlbert is always around it. He impressed at the Combine and showed up like it was his job. That mentality and approach will serve him well down the road.
21. Philadelphia Flyers: Maksim Sokolovskii, LD, 6-foot-7, 238 pounds, London Knights (OHL)
Three years ago, the Flyers tapped into the London Knights program to select Oliver Bonk one spot later than this. They go back to the well and add size, meanness and physicality to their defence prospect pool.
22. Pittsburgh Penguins: Xavier Villeneuve, D, 5-foot-11, 162 pounds, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL)
Kyle Dubas was never concerned about size when drafting in Toronto. There was a slight turn in that philosophy last year with Pittsburgh, but I don’t think the Pens are opposed to a smaller player who has great skill.
23. Boston Bruins: Maddox Dagenais, C, 6-foot-4, 196 pounds, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
Big body player, who can really zip the puck. It took him a while to figure out that he had to be more than just goal-scoring and skill. Once he came to the realization that there was more to the game than goal-scoring and skill, he started to consistently impact the game physically, which he will be required to do at the next level.
24. Vancouver Canucks: William Hakansson, D, 6-foot-4, 207 pounds, Lulea (SHL)
A steady-eddie type who identifies well with the job description and is happy playing that role. There is some untapped offensive upside there.
25. Ottawa Senators: Elton Hermansson, RW, 6-foot-3.5, 181 pounds, Modo (Allsvenskan)
The Senators appreciate skill, especially goal-scoring ability. Hermansson is a bit of an enigma who will need some exposure to player development to work to extract the best this player has to offer.
26.) New York Rangers: Jack Hextall, C, 6’0.5, 188 pounds, Youngstown (USHL)
Put up solid numbers in a difficult league. A max effort guy who is sturdy on his skates and willing to engage in all three zones.
27.) San Jose Sharks: Tommy Bleyl, RD, 5-foot-11.5, 165 pounds, Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
Absolutely brilliant rookie season, it didn’t take long for him to transition from prep school to major junior. His feet are spectacular and he can run a power play, which is something San Jose does not have.
28. Montreal Canadiens: Oliver Suvanto, C, 6-foot-2.75, 207 pounds, Tappara (Liiga)
Size is always at the fore with Montreal, and while Suvanto doesn’t look like he’s going to be a high-end producer, he will be able to do a number of things to help his team. He has a good motor, can play centre or wing and he protects the puck well.
29. St. Louis Blues: Tobias Trejbal, G, 6-foot-4.25, 190 pounds, Youngstown (USHL)
The Blues have plenty of optionality if they manage to keep all of their picks, but in this spot, it’s time to go goalie-hunting, and I believe Trejbal is the best of the lot.
30. Calgary Flames: Liam Ruck, RW, 5-foot-11,187 pounds, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
The team in the best position to make the dream come true for the mirrored twins is Calgary. If the belief is that the twins are better together, the Flames won’t have to wait long on Day 2 to secure Markus.
31. Carolina Hurricanes: Gleb Pugachyov, RW, 6-foot-3, 198 pounds, Torpedo-Nizhny (KHL)
The Stanley Cup champs are never afraid to draft Russian players. Pugachyov plays the game in the same fashion as the Hurricanes. He gets after it, and while the skill may not be elite, he would be joining a team where minutes and scoring are spread out, and where his tenacity will win out.
32. Ottawa Senators: Brooks Rogowski, C, 6-foot-7, 235 pounds
Big right-shot centre who is still learning how his size can impact play. He skates well and has good skill for his size. If he’s ever able to add the physical element, look out.