Welcome to my May 2026 NHL Draft ranking.
This post-U18 worlds top 64 (plus 45 honorable mentions) is my penultimate list for this year’s draft. It follows my way-too-early top 26, preseason top 32, preliminary top 64, midseason top 64 and March top 64, and will be followed by my final top 100 in June.
Wingers Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg remain my top two prospects, which has been the case on all of my lists. They’re followed by half a dozen defensemen, a trio of centers and another pair of wingers to form a clear-cut top 13 prospects in this year’s class for me.
As always, the ranking is packaged in our sortable user interface and broken down into tiers. My board currently has six tiers: 1-2, 3-13, 14-21, 22-44, 45-61, 62-64+.
Note that while I consult scouts, coaches, general managers, team staff and those around these players (their agents, skills coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, etc.) throughout the year, the following evaluations and rankings are strictly my own.
Here are my full reports on the top 64 (honorable mentions are sorted alphabetically).
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Tier 1
McKenna is a captivating and supremely gifted winger who had one of the most productive age-adjusted seasons in modern CHL history last season. The college game came with a learning curve for him at five-on-five, highlighting his lean build and some bad habits (notably, a need to be more physically engaged and show more effort off-puck/detail), but the dam eventually broke offensively, and he came on really strong in the second half with his natural playmaking ability. The talent and upside are undeniable, but he’s imperfect and can frustrate evaluators. I’m interested to see him with Canada at men’s worlds still because of that as well.
McKenna is a flowing skater with corner speed more than straight line speed (he lacks explosiveness in straight bursts), great edges and an ability to make plays at whatever pace is required — with a preference for slowing things down, at times to a fault. He’s impressive at carrying and dodging sticks through neutral ice to create entries. He has a first touch like glue, where the puck just lands and sticks to his blade when he’s catching it, even when it’s coming in hot or into compromising positions. He’s an excellent puck transporter and get-out-of-jail-free card who can skate pucks out of the zone himself and relieve pressure (though I’d like to see him be lower for that more often instead of cheating up ice). McKenna is extremely shifty with the puck, blending shoulder fakes into his playmaking. He has impressive maneuverability and adjustability from his hips down. He plays pucks into space and leads guys at an advanced level. He shields pucks well from defenders’ sticks when he can play in open ice and they try to close on him. He’s constantly changing directions and keeping defenders off him. He pre-scans and sees and reads the game at an elite level. The elements of a brilliant perimeter playmaker are all there.
And though he’s a natural playmaker first, he also has scoring elements, has tons of pre-shot deception in his movements, and can attack the middle as a passer — though he can also stray to the perimeter against tougher competition. He began to shoot it and attack for himself with more authority in college in the second half, which a lot of people were waiting for after he was one of the WHL’s leaders in shots on goal from the time he entered the league. And while he’s going to have to fill out and get stronger and be more engaged in battles and in working harder on the backcheck and in races to pucks in the D-zone, he does have a good stick defensively when he uses it (again, the problem is that he too often doesn’t pick up assignments and can puck watch/drive-by instead of stopping on pucks).
Of note, his listed height has also been moved from 6-feet to 5-foot-11 by NHL Central Scouting. Still, despite some of the flaws in his game, McKenna projects as a first-line star winger and dynamic power play tactician. Improvement in his five-on-five play and the consistency of his competitiveness will determine his ultimate impact beyond the counting stats he should rack up.
Photo:
Chris Coduto / Getty Images
Stenberg is a dynamic left-shot winger who’s comfortable playing both wings and whose statistical track record, skill set and play across levels have made him the second-best prospect in the draft for me. He outproduced recent top Swedes like Lucas Raymond at the J20 level in his draft-minus-one season, and has dominated internationally at U17s, the Hlinka Gretzky, the World Jr. A Challenge, the World Junior Summer Showcase and the World Juniors, where he took over in the medal round. And he produced at a historic level in the SHL this season, registering 33 points in 43 games and finishing plus-10 (28-18), putting together one of its all-time under-19 seasons (in the same realm as the Sedins, and more productive than recent top-three picks like Leo Carlsson and Anton Frondell). He also helped them to a Champions Hockey League title this year and had a really strong SHL playoffs last year, becoming just the third player ever to score in the SHL postseason in their draft-minus-one season (after Rasmus Dahlin and Victor Hedman), and registering six points in 12 games (tied for the most ever by a U18 skater). His season’s not done yet, either, as he’s auditioning for Sweden’s men’s worlds roster and had a great first two performance (two goals and three assists).
The younger brother of St. Louis Blues first-rounder Otto, Ivar’s puck skill, offensive instincts, hockey IQ and combo scoring-playmaking package are all high-end. He makes guys miss with the puck on his stick, beats goalies one-on-one with his handles regularly and has both a lethal wrister release and a confident one-timer that give him quick-strike ability and power-play pop alongside his control and vision on the half wall. He’s not an explosive skater, but he’s a good one who beats guys wide with speed, escapes pressure and is agile on cuts and changes of direction, building through his crossovers or forward strides to play to challenge the opposition. He’s also a heady passer and facilitator who sees the ice at a very advanced level, is creative, puts pucks into space and can pick teams apart on the power play when they focus too much on him. Off the puck, he has good offensive and defensive instincts to get open or cut off passes. He’ll also make effort plays and hustle, and has worked to do both more consistently.
Stenberg’s biggest standout tool for me, though, has repeatedly been his wall play and strength on his stick. He’s not big, but he’s very, very strong in hockey terms. He stays over pucks, wins a ton of battles along the boards with strong stick lifts and just finds pucks along the wall with his blade. He has an uncanny ability to hold and protect pucks against and through contact in the offensive zone. That ability also helps him draw a lot of penalties. He’s also fearlessly poised under pressure and makes plays under tight coverage in difficult spots (including one-on-one as the last man back at the offensive zone blue line). He’ll turn over the odd puck playing that game, but can also create something out of nothing, and because of his ability in protection, he usually finds a way to delay until something opens up. He can take play to the inside or pick coverage apart on the perimeter, too. He always seems to handle bad passes into his first touch. You get the picture. Stenberg projects as a first-line winger, and I think he’s the real deal.
Read more in our feature here.
Photo:
Michael Miller / Getty Images
Tier 2
Reid was an amazing story last season and has since established himself as one of the top prospects in the 2026 class and arguably its top D. He started last year as a No. 4 defenseman on an NAHL team and finished it as a point-per-game D playing 25-30 minutes per game with the Soo Greyhounds. He grew from sub-6-feet to 6-2 while he did it, too. This year, he drove offense at a high rate for the Greyhounds, including early on when their top forward, Brady Martin, was in the NHL to start the season, made a ton of plays, and played to excellent results under a huge workload overall. He has continued to work to round out his defensive game as well. And while I didn’t love his game at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge and he didn’t take over in the playoffs, though I thought he was good, he was also a standout at the World Juniors for a Team USA that didn’t have many, and his stock has stayed hot.
Reid is a righty with poise beyond his years. He escapes pressure well and can attack at openings or create them for himself. He has a great shot and is deadly in transition, with an impressive offensive sense and good vision. He has an NHL shot (wrister, catch-and-release and one-touch/timer). His defensive play has taken strides after needing to adjust in the OHL at first, though there are still times when he needs to button up and play a little firmer on both sides of the puck. And while he’s not explosive, he’s fundamentally a good skater and has impressive mobility/footwork/flow to his stride: he goes from his heels to his toes really comfortably, etc. He and his game are still developing, too, and he has room to add muscle and continue to take steps, despite being on the older side of the draft. A subtle but underrated quality in D that he has in spades, too: His passes on the power play to his flanks are always in his shooters’ sweet spots, and he always connects on target with one-touch shots (which he also does a great job jumping off the line to find for himself).
A Michigan State commit, I know the Greyhounds and Spartans are both very, very high on him. He has really taken off down a steep development curve over the last couple of years. He was one of the OHL’s top players this year, period.
In this year’s OHL Coaches Poll, he ranked second in the Western Conference in the best skater category, third in best shot, first in best offensive defenseman, and, importantly, second in best defensive defenseman, earning pretty universal respect.
Photo:
Soo Greyhounds / OHL Images
A BU commit and the son of Abbotsford Canucks head coach and former NHLer Manny Malhotra, Caleb is a well-rounded center (like his dad) who impressed scouts and folks around the OHL alike with the immediate impact he made on a deep Bulldogs team this season. He contributed at five-on-five on their “third” line to start the year and slotted into their top power play with forwards Adam Benak, Marek Vanacker and Jake O’Brien right away, and then elevated at big events, in big games, and into an outstanding playoffs. He’s also PKing as a rookie for them, has gotten better and better as the year has gone on, and stood out and wore the “C” at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge.
Malhotra is already a very mature player, with good stick detail and sound and reliable habits at an early age. He plays with pace, skates well, puts himself in good spots and has an advanced feel for the game. He plays the game with a ton of poise, holding onto pucks and finding his way out of trouble with smart decisions over it. He has legit hands. He has shown more and more individual skill and has a real knack for making little plays with possession. He’ll go to the front of the net, and competes every shift. He’s also a summer birthday with clear physical development in front of him. He’s now viewed as the draft’s top center and could go as early as No. 2 or No. 3. He needs to fill out his frame, and his shot doesn’t come off hard, but those things should come and already have, and he has the rest of the tools needed to become a winning top-six center in the league.
Read more in our feature here.
Photo:
Brandon Taylor / OHL Images
Smits is a pro-sized late-’07 D from Latvia who played 20 minutes per game in Liiga this year and, quite literally, skated circles around the opposition when he played at Finland’s junior level in September. After Jukurit missed the Liiga playoffs, he made the move to the German DEL with Red Bull Munich to finish his year and averaged 18 minutes per game there, putting up six points and a plus rating in 11 playoff games. He also played for Latvia at the Olympics, where he performed well and registered two points in four games, and is slated to again at men’s worlds. With Jukurit’s junior team, he made highlight-reel plays with the puck on his stick in all of my viewings, showcasing high-end puck skill for a defender his size and playing keep-away inside the offensive zone whenever he decided to; frankly, I think how talented he is has flown under the radar a little in public sphere evaluations. He scored at an impressive clip with the pro club, too, and was a top player for Latvia at the World Juniors. He has legit hands for a 6-foot-3 D, both pulling pucks laterally and protecting them out wide, often with one hand on his stick. He has good size and a strong, pro frame that will continue to fill out. He’s a good skater with well-above-average four-way mobility. He plays with a ton of confidence against his peers and has played with similar boldness even against men at times, while still defending to positive results. He can scramble a little in his own zone but plays hard, has a good stick, closes with his feet, is competitive, and can get play going in the right direction when he wins battles or races. And while he can sometimes rush into the wrong read/decision (on both sides of the puck), playing too much on instinct at times, the tools are definitely there, and they have come together quickly over the last year. I think he has legitimate first-pairing upside and belongs in the best-D-in-the-class conversation.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Bjorck is a highly talented, intelligent and competitive playmaking center who made headlines for breaking the J18 scoring record as a 15-year-old two years ago and the J20 scoring record as a 16-year-old last year. He also did the latter while playing with his older brother Wilson (drafted by the Canucks as an overager) and scoring in his HockeyAllsvenskan debut. This year, he made Djurgarden out of camp after their promotion to the SHL and worked his way up from a third-line wing role to centering the top line and checking the opposing teams’ top lines. He was also one of the best forwards at the World Juniors, leading Sweden to their first gold since 2012 and performing in all seven of their games; he took the most draws, registered nine points and was a go-to player for them in all situations. Earlier in the season, some scouts viewed him as a late-first/early-second because of his 5-9 NHL Central Scouting listing (Sweden notably listed him at 5-10, so we’ll see at the combine), but I look at guys like Zach Benson, Ben Kindel and Marco Rossi (who all went around the top 10) and I view him as a better prospect.
Bjorck is certainly on the smaller side for a center at the moment but he excels in the faceoff circle, he played the penalty kill with Djurgarden’s junior team last year, he battles and everyone talks about how strong he is on pucks/his stick. Wilson is also over 6-feet now and their dad is 6-2, so an inch or two might not be out of the question, but my projection isn’t even counting on that.
Bjorck can play with the puck on a string and make plays as a natural facilitator who has a ton of poise and vision, but he also plays in and out of give-and-gos, will go to the net and finish off plays and has great overall sense on and off the puck. He’s also a quick and fast skater who can play at different paces and challenge both in straight lines and on cuts and turnbacks, even if he’s not a true burner for his size. I like his craft on the puck, and he has an impressive knack for spinning and shaking away from coverage and drawing penalties. He will go outside to attack back inside with his agility and ability to carve into defenders’ hands. He’s quick to attack and makes defenders and sticks miss. He runs the half wall/flank on the power play with poise and comfort. He has a quick release, a rapid first three steps and can accelerate around D from a standstill. He’s sturdy on his skates and will take pucks to the blue paint on D or play through contact along the wall. And while he’ll occasionally turn over some pucks trying to be too cute, he wins them back well with stick lifts and his surprising strength. He processes the play faster than his peers and often makes quick reads with the puck before it has even landed on his stick. I’m confident that because of his hockey sense and compete that he projects as a center up levels, too. He’s a slippery, clever, crafty offensive player, but he’s also really smart and just reads the play at an advanced level on both sides of the puck. He might not go this high, but I know I’m not alone in viewing him as a very real top-10 pick and the No. 2 center in the class. His season isn’t done yet, either, as he’s currently auditioning to make Sweden’s men’s worlds roster — and scored in each of his first two games with the senior team.
Read more in our feature here.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Carels is a summer birthday who played 24 minutes per game as a 16-year-old in Prince George last season and is now averaging 28 this year, driving play at five-on-five and contributing on both the power play and penalty kill. He also ran PP2 for Canada Red at U17s behind Landon DuPont and killed penalties for Canada at the Hlinka. His play in the fall in the WHL and at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge, where I thought he and Ryan Lin were Team CHL’s strongest D, earned him an invite to play for Canada at the World Juniors as an underager. After a strong camp with Canada, he became a depth guy in the tournament but was fine on the whole; it wasn’t positive, but I didn’t think it was negative either. Though he’s probably not going to be a PP1 guy at the next level, his production saw a major uptick this season, and he looks like a PP2 guy at minimum. He was also the Player of the Game at the WHL Prospects Game, where he registered four assists.
Carels is an all-around defenseman who plays the game firmly and directly in all three zones and on both sides of the puck. His game is more about instinct than being super cerebral, and he can be a little sloppy at times with his stick placement/closeouts/decisions on the puck, but he’s quite toolsy and looks like a pro in a lot of ways. He has a big, hard slap shot that makes him a threat to score. He sees the play well as a passer and can break it out. He’s a strong skater who can push pucks down ice and also open up and use his edges. He can defend physically (there’s a meanness to his game, even) and cuts off a lot of plays with his timing early when he’s at his best. He’s firm, with a wide gait, though he’ll occasionally get beaten one-on-one laterally. He’s not a dynamic individual playmaker, but he can move and carry pucks down ice, has skill and skating, walks the line well, can beat the first layer and can hammer it. His development will be more about cleaning things up (stick play, keeping his feet moving offensively) than his actual tools. He’s solid, and NHL scouts are high on him as a future stud D who plays winning hockey, even if he has a little less NHL offense than the names ahead of him here. He’ll be a big part of Team Canada at next year’s World Juniors and will be a top pick.
Read more in our feature here.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Verhoeff is a big, talented right-shot defenseman who played 25 minutes per game for the Victoria Royals last year, captained Canada White to gold at U17s, was a go-to player as an underager at U18 worlds in Texas in the spring and then captained the Hlinka team in the summer before joining North Dakota for his freshman year and draft year. He also played a depth role for Canada at the World Juniors, where he made some plays in the O-zone and tried to involve himself in five-on-five set pieces by creeping off the point and holding onto pucks, but also showed his age defensively at times. At North Dakota, he has averaged 18:58 per game (third on their blue line), ran a power-play unit and had some spot usage on the PK, but I also thought he really struggled in stretches with his decision-making, reads and feet, and those issues were highlighted in some big games and in the Frozen Four. He has looked the part of a top-of-the-draft D prospect and has played ahead of several top D in the class with Canada, but I never viewed him as first-overall caliber prospect when that was the conversation, and others have softened on him over time. At his second U18 worlds to close out his draft year, he played a lot but wasn’t on Canada’s power play and had issues at times with some of the concerns I’ve had going back to U17s in Sarnia two years ago.
Verhoeff has good vision and comfort on the puck, though he can occasionally bobble or over-skate it, and is prone to hanging onto it too long because he wants to make something happen, and a big shot. He’s competitive defensively and has a good stick, though he will make the odd mistake. When he’s going forward, he can round corners and circle the offensive zone. But he can also look a half step slow out of the blocks/pivots and even looks clumsy at times when he has to change directions or get going in a panic from a standstill in his own zone. He can make plays, he can run a power play and he has an NHL shot. He really likes holding onto pucks and can make little poised plays off of the end boards behind his net under pressure or attack down the wall and swing around the offensive zone. He has an NHL body. Plus, he’s a June birthday who has time to continue to build and elevate his game, and he’s a righty. Teams are obviously attracted to the combination of size, body, work ethic, leadership, poise, shot and decent skill. He has upside, and if his boots can improve and decision-making on both sides of the puck can be polished, there could be real upside. But he has bigger holes and holes that are harder to fix than the other top D in this draft (none of whom are perfect). I just haven’t been quite as excited about him as some have been. You’re betting on the potential.
Read more in our feature here.
Photo:
North Dakota Athletics
Lin is, for me, the smartest defenseman in this draft class and arguably its most well-rounded. He led the Giants in ice time last season, playing more than 25 minutes per game as a 16-year-old, and blew me away with how he influenced play to guide (literally in the way he guides play) Canada White to gold at U17s. He was also impressive again for Hockey Canada on a deep Hlinka team, standing out at their selection camp and in stretches of the tournament. This season, he played to above a point per game and has expanded his game offensively while still playing 26 minutes per game for a Giants team that missed the playoffs. I thought he was better than some of his more highly ranked peers at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge, showing his smarts, competitiveness and effectiveness. He was also named one of Canada’s top three players of the tournament at U18 worlds, and was far and away the best player on the ice in their group play finale against Finland.
Lin does almost everything at a high level, executes the small things extremely well and plays the game with a rare quality, maturity and detail for a D his age. He steers play with his quiet efficiency, feel for the game, puck-moving, A-level hockey IQ, good skating (he could use another gear in straight lines, but his footwork, pivots, edges, surfing, etc., are all high-end), a great stick offensively and defensively, and head-on-a-swivel defensive play and reads (shoulder checks, positioning, etc.). He’s comfortable in any situation and playing with anyone, and excels on both special teams. He adjusts well to his teammates and coverage and has become very active moving pucks and then immediately moving his feet off the puck to jump into holes and beat opposing players to spots. He has a great first touch. His head is always up, and he moves pucks crisply on the breakout but can also read right through the first layer of pressure into the next play. He can carry pucks and make plays, but he can also find space off pucks. He never seems to have to overdo it or overextend to create his offense, knowing when to move it and when to try to make something happen. He picks his spots to carry and attack for himself smartly and is starting to do it more and more often to impose himself on games more (jumping quickly in give-and-gos off the line to put opposing D zone structures into uncomfortable spots). He takes pucks off the wall really well, his first touch reception is pristine, and he navigates play out of the defensive zone with a ton of poise, making a lot of little plays under triangles or off the wall to find his way out of trouble. He anticipates at an extremely high level. He closes out nicely, is disruptive and heady defensively and defends with polish and consistent reads and habits. And, importantly for a 5-foot-11 D, he battles and competes for pucks and into contact along the wall, and will deliver big hits when they’re there.
Lin isn’t a big, strong, powerful D, but he’s just an excellent all-around modern defenseman who gets it, and I think there’s some Josh Morrissey/Jared Spurgeon in him. I think he’s a phenomenal player who plays the game the way it’s meant to be played, and he might be my favorite prospect in the draft. I’m higher than the consensus on him for sure, but a big believer in him becoming an excellent NHL D.
Read more in our feature here.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Rudolph was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 WHL bantam draft and after a good but not standout start to his 16-year-old season in Prince Albert and as an alternate captain with Canada White at U17s, he really elevated in the second half of last year to look more like the player who was the CSSHL’s top defenseman at the U15 level and MVP at the U18 level. He played his best hockey into a point-per-game playoff run from the Raiders’ blue line, too. Rudolph didn’t play the kind of minutes for Prince Albert in the regular season (about 19 per game) that Lin, Carels and Verhoeff did, but he became an impact player for the Raiders after the calendar flipped to 2025 and averaged 24 minutes per game in the playoffs. He was also good for Team Canada at the Hlinka after he was their No. 8 at U18s (where Carels featured prominently), playing with Verhoeff in important situations. This season, he’s averaging 25-26 minutes per game on a top team, and the production from last year’s playoffs carried over into a 28-goal, 78-point regular season (third among WHL D) and a stellar playoff performance thus far (the Raiders are in the Eastern Conference final at the moment). He also wore the “C” and scored for Team East at the WHL Prospects Game.
Rudolph is an average skater who moves well and comfortably through his patterns but can look a little unorthodox doing it at times. He can manipulate coverage or jump off the line and has great hands one-on-one when he wants to challenge opposing players. He sees the ice well and can beat the first layer and then find the back door through a second layer. He defends the rush well and has a very good stick. He’s a heady player who thinks the game well. He has legit size. He’s willing to jump and has a great catch-and-release shot that I expected him to score with more entering this season, and even through the first month or so when they weren’t falling quite like they were popping. He doesn’t have the offensive upside of Reid or Xavier Villeneuve, or the physicality of a Carels, but he’s a very good player who projects to have a long NHL career as a top-four two-way defenseman and potentially a stud.
He had a big time year and was one of the top D in the CHL, even if the WHL wasn’t nearly as competitive as it has been in the past.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
The top young player in the USHL last season, Lawrence played to nearly a point per game as a 16-year-old rookie with Muskegon, averaging 19-20 minutes for the Lumberjacks and elevating even further in their run to a championship as Clark Cup MVP after he registered 18 points in 14 playoff games. He was also a good penalty killer as one of the youngest full-time players in the USHL last year, playing a pro-style game at an early age. That’s not easy to do in the USHL, which is a hard league to succeed in at that age, especially as a center — and even more so because of his August birthday. He also had early success internationally, impressing at both U17s and the Youth Olympics. He wasn’t as productive at Hlinka, but was still a go-to player for Canada in terms of usage, was more impactful than his numbers indicated and saved his best game of the tournament for the semifinal. After starting this season with an injury he sustained in preseason, Lawrence eventually returned and registered 17 points in 13 games with Muskegon before deciding to join BU for the second semester and accelerate into college. At BU, he registered two goals and seven points in 18 games and had a tougher time with the physicality and making his hardworking game productive on a team in flux, raising doubts about his previous status as the top center in the class (Caleb Malhotra will now be the first center drafted). To close the year at U18 worlds, he started strong in pre-tournament and into the first couple of games of the tournament, but had a tougher time breaking through as it went on (one big play in the dying seconds of the second period of the quarterfinal aside).
Lawrence is a Fredericton, N.B., native and the younger brother of Josh, a two-time QMJHL 100-point player and Memorial Cup champion who is now playing in Europe.
Lawrence has a natural release, getting pucks off his stick quickly after an intentional move to the inside or a pass into his catch-and-release (though he can overhandle it at times). He’s a good, strong skater who plays with pace and can make plays off the rush as well as inside the offensive zone. He plays pucks into space and under sticks a ton and wants to take the play to the slot. He moves into the middle of the ice and stays around the action. He works his tail off, off the puck to track and is committed to playing defense and winning races and battles. He has quick hands and feel for the game offensively. He protects it well out wide to his body and can drive (though, again, he had a tougher time getting to the inside against NCAA players). He plays the right way, is smart, supports pucks and teammates well, has good instincts on both sides of the puck, and drives play as a center with pro attributes in a lot of areas. He doesn’t cheat for offense and carries a lot of pucks out of the defensive zone. There are questions about his ultimate offense, though, and while he’s skilled, he’s not dynamic as a pure shooter or passer and can tunnel vision at times. He’s a well-rounded, competitive and complete two-way player, plus he plays a premium position and has the intangibles you look for, but he looks like a future 2C your coach loves more than a true No. 1.
Read more in our feature here.
Photo:
Richard T Gagnon / Getty Images
Cullen, a Minnesota commit, has a fascinating development story. The son of former NHLer Matt Cullen, he was tiny when he showed up to the national program (5-foot-5 and 120 pounds). But he was also one of the youngest players in the class, and now that the growth has come, he’s up to 6-foot-1, and he still has a lot of the little guy elements to his game, and all of a sudden, a ton of development opportunity in front of him still, as he gets stronger in his frame. He also tore his hip flexor off the bone this year due to all the growth, but had some of the best games from an offensive standpoint that I watched in this class this season when healthy. He was far and away this NTDP age group’s most talented player. He was also one of the standouts at this year’s Chipotle All-American Game, where he had a goal and two assists before tweaking his hip again, and had the puck on a string late in the year and into U18s. He’s an extremely shifty on-puck handler who blends shoulder fakes into agile cuts and very noticeable lateral mobility in and out of turns and cuts. He’s an offensive thinker who can pull you in with his blend of footwork and stick work and then beat you one-on-one the first time or open you up to put a puck into space for a teammate on the next. He has inside and outside edges in full control. He has deception. He can be direct or play out wide. His eyes are always up. And while there are times when he can play one-on-one too much and turn pucks over, you want him playing with freedom because he can make the big play. He was clearly more talented than his production last year indicated, and caught my eye dating back to U17 worlds in Sarnia when he was really small. When he’s at his best, he has the puck all night and is knifing through or past coverage to make things happen. There are some visual parallels between him and James Hagens (who, coincidentally, he models his game after). He’s a winger, a little less competitive and doesn’t have the same pedigree, but he’s also taller. Hagens went seventh, but I fully believe Cullen now belongs at the edge of the top 10 conversation.
Read more in our feature here.
Photo:
Rena Laverty / USA Hockey’s NTDP
Belchetz is an extremely physically advanced winger who was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 OHL draft and was 6-foot-5 and over 220 pounds as a 16-year-old last season. He got people talking when he got off to a hot start to his rookie season with the Spitfires last year, picking up two points in his debut before a four-goal, six-point night in his third OHL game. He also had a solid tournament for gold medal-winning Canada White at U17s, though I did think he was less impactful in the higher-pace semifinal and final. He played well (without dominating) on a disappointing team at Hlinka, too, imposing himself at times on the puck and making some plays through the middle. After some dominant stretches to start this season, though, his production leveled off for the second year in a row, and then he broke his clavicle in early March, ending his season with the title-chasing Spits. In my live viewings in the early fall, I thought he looked better than Flyers first-rounder Jack Nesbitt on Windsor’s top line, and there was a lot of early excitement. He had NHL clubs drooling over his hulking frame, legit skill/scoring and developing playmaking and pace then, too. But following a quiet CHL USA Prospects Challenge, he hit a bit of a wall for a long stretch before the injury, finishing his season on a bit of a downspell.
The continued development of his wall game, so that he’s more focused on bumping players off the puck and making a quick play off the boards, will be critical in him realizing his potential. His feet can be a little heavy out of the blocks, and his stride can look a little clunky, but he can really get around the ice and drive the middle once he gets moving. And while some of his impact is driven by his sheer size and his ability to stay over pucks and drive into spots, he also has strong offensive tools, he handles well into congested areas, he’s comfortable going to his backhand and he can really shoot the puck. When he’s at his best, he looks like a force out there. Think Matthew Knies if it all comes together. Someone is going to make that bet fairly early, even if most softened on where they were on him in October/November. Before the injury, he was still on pace for 41 goals.
Photo:
Natalie Shaver / OHL Images
Tier 3
Gustafsson has been a big part of Sweden’s ’08 age group dating back to U17s, logging first-pairing minutes and playing in all situations (five-on-five, PK, and PP). That play included six points in five games wearing an “A” at Hlinka and another handful wearing the “A” at U18 worlds. He was also productive at the J20 level with a poor HV71 this year as well, despite missing some time due to injury, and played a regular shift with their also-poor SHL club after Christmas.
Gustafsson’s game isn’t about his offense despite having some elements (above-average skating and respectable handling for a big man). He’s a big, rangy, strong, sturdy defender who plays a physical, competitive brand and moves well. He projects as a solid two-way NHL D, and his profile is the coveted one in the league these days. He’s also a summer birthday and has developed quickly when healthy, becoming more consistent at both ends and learning in real time how to use his tools to kill plays, transition pucks, and manufacture offense regularly, even if he’s not going to be a PP guy in the NHL. This is a little in front of the range Kaiden Guhle and Braden Schneider went in, and he fits that mold and may have more offense. It’ll be about him putting it all together and really developing his identity (there are times when he can look a little unsure of what he should really be leaning into, and that results in him really playing on instinct and running around the ice trying to involve himself instead of settling into his strengths, which is fine at this age). He can transport pucks and make plays at the blue line, and will semi-regularly carry pucks low or jump low. He has a good defensive stick and takes good angles to rub opposing players out. The processing isn’t always there, and he can panic a little defensively, but he’s going to have a long career in the league as a two-way five-on-five D who should have special teams utility if he continues to develop well and reaches his potential.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Stenberg and Bjorck have deservedly held the spotlight for the Swedes in this class, but Hermansson is one of several other legit prospects for Tre Kronor this year and impressed at U17 worlds and Hlinka. He also played up at the February Five Nations with the U18 team last year, and was productive in their international schedule again this year. He was productive on a deep-at-forward Örebro junior team last year as well and played with MoDo’s HockeyAllsvenskan club at the second-tier pro level (which was positive after a slowish start in J20 but finished with a quiet playoffs in a reduced role). He was highly productive at U18 worlds to finish out his draft year, but scored six of his points against Denmark and was inconsistent in both his play and his competitiveness.
He’s a right shot, but he has played a lot of both wings, and he impresses with his individual stick skill. He’s not the most well-rounded or defensively responsible winger, but he’s talented with the puck in his hands and a threat inside the offensive zone, with an ability to go one-on-one, play and pull pucks under driangles, out-wait goalies and just generally play with some swagger. He wants to go out there and make plays and score goals, and he’s willing to try things, sometimes in bad spots. He’s also a threatening shooter off the flank, both into his curl-and-drag wrister or getting open for his strong one-timer. And he has a great feel as a saucer passer. He has a bit of an awkward/upright skating posture that bends at the ankles, but he has some speed, and he’s a 6-1 winger with legit handling, finishing and passing who has clear first-round talent. I want to see him be firmer with the puck when he has it and harder on the puck when he doesn’t, at times, for sure. His play against men for much of this season and internationally is hard to ignore with his skill set, though, too.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Klepov, a Michigan State commit, is a highly skilled playmaker who flashed his skill level in the USHL last year and led the OHL in scoring this year with 97 points in 67 games. He also played well at the OHL Top Prospects Game, registering three points and being named Team West’s player of the game. He sees the ice at a very high level as a passer and has legit power-play skill, blending little fakes and hesitations into his handles to throw defenders off his scent. He also skates well enough, though I wouldn’t call him fast, and creates a ton of entries and high-danger looks with his craft on the puck. It can be hard for average-sized wingers to go in the first round, and they usually really have to produce, but he has, and he has some real believers in his talent and upside. He’s also a summer birthday who has followed a steep upward progression, and it was really positive to see him go to scoring areas, compete and finish more plays for himself at five-on-five this season (he was among the OHL’s leaders in shot and chance creation) instead of defaulting to out-wide playmaking. And while he’s not the most physical player and there are times when I’d like to see him reach in a little less, he doesn’t give up on plays when there’s a puck to be won, he does compete, and he has good sense defensively. But the talent and the ability for his game to continue to expand are what put him in this range, which is filled with talented wingers who were more inconsistent than he was this year, for me. The craft is pretty obvious when you watch him play. In this year’s OHL Coaches Poll, he was ranked as the most dangerous player in the goal area and the best shootout shooter in the Western Conference. I’m a big fan.
Photo:
Emma Miller / Saginaw Spirit
Hemming is a near-6-foot-4 winger who impressed on Finland’s first line at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, putting himself firmly on the map heading into this year. His draft year was a messy one, though. After getting drafted by the Kitchener Rangers in the CHL Import Draft, the team announced at the end of August that he’d signed with them. He wasn’t able to play a game for them, though, because his club team, Kiekko-Espoo, wouldn’t release him from his contract despite requests from his parents and representatives. He then chose to play for Sherwood Park in the BCHL, who aren’t governed by Hockey Canada’s transfer rules, before ultimately not going there either, landing instead at Boston College for the second semester. That stalemate with his club and the Finnish federation kept him off of Finland’s U18 worlds team as well. It also complicated slotting him for a while because he’s also a late August birthday who’s one of the youngest players in the class, and his sample was small even entering this season.
He’s a big, strong, powerful player who stays around the puck, goes to the net and has some clear pro attributes. He has a pro release and strong skating that really builds into a head of steam and can make him a lot to handle when he drives down ice or to the net. He generated shots at a good clip in the NCAA (one goal on 34 of them for a 2.9 shooting percentage that he was probably owed more on) and finished with eight points in 19 games across a very respectable 16:25 per game for a 17-year-old. He had a few very impressive games in the NCAA and some others where he looked like he was still figuring out the surface and how to play with his linemates. He has clear appeal, and some observers felt he belonged in the top-10 conversation at different points for his sheer presence. I haven’t quite been able to get there and wonder a little about the IQ/playmaking, but his size and strength are very real and will translate.
Photo:
Boston College Athletics
Novotny was the No. 9 pick in the 2024 CHL Import Draft to the Peterborough Petes, and after struggling to generate early on a Petes team that didn’t have a ton of firepower around him, he was highly productive in the last two-thirds of the year before a difficult playoffs, executing on the looks he creates. He finished the year with 34 goals, 65 points, and 278 shots on goal (second-most in the OHL) in 58 games. He was also Team East’s captain and player of the game at the OHL Top Prospects Game, where he scored twice and registered a game-high seven shots. He played the entirety of last season at Czechia’s top pro level with Mountfield before lighting up Czechia’s U20 level playoffs and then returning to the pro club’s postseason run, where he scored a couple of nice goals. He also impressed at the 2024 Hlinka, the 2025 U18 worlds and for Czechia’s bronze medal-winning team at last year’s World Juniors a month and a half after his 17th birthday. He was one of the top players in Czechia’s Three Nations and Five Nations U20 exhibitions in the summer as well. And while he didn’t score in the CHL USA Prospects Challenge or the World Juniors this year, he was solid in both and led the entire tournament in shots on goal in Minnesota (winning a silver medal in a relied-upon role).
Novotny is a 6-1, pro-built winger with a short but very powerful skating stride and legit speed. He’s also decently skilled offensively and plays the game with confidence as a shooter. He’s already strong, sturdy and stocky, with a thick lower half built to absorb bumps and play through contact. He has a feel for the game and enough smarts on and off the puck, with a good sense of where to be and go, though those attributes are more average. He can drive the net and make plays to the interior for himself, but also functions well off his linemates as a catch-and-release, push-and-pop type. He has a pro curl-and-drag wrister and good hands in tight to his body. He can make plays off his backhand. He breaks up plays and works. He’s committed to playing the right way and supporting the play in the right spots. He’s just a good player, and he plays a competitive game for a young player. There’s a lot to like about his combination of tools, and he’s going to have a long pro career. He’s a player, and his shot generation has been really strong across levels. Some wonder if he has enough playmaking/IQ to be more than just a 20-goal, 40-point middle-six winger, but I think he can become a valuable version of that player and belongs in the teens of this class. I do wonder if he’s a little maxxed out. I did think about having him a little higher here, though, and do like the player, as most do.
Read more in our feature here.
In this year’s OHL Coaches Poll, he ranked as the third-best shooter, third-hardest shooter, and second-most dangerous in the goal area in the Eastern Conference.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Nordmark led a talented Swedish team in scoring at U17 worlds, the Hlinka and through their entire international schedule this season, making a ton of plays against the ’08 age group and racking up goals and points. He was the star of Hlinka for me, and sent the Swedes to the gold medal game with a beautiful overtime winner in the semi to complete a hat trick after helping them mount a third-period comeback. And while he spent much of his domestic season at the J18 level last year, he played to more than a point per game with Djurgården’s J20 team and then continued to make a ton of plays with them this year, regularly flashing legit skill and producing at two points per game in their run to a J20 gold medal. He didn’t look out of place in his last couple of games in the SHL team’s lineup after an adjustment period there as well, and now has his first SHL point.
He’s a highly talented forward who has played all three forward positions at different points but projects as a skill winger. He has great (!) hands and instincts offensively. He can play in open ice or in puck protection/traffic (though he needs to be harder on pucks). He also has decent size and a hard, dangerous snap shot (one of the better ones I’ve seen in the age group) that he can blow past goalies. He passes it well and is willing to go to the middle third in possession, but can also play out wide (at times, too much so). Djurgården has a crowded program at forward, but he has pretty clear first-round traits and can excite. He’s one of my favorite players to watch in this class with the puck and has top-six talent/upside.
There’s a big but with Nordmark, though, too: He might be the most inconsistent player in the class in effort, habits and attitude. And it has turned off a lot of people over time and revealed itself in the final viewings scouts got of him at U18 worlds again. At his worst, he plays a selfish, soft, poor body language, poor decisions game and his stride can look stilted and slow. The team that drafts him and bets on his talent and track record of scoring will take some risk as a result. From a pure skill standpoint, he belongs at the top of Tier 3. The rest resulted in me moving him as low in it as I felt comfortable.
Of note, Nordmark is the son of former NHL defenseman Robert Nordmark and an import selection of the London Knights.
Read more in our feature here.
Photo:
Kenta Jönsson / Sipa via AP Images
Villeneuve is a September 2007 who was a couple of weeks away from being eligible for the 2025 draft and is playing his third season in the QMJHL pre-draft. He was the QMJHL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year at 16 and the QMJHL Defenseman of the Year and a CHL Third Team All-Star at 17, finishing first among Q defensemen in assists (50) and second in points (62) on top of playing to above a point per game and logging 20 minutes per game. He was also a top playmaker in the league, period. He looked dynamic on the puck at U18 worlds as well, running Canada’s top power play (including double duty on both units at times) and creating with his feet off the line to score four goals, most in the tournament by a D (though he was deployed in a sheltered offensive role). This season, he continued to make plays at a high rate, was playing above a point per game, and led all D in shots on goal before an injury shut him down in early January, after his production had regressed a little following a hot start. He returned in time for the playoffs and was up and down for me in recent viewings. He didn’t meet my expectations this season on the whole, even factoring in the time lost. Outside of his obvious talent in Q action, I also thought his QMJHL Prospects game and CHL USA Prospects Challenge performances were a bit of a mixed bag. He was busy and noticeable on the puck in both (with some high-end flashes in the CHL-USA series in particular), and played with a chip on his shoulder when targeted physically, showing that he wasn’t going to back down, but was also scrambly and careless at times.
And though he’s small and still physically immature, his dad is a big guy, and there is some hope that Villeneuve is going to grow at least a little. He has already moved his listing from 5-10 to 5-11, which, fairly or unfairly, is important. His skill level, offensive hockey sense and puck play are all legitimately elite. He’s constantly making plays and finding openings. And while he’s more shifty than fast (he has mastered using his head, shoulders and eyes to be deceptive and shake past opponents), his speed has improved, he opens up a lot of space for himself on the ice, and he defends smartly for his size, using his edges and a combination of IQ and instincts. It’s his shimmies over his breezy feet that really grab you, though. He beats and loses players effortlessly and plays the game with incredible poise and dimension. He has phenomenal edges, a quick release and a good stick. He’s a high-end talent, and a year after no sub-6-feet D were drafted, I’ll be fascinated to see where he lands on draft day because there are teams that don’t like him and the combination of his size, the Q, and the mistakes he makes. He does have a unique skill set, though, and his ability to break ankles will translate.
I expect him to go lower than this, but this is also the point on my list where I start to lose passion for the guys behind him as well.
Photo:
Blainville-Boisbriand Armada / QMJHL
Hurlbert, a Michigan commit, left the NTDP (where he finished third on the team in scoring last year) for Kamloops this season, where he popped offensively, finishing fourth in the WHL in scoring with 42 goals and 97 points in 68 games and playing both center and the wing effectively. He also finished second in the league in shots on goal with 294. He wasn’t viewed as a first-rounder coming into the season, but he made a ton of plays (though he has regressed a little down the stretch) to put himself in the mid-to-late first range. In an all-star format, I thought he had one good game and one OK game at the CHL-USA Prospects Challenge and he had a goal, an assist and a game-high 10 shots at the WHL Prospects Game.
He has work to do in the faceoff circle, and that, combined with his average size, results in him being viewed as more of a winger by some (NHL Central Scouting has moved his position from C to LW as well), but he chipped in on the PK with the Blazers, was given a letter as a newcomer and has some quiet competitiveness to go with his skill. And while his feet can kick a little through his stride, he plays with pace and has made plays with the puck all over the ice. He also has an NHL shot and one-on-one skill, both of which have created multiple highlight-reel goals this year (including short-handed). He has clear junior talent, and now NHL clubs have to decide whether they think there’s a top-six NHLer there. He was pretty consistently good when people showed up to watch him play this year, but he’s not viewed as a star prospect per se.
Photo:
Rena Laverty / USA Hockey’s NTDP
Tier 4
Morozov was the youngest player in college hockey to start this season (before Lawrence and Hemming showed up midway through and beat him by a week) and spent most of his freshman year centering Miami’s top line, producing immediately and playing on both special teams (he averaged 19-20 minutes per game), all of which are tall tasks and impressed scouts. Though he did come back down to earth through the second third of the year, he finished with 20 points in 36 games (tied for fifth on Miami in scoring). His development from where he left off last year in Tri-City as a 16-year-old has been steep (though it should be noted that he was also the youngest player on Tri-City’s roster to start last season).
Morozov is a good-sized, pro-built center who has a good feel for timing on both sides of the puck and plays off his linemates well. He’s a natural catch-and-release shooter off the rush as well and plays in and out of space well. Morozov’s stride is a little upright, but he moves well enough for his size, is a willing forechecker and sees the ice well both offensively and to anticipate defensively. He has work to do in the faceoff circle, but he has quickly become a real pro center prospect. He usually has a positive impact on games because of how well-rounded he is. He has development room ahead of him still, too. I do think some got a little too high on him early on this year, but he should play and projects as a middle-six contributor.
Photo:
Michael Miller / Getty Images
Preston is a threatening creator with good offensive instincts who played to just under a point per game in the WHL before this season. He was one of the top individual creators in stretches this year before suffering a lower-body injury following a trade from Spokane to Vancouver as well, even if the points weren’t there, and looked dangerous again after getting his feet back under him upon his return. His point totals didn’t take the leap many expected they would, though, and he’s a 5-11 winger who is still learning the game off the puck. There’s still real pedigree there, though. He won gold with Canada White at U17s, leading the tournament in goals with six in five games and coming up big in some big moments (including a hat trick in the semifinal and a goal in the gold medal game), made plays in bunches at the Hlinka, was noticeable in spurts at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge and has a way of striking at some point over the course of a game. He also finished his season on what I felt was a positive at U18 worlds, leading Canada in shots with 22 in five games and finishing second on the team in scoring with six points in five games. Before his junior career, he also registered four goals and six points in four games at the Youth Olympics and was the CSSHL U15 MVP, and was viewed as a top talent in the age group coming up. I did want him to produce more this season, though, and he might not be a Day 1 pick anymore.
Preston is a shifty and fast skater who can attack inside ice laterally but can also play out wide and burn for odd-man rushes, and excelled after moving to his off-wing (left wing) in Vancouver, going east-west more on his forehand. He has slick handles on the puck and can attack off the rush or inside the offensive zone, challenging defenders one-on-one. He’s a very smart offensive player who sees plays develop and can playmake for his linemates. He has a dangerous shot and a quick release that he started to use more as the year went on and into U18s. He’s lethal in space but can also play in traffic and put pucks into space. He’s just slick and confident with the puck on his stick, with some real maneuverability, but also the speed to play direct, which he needs to do more of. Plus, he’s a late July birthday who has still been a top offensive player all the way up with the ’08s. There are times when he can play to the perimeter, and he’s not the most competitive off-puck player, or I wonder about his play selection, but the talent and the ability to attack are real.
This might be a little high, but I have questions about every player after him, and few of them have both talent and skating.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Command, who wasn’t part of Sweden’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup team, has been a steady riser since a strong showing at the World Junior A Challenge and Sweden’s U18 Five Nations tournament in November, producing in line with some of the top Swedes at the J20 level and getting into his first few SHL games. He was listed as a “W” by NHL Central Scouting on their preliminary players to watch list, which “indicates a 6th/7th round candidate,” but finished No. 11 on their final international skaters list and now projects to go in the late first round. He finished strong at U18 worlds as well.
Command is a good skater, though I wouldn’t say it’s a standout attribute, who has strength and balance over his boots. He has a quick release, both in stride and in catch-and-release, and has picked corners from some bad angles this year. His biggest strength is just that: his strength. He stays over pucks, pushes through contact and positions himself over the puck like a pro. He’s excellent in the faceoff circle. He can lean on guys, get up and under sticks and has the physical tools and work ethic to win battles and extend plays. He’ll track pucks and knows where to be on both sides of the puck, arriving with good timing offensively. He handles the puck comfortably under pressure. He’s smart on both sides of it. I’ve enjoyed getting to know his game this year and am confident he belongs in the 20s and is going to have a career as a middle-six NHL center.
Photo:
Johan Bernström / Sipa via AP Images
Suvanto impressed centering Finland’s top line at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and looked like he belonged in pro games with Liiga titan Tappara most of this year. He was also named one of Finland’s top three players at the World Juniors, despite playing just 14:29 per game and scoring two goals in seven games. He played 20:40 at U18 worlds and was named one of Finland’s top three players there as well, despite just three points in five games. At the U20 level with Tappara he struggled to produce as well.
Suvanto is a big, strong, driven forward who plays in the middle third and goes to the net. He’s willing to play through and into contact. He skates well enough; once he builds, he can play with power, though he could stand to get a little quicker (in his feet and mind at times). He’s strong on the cycle and the forecheck, winning and then holding pucks along the wall. He’s physical and competitive. He can shoot it. He has good instincts. But the final execution and playmaking just aren’t there, and so a lot of shifts end up in the offensive zone along the wall and below the goal line without finishing plays to go along with it. He’s going to be an NHLer. He’s also one of the youngest players in this class and developed quickly from last year to this year, but he’s also physically mature at an early age, and I’m not sure he’ll benefit from his birthday as much as some others.
Some viewed him as a fringe top-10 candidate earlier this year, and I just couldn’t get there. Now the conversation seems to have come back down to earth. I just don’t see more than bottom-six offense.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Roobroeck is a big, tall forward born in late September who came up as a center but has played the wing in junior and for Hockey Canada. He applied for exceptional status in the OHL and didn’t get it; had he been granted exceptional status, he could have been one of the rare players to play four seasons in the OHL before the NHL Draft. Instead, he went back to U16 AAA for a second season, went No. 2 to Niagara in the 2023 OHL draft, and then scored 28 goals and 51 points in 63 games as a 16-year-old who was named to the OHL First All-Rookie Team two years ago. Last year, his second in the OHL, he was Niagara’s leading scorer, out-producing drafted NHL prospects like Kevin He and Andrei Loshko to score 44 goals and 93 points in 69 combined regular-season and playoff games. He also wore an “A” for them last season, played more than 20 minutes per game, was an important part of both their power play and their penalty kill, and regularly generated six-to-10 shots per game. He had some quiet games at U18 worlds for Canada, but still finished with nine points in seven games as their fourth-leading scorer. This season was a huge disappointment, though, and he frustrated scouts with his lack of competitiveness and come-and-go involvement for much of the year.
Roobroeck doesn’t play a physical or imposing game for a player his size, and needs to move his feet and engage more. He has real skill and feel on the puck and an NHL-grade shot that regularly beats goalies from mid-range, and at his size, that gives him first-round relevance despite his warts. But there’s a growing group of scouts who think you can’t win with guys who play as he does. Scouts did say some of the same things (low effort, low pace, soft big man with skill) about Dean Letourneau, who ultimately went in the first round and broke out as a sophomore at BC this year (though Letourneau is a better athlete and taller). I do think about Arthur Kaliyev with him a little as well (though he skates better than Kaliyev does). Because of his unique skill set, he can play the flank on the power play instead of just the net-front. He’s also a fairly balanced skater who can get out in transition and score off the rush (though after adding some weight in the offseason, he has lost a little of that this year to my eye, and I do wonder about his fitness). I like his stick defensively, but I want to see him impose/apply himself more off the puck. If he played with more presence, power and/or physicality, it would really elevate his projection. But people won’t wait forever. I’ll be fascinated to see where he goes, because he’s talented but mercurial, and those guys are always tricky to slot.
In this year’s OHL Coaches Poll, he was ranked third-most dangerous in the goal area, second-best shooter and second-hardest shooter in the Eastern Conference, so the respect for the talent is still there.
Once you get into the fourth tier of my list, all of the players have a question of some kind. That doesn’t mean teams will feel comfortable taking Roobroeck right away, but it will become a part of the conversation eventually, and I’ll be fascinated to see which team swallows its pride and takes the chance. The combine probably looms large for him as well. Boom or bust profile.
Photo:
Brandon Taylor / OHL Images
Hextall, a Michigan State commit, looked like a pro even as a 16-year-old in the USHL last year and was owed more on the scoresheet for how consistently good and impactful he was all over the ice. His production hasn’t popped this year (around a point per game), either, but he’s still having a really solid year, he came on strong down the stretch of the regular season (though I wanted to see him produce more on the whole and in the playoffs) and he has continued to just look like a pro prospect whenever I’ve watched him.
Hextall is a very smart player who does a lot of things well. He already protects the puck and stays over it like a pro, coming out of scrums with possession and winning a ton of engagements with a strong stick and NHL contact skills/body positioning. He’s strong on his skates for a 6-foot player, which will help him stick at center up levels with all of his habits, details and that heavy stick of his. He plays in all three zones and is committed defensively as a center, never cheating the game and playing a winning brand shift to shift in his draft year. He has blown some opponents up with hits in the USHL. He likes to shoot it but also sees the ice well, and will go to the net but can also find the second or third layer. His natural skill is more good than great, but he’s a complete player; there are some teams that love him, and his proponents throw around names like David Krejci and Nick Suzuki. I also thought he was owed more than his counting stats at the Hlinka (where he was USA’s No. 1 center), and while his production doesn’t scream first-rounder and eventually you have to score more, the rest of his game is strong enough to put him in the mix at the end of the first round/start of the second.
Photo:
Scott Galvin / USHL
Chrenko first caught my eye when he looked confident on the puck inside the offensive zone two U18 worlds ago in Finland as a double underager (though I suppose, as a late 2007, he was closer to a single underager). He then followed it up by playing to above two points per game in Slovakia’s junior level, scoring his first couple of goals with Nitra’s top-flight team at the pro level, and leading the Slovaks in scoring with five goals and eight points in five games in Texas at his second U18s last year. He has taken another step this season to become a regular contributor with Nitra, getting better as the year went on and into the playoffs, where he has continued to produce while playing 12-13 minutes most games. He also dominated in a short junior stint this year, was a standout for the Slovaks at his first of two World Juniors, and I thought he was Slovakia’s best forward (he led the team in goals with five, points with eight and shots with 19 in their five games) in Minnesota as a draft eligible. From a pure track record and pedigree standpoint, he should be a first-rounder all day. But the fact that he’s 5-11 and that he’s not playing in North America, Sweden or Russia, and things are, by default, whether you like them or not, harder to handicap for NHL clubs in terms of both the historical context of the league and his play within this year’s version of it. I’m a huge fan, though, and a real believer that he’s first-round worthy in this class.
Chrenko has an NHL shot/release and is dangerous on the flank on the PP. He competes well and has some jam. He can play at different paces. He has some deception on the puck in both his handling and his quick release. He’s smart and gets open, but can also use his good hands to play through holes and get pucks to open linemates. He can play all three forward positions, plays in the center of the ice and will take or make a hit to make a play. He can be a bit of a pest. You’d like him to be a little bigger for this range, but there’s a lot to like. He has made some pretty plays in the guts of the offensive zone this season with Nitra, too. I think he plays.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Aaram-Olsen is a talented Norwegian winger who played to a point per game with Örebro’s J20 team last year and has twice led Norway in scoring at the Division 1A World Juniors, first as a 16-year-old with six points in five games, and then as a 17-year-old with 10 points in five games to help them get promoted into the top flight for next year’s tournament. This season, he did a lot of damage at the J20 level and pretty regularly found his way into the SHL club’s lineup, though he’s still waiting on his first goal. It can be hard for players with second-tier countries to break through at U18 worlds when they’re in the top flight and he had some games in Slovakia where he struggled to break through, but he came through in the clutch with a hat trick in the relegation game to help Norway relegate Germany, scoring twice from the top of the right-wing circle in the final 1:15 to tie it and win it in.
He’s a dangerous scorer and shooter who picks corners and beats goalies from mid-range with his heavy snapper or curl-and-drag wrister. He can threaten as a shooter from the bumper or the flank on the power play because he also has a hard one-touch shot and one-timer, a go-to weapon for him. He’s a good skater who gets up and down the ice well and is willing to track back on pucks, with room to add strength and smooth out his stride, which does kick a little. He takes pucks off the wall and isn’t complacent on the outside. I’d like to see him involve himself more off the puck defensively, drive play more at five-on-five and play with a little more physicality, but his scoring package is legit and I don’t think he’s a one-way winger either — it’s more just about development priorities.
I’ve got a clear top 21 in this class but I like Aaram-Olsen in this next group somewhere. He’s going to be a second-rounder, but I don’t hate him as a late-first in this class. He’s one of the few forwards in this range with power-play skills.
Photo:
Pär Olert / Sipa via AP Images
The Ruck twins have been a top duo all the way up in minor hockey and with Hockey Canada, and took off in the second two-thirds of their draft years in the WHL to shoot up the scoring ladder and finish atop it. Liam also scored and played well at the WHL Prospects Game on top of his 104-point WHL campaign. He plays the more direct, scoring game to his brother’s pass-first style. He’s viewed as the better NHL prospect and has helped keep the Tigers a contender a year after they won a WHL title and graduated much of their core. He’s a right-shot winger who has good touch, a quick release, likes to go short side and can pick his spots in the net — with an eagerness to try as a volume shooter. His skating is below average, but I’d also say it’s the slightly better of the two and that his motor helps him compensate (though it does raise questions about his projectability up levels at his size for some). He finds ways to take pucks to scoring areas, but can also work and score closer to the boards. He keeps his feet moving off the puck and plays with energy on both offense and defense (including the PK), relying on his effort and instincts to consistently make things happen or get open for them. He’s a go-to defensive player and penalty killer for the Tigers on top of his high-end production as well. And while Markus is viewed as the better playmaker, I think that has underrated Liam’s playmaking a little by comparison as well (he sees the ice well, too). He’ll have to prove it as a sub-6-foot winger, but he has a chance to be a productive and effective middle-six winger who plays with tempo and effort.
Photo:
Cherie Morgan / WHL
Hakansson is a big, strong left-shot defenseman who played 20-22 minutes per game at the J20 level last season and didn’t look out of place playing 10-14 in three SHL games last year. He then spent most of the first half of this season in the SHL, again in that 10-14 minute range to respectable results, before being loaned out to Almtuna in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan, where he played 16 minutes a game and showed a little more offense but had some real ups and downs before returning to Lulea for the SHL playoffs. He was also a part of Sweden’s gold medal-winning World Juniors team in Minnesota, where he played 14:20 per game on the third pairing and registered two points and a plus-3 rating in seven games (he’ll be an important cog on next year’s team).
He’s athletic and is capable of playing a hard and physical style, though some want to see him play that style more consistently. He skates well for his size, falling back onto his heels and his edges comfortably for a player his age and size. I like his pivots. He can occasionally get a little jumpy on both sides of the puck and relies more on instinct than poise and smarts, but he can shoot it, pass it and walk the line. He’ll also carry pucks and beat the first layer of pressure, though his execution isn’t always there. I like his instincts, and he defends well, has pro tools defensively, boxes out well and looks like a pro. He’s never going to provide a ton of offense or be as mean as you’d maybe like, but he has a lot of the attributes teams are looking for in a depth two-way partner for someone, and he profiles as a front half of the second round guy for me.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Shilov made the jump from Russia to the USHL last season and, after a successful few months with the Green Bay Gamblers, made the jump to the QMJHL, where he finished seventh in the league in scoring with 82 points in 63 games as the league’s top-scoring rookie and Victoriaville’s top forward. (Though I thought he was quiet in the QMJHL Prospects Game, his poise and creativity flashed a little more at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge.) A Boston University commit, Shilov is a playmaker with first-round talent who will likely go in the second round because of a lack of pace/compete.
He has work to do to round out his game defensively, but his instincts on both sides of the puck are there, and Victoriaville used him in all situations, including on the penalty kill. He’s also decent in the faceoff circle. He’s highly skilled, with a great shot off balance (he really whips it) and a nasty release off the middle of his blade. He has a superb first touch, even in traffic, and can place pucks up under the bar from in tight with a little chip shot he loves to use around the slot. His skating can look a little unconventional, and he has work to do on his fitness, but the offensive-zone gifts, position and average size place him in this fourth tier and make him appealing in the 30s of this class to me.
Bleyl, a Michigan State commit, is a buttery skater whose believers compare to Seamus Casey and Brian Rafalski. He started the season as a “C” rated prospect by NHL Central Scouting, which indicates a “4th/5th round candidate,” and with a 5-foot-10.75, 165-pound listing, but he has grown since then and has taken off in the QMJHL this season, performing at a consistently high level for Moncton through the regular season and into the playoffs. He has looked like not only one of the top rookies in the Q but one of its top D. He was named the QMJHL’s defensive rookie of the year, led the league in assists among all players, led all D in scoring with 81 points in 63 games, while making a ton of plays on the move. He was a positive at the QMJHL Top Prospects Game, too.
His game is defined by his effortless mobility. He can influence a lot of what happens on the ice because of his skating. Defensively, he uses it to gap up, surf, get back to pucks and then shake pressure and either carry the puck out of the zone or quickly move it. Offensively, he uses it to bend and shape coverage, walk the line and maneuver out of pressure. I’ve heard there’s some size in his family, too, so there could be more growth and development in front of him. He’s just a smart, smooth, modern defenseman who doesn’t give back as much as his sub-6-foot counterpart Q defenseman Xavier Villeneuve. I was very impressed by his ability to produce like he did this year while still playing within himself. Some wonder if he’s a byproduct of his team and environment a little still, but he has sold others and climbed a lot of lists.
Photo:
Moncton Wildcats / QMJHL
Ignatavicius is a fascinating story. He was born in Memphis, is from Lithuania and has played his junior and pro hockey in Switzerland. He was one of the youngest regulars in Switzerland’s top flight NL (which is a good league that competes financially with the best in Europe), has been solid when he has played for Genève-Servette and has been highly productive when he has played on loan with Thurgau in the second-tier SL. He also led Lithuania to World Juniors promotion from Division 2A to Division 1B with a team-high 14 points in five games, bullying the weaker competition (which featured Romania, Croatia, Great Britain, China and the Netherlands). He has already played for and scored with the senior national team, too.
Ignatavicius is a good skater who drives with the puck, works without it and has good hands and an NHL shot that allow him to finish when he gets the puck in the slot, on the flank or in open ice off the rush. He protects the puck well off his hip and continues to learn how to best use his size. He can play center and wing. His strength and drive are both pro tools. He competes well enough off the puck and has physical elements. He’s a tricky eval given his path, but I think he becomes interesting in the early second round.
Photo:
Monika Majer / Getty Images
Markus Ruck led the CHL in points (108) and assists (87), but comparisons and compatibility with his brother, who tends to be the more highly rated prospect, have also been talking points re: his status and projection as a prospect. Together, they’ve been on a tear over the last few months and are now in the midst of a second deep playoff run with the Tigers, with Markus functioning as the setup man for his twin brother and a rotation of high-end 2027-eligible linemates like Noah Davidson and Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll as well as signed Flames prospect Andrew Basha. He also played well at the WHL Prospects Game, where he registered two assists. I think him and Liam are actually quite close as prospects, though some have a big of a larger gap (I have spoken with people who are partial to Markus as well, even if that’s a minority).
Markus has played both center and the wing this year (sometimes moving over to get the twins with SGC or Davidson, who both play center) and is listed as a center. He’s not super proficient in the faceoff circle, but he’s one of coach Willie Desjardins’ top defensive players and a fixture on their penalty kill. He doesn’t take shifts off, works and has a great sixth sense in possession of where everyone is on the ice, opening up his vision and putting pucks into good spots for his teammates. And while he plays passer with Liam, he has a quick release himself when he uses it. The combination of his size (he’s the lighter of the two) and his skating (which has been an area of focus and is below average without being slow for me) has made some wonder if the production will translate, but the work ethic and IQ give him a real chance.
Photo:
Jenn Pierce / Calgary Hitmen
Dagenais was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 QMJHL draft and made headlines when he started his junior career with six goals, nine points and 23 shots in his first five games with the Remparts as a 16-year-old, getting scouts excited about this 6-foot-3 center with skill and scoring upside. His development was then clouded by multiple concussions, stagnant production and wonder about his pace (he’s a decent skater but needs to play with more tempo at times) and inconsistent habits/attention to detail. He was also one of the final cuts for Canada’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup team last summer, which, in hindsight, I think was a mistake. After a bit of a slower start to this year, his production ramped as the year went on. I thought he had a solid QMJHL Prospects Game, which included a game-high eight shots, a goal and the shootout winner, as well. And he was one of the standouts for Team CHL at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge for me. His U18 worlds were a bit of a mixed bag, indicative of him and his game. He started as Canada’s first-line left-winger, was moved to the third line after the first game, and then had a good second game and a strong start to the quarterfinal to get re-elevated to the first line in crunch time.
Dagenais is a pro-sized forward who, at his best, stays around and on the puck and shows confidence holding and shooting it. When he’s engaged, going to the net, winning board battles and stacking positive shifts, he looks like a future middle-sixer NHLer who’s going to score 20 goals. He has good skill. He’s a volume shooter and can impose himself physically when he’s ramped up, delivering reverse hits and bowling people over at times. He has work to do in the faceoff circle and to round out his game, though, leaving some with the view that he’s a wing. Teams will likely want him to become a potential penalty killer, which he doesn’t do right now, for example. But he goes to high-danger areas, he has a quick release, he protects the puck well along the wall and makes some low-to-high plays from below the goal line, he has comfortable hands, and he has pro attributes. I liked the way he played through more contact this season after that was a bit of a question I had, and he saw the results in a ton of drawn penalties and making himself more imposing out there. I think he’s starting to put it all together, but there are still times when he needs to be firmer/more focused out there.
I could see him going in the second half of the first round, but early on Day 2 feels more like the right range for me.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Cali, who played last year at the Jr. A level with the OJHL’s Milton Menace, was one of the bigger risers in the class in the first half. Then the chatter around him leveled off a little before picking back up and finishing with what I thought was a strong showing at U18s. He’s also one of the draft’s youngest players and was just a little more than a week away from being eligible for 2027 (though he’s also one of its most physically mature players, so I’m not sure he has the growth potential that other “young” draft eligibles have necessarily). He’s big and strong and was a first-round pick in the OHL draft, whose rights North Bay acquired from the Soo. He missed a chunk of the fall to injury, but when he was healthy, he was consistently effective for the Battalion.
He has pro attributes, including an NHL release, NHL size, good puck protection skills along the wall and a general sticktoitiveness and interior focus. He plays among the best chip-and-chase, forechecking, wall games in the draft, using his strong stride to go north, drive play into the offensive zone, and then go get pucks. He protects pucks against the wall and gets off the wall really well. He routinely gets up and under sticks and steals possession back with his strength. He has dexterity handling passes and bouncing pucks. He’ll make a good penalty killer up levels. He’ll go to the net, and he works to put himself in good spots on both sides of the puck. He’s not a natural playmaker, but a lot of the makings of a solid bottom-six NHL contributor are there, and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t become an effective role player. He’s going to play and that’s not what I’m necessarily searching for but I think he could be a really solid bottom-sixer at the next level.
Photo:
Terry Wilson / OHL Images
Piiparinen really impressed scouts with the maturity and roundedness of his game at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in the summer, putting him firmly into the first round after he was viewed as more of a second-round type coming out of U18 worlds and his season in Finland’s junior league last year. Hlinka has felt more and more like his high point since then. This season, he split time between Tappara’s pro team (which is a perennial contender, has multiple legit 2026 prospects in the organization and doesn’t give out ice time to young D easily), the junior level, and then the second-tier Mestis a little, playing to positive results against men — though only in 11-12 minutes per game. He came in and out of the lineup as an underager at the World Juniors as well, playing to a plus-6 rating (tied for second on the team) and one assist in just 13:27 average ice time across four of Finland’s seven games. At U18 worlds, he wore the “C” and led the Finns in average TOI at 21:02, but I wouldn’t say he had a positive tournament for his stock.
Piiparinen’s game doesn’t grab you with dynamic skill or elite skating, but he’s an August birthday who’s already very polished and has shown more offense at Finland’s junior level; he has played a more reserved/vanilla style at the pro level and at times internationally. Effectiveness is the name of his game. He gaps and defends well. He moves and skates well. He has a pro frame and game. He defends well man-to-man. He will make the right play more often than not. His puck movement is clean and efficient (though there are times he needs to move it quicker). His reads are typically sound. He projects as a solid two-way D who should continue to develop and add some more dimension to the strong foundation he has already established, but he’s too vanilla to warrant a first-round selection for me at this point.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
RHD
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Tier 4
Liiga U20
Shcherbakov is a big left-shot D who moves fairly well and made the jump from the MHL to pro this year in the VHL and KHL. He doesn’t have Radim Mrtka, Dimitri Simashev or Maveric Lamoureux levels of mobility for a rangy D (I’ve heard he’s taller than 6-foot-3), but he’s not heavy and clunky, either, with good feet walking the line and an ability to get back to pucks while also joining the rush as a trailer. His game is still pretty raw, and he has development ahead of him on both sides of the puck, but I’ve seen him carry pucks into the offensive zone and stop up and find the trailer, and his comfort over his feet at his size makes him intriguing for NHL clubs. He’s going to be watched closely this year as teams try to decide what level of prospect he is. Is he a bit of a project you work toward becoming a third-pairing NHL D, or can he be something more? I’m still not sure they know, either. He has looked promising in a regular shift in the VHL (15 minutes per game) and in the junior level MHL (where he has been productive and even run the power play), but has struggled a little in limited minutes in the KHL.
Goljer wore the “C” for Slovakia at Hlinka and U18 worlds (where he was a huge reason they made the gold medal game for just the second time ever), has been the top D for their ’08 age group and was a regular with Trencin’s pro club at Slovakia’s top flight this year. He also played at the World Juniors as a summer birthday underager this year; though he averaged just 13 minutes per game, he’ll be a big part of next year’s team. He’s a pro-built right-shot D with strong skating and two-way value. He moves well, he takes good routes defensively and he’ll jump into the attack in transition. Against his peers, he has played with a ton of confidence at the O-zone blue line, directing play, protecting pucks, playing to his backhand, trusting his big one-timer, driving down ice, competing defensively and escaping pressure. The consistency of that has been harder for him to find against men at times. His execution isn’t always there, and he’ll have the odd brain cramp, but he has a lot of attributes and fits as a second-round pick in this class.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
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Tier 4
Slovakia
Vanecek scored double-digit goals and led a low-scoring Tri-City team’s blue line in points this season as an import rookie in the WHL. He’s a strong-bodied left-shot defenseman who has a hard point shot (wrister, slapper and one-timer), played on both special teams and appeared in some games with Czechia’s U20 team as a 17-year-old, though he didn’t ultimately make the World Junior roster as a draft-eligible. He was also the No. 1 D at U18 worlds and led the team to a bronze medal, making some big plays in their biggest games/moments. He’s not super physical, but he competes, he can move and shoot pucks, he skates well and he quickly figured things out in North America. He’ll also try things one-on-one and plays with confidence, though I’m not convinced he has PP skill up levels, which made me a little resistant to ranking him in the first round when there started to be some chatter about him there in the late fall. He’s a good player and a worthy second-round pick who plays the game with intention and has some pro tools.
Alalauri has been a staple of Finland’s ’08 age group from the Youth Olympics into U17s, two U18 worlds (first as one of two underagers on the team and then as Finland’s No. 2 D in TOI and wearing an “A” on his jersey), Hlinka and their international schedule throughout this year, which he played mostly very well in. A UMass commit, he also played big minutes in all situations and drove play for the Pelicans’ U20 team this season. He played 22-23 minutes per game at the Hlinka, registering four points in five games (tops among D and second on the team), and has played 22-23 minutes per game domestically and internationally this season. His game has lacked consistency at times, but he has really impressed me in some viewings.
He skates well, which is a theme among the trio of Finnish D I have ranked here, and he has pro size and tools. There are games where he impacts play at both ends and games where he creates a lot of offense. But there are others where he looks off, makes mistakes, doesn’t play hard enough and can cough up pucks trying to do too much. I don’t quite know what to make of him, despite a strong track record of production and some pro attributes. He has reminded me a little of 2025’s Logan Hensler, who has always been a tough eval. He should be picked in the first three rounds, though, because of his attributes and international pedigree. If he weren’t committed to college, it would have been nice to see him in some pro action this year to sort through the weeds a little more with him.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
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Tier 4
Liiga U20
Macbeath, a Denver commit, took the BCHL-to-NCAA route before CHL eligibility opened up and he landed with his hometown Hitmen, who acquired him from the Memorial Cup-host Kelowna Rockets in a package for Sharks third-rounder Carson Wetsch. After he registered 34 points in 53 games to be named to the BCHL All-Rookie Team last year, he stepped right into the WHL and averaged 23-24 minutes per game this season, breaking 50 points (tops among Hitmen D) and contributing on both the PP and PK. That made him a riser this year, even though I thought he was just OK in the WHL playoffs and at U18 worlds.
Macbeath’s skating is an asset. He has a wide base to his stride and skates quite well through his balanced posture. He moves well going forward and backward, and can fall back and switch between them. He walks the line smoothly and can side-step the first layer of pressure. He moves pucks cleanly and sees the ice well on breakouts, keeping his eyes up. He has good defensive details on pinches and box-outs. He doesn’t have dynamic skill or physicality to his game, but he projects as a two-way type up levels, and he handled tough assignments well as a first-year player this year because of his skating and good stick. He’s a second-rounder.
Photo:
Jenn Pierce / Calgary Hitmen
Pugachyov is a pro-sized forward who plays a pro style, has pro attributes and can be relied upon in all areas. While his MHL production doesn’t pop, he was one of Nizhny Novgorod’s best players when I watched him this year at the junior level and has scored in both the VHL and KHL, where he had excellent underlying results in 9-10 minutes per game. Scouts like the player/profile.
Pugachyov is a worker who skates well, protects pucks well and can both go get pucks and then make a play off the wall to his linemates. He has shown some creativity/handling elements off the rush, and competes within a very physically involved game that will work on the smaller North American sheet when he eventually comes over; he’s signed through the end of the 2027-28 season at the moment, so don’t expect that anytime soon. He’s not a premium prospect, but he looks like a projectable bottom-six contributor in the NHL and has been a top player in Russia’s ’08 age group. He’s a safe bet to play games even if he won’t have a ton of offense, and the front of Tier 5 feels appropriate for him.
Photo:
Vladimir Astapkovich / AP
Tier 5
The No. 1 goalie prospect in the class to me, Borichev has put up a career .931 save percentage in the MHL across 26 games over parts of the last two seasons with Yaroslavl. He also played well at the Future Cup in November with Russia’s U18 team, pitching a 19-save shutout against Kazakhstan’s U20 team and coming in in relief against Russia’s U20 team. He’s a June birthday who carries some weight but moves quite well in the net, with strong pushes, active feet, and quick reaction time off rebounds and in scrambles. He can lose his lines at times but through dexterity, anticipation, reads, tracking, athleticism, and good hands and feet, has the tools and talent to become a future NHL goalie.
Gashilov got off to a torrid start to the season in the MHL (albeit in a weaker division of it), and while it slowed a little, he still finished the year as one of the league’s leading scorers. And when you watch his games back it, it doesn’t look like a fluke. Even as it leveled out a little, he remained one of the MHL’s top offensive players and had one of the more productive draft-age seasons of recent memory in the league. He has great hands and one-on-one skill and has scored some highlight-reel goals this season, dancing around guys. He also has a dangerous release and accurate wrister off the flank on the power play.
His game really tilts offense, and he’s going to have to work to round it out (he can be a little lazy) and get quicker/play with more pace, but he’s decent in the faceoff circle and has the playmaking and the frame, which he’ll have to fill out. As a late September birthday who is one of the oldest first-year eligibles in the class, scouts wanted to see him create offense at the pro level a little this year, which he didn’t do, but he was one of the most dangerous players in the MHL all season, and his talent puts him in this range for me. Whether he goes there is still to be determined. NHL Central Scouting notably gave him a “C” rating, which “indicates a 4th/5th round candidate” and then ranked him No. 36 among international skaters on their final list.
Nemec, the younger brother of 2022 Devils No. 2 pick Simon, followed a similar path in his early years, making his debut at Slovakia’s top pro level with HK Nitra at 16 and then playing and contributing more regularly at 17 and 18. He has now made the decision his big brother never did, though, leaving Nitra after the World Juniors, where he had five points in five games and was good but not a standout, to make the move to the OHL Sudbury Wolves, where he played to a point per game on a sub-.500 team.
He’s a decently skilled and opportunistic winger who isn’t dynamic but can make plays for himself when opportunities present. He also just does a really nice job getting open and finding his way onto pucks around the slot area, and reads the game at an advanced level. His game has some mature details to it at a young age, despite still needing to physically mature. He has good instincts on and off the puck, plus a quick release and good hands to finish off plays. His skating has looked average to me dating back to my first live viewings two U18s worlds ago, but he works, competes, engages himself and finishes his checks, which produces positive results. He has already produced against men at an early age (though his usage didn’t go up this year, and he played less for Nitra than Chrenko). I thought he made some plays at his second U18s in Texas last spring as well: he finished with four points in seven games while playing with 2025 draft eligibles. I like him, but I’m not sure he has an obvious NHL role/projection at the moment, which makes him more of a mid-round pick despite a decent track record/career arc to this point. I just want to see him develop more of a defining quality to his game. He needs to fill out, too.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Trejbal was a standout for a talented Phantoms team in stretches of this season, posting a .916 save percentage across 42 games and a league-best 2.12 GAA after coming over from Czechia’s U20 level with Litvinov. That play won him the USHL’s Goaltender of the Year award as a rookie. He’s a rangy 6-foot-4 goalie who is committed to UMass and moves quite well in the net for his age and size. His blend of size, athleticism, tracking and poise make him one of only two goalies I view as top-two-rounds worthy in this class. He’s going to have to fine some of his habits and learn to be a little more controlled and compact at times, but the tools and technical ability are all there and I thought long and hard about ranking him in the 40s/50s here.
Photo:
Michael Miller / Getty Images
Cover is a fascinating story. He grew up in the Cayman Islands, where there are no rinks, and became a roller hockey star who has played professional inline hockey in the United States. He still spends his summers on Grand Cayman and didn’t start playing ice hockey full-time until a few years ago. After enroling at St. Andrew’s College and playing prep school hockey, he played three games for the London Knights last season and made the full-time jump to the OHL for his draft year. It still very much looks like he’s learning the game at times, too.
Those who’ve worked with him describe him as very raw. He has great puck skills in traffic, with a slippery and elusive quality from his roller hockey background. He’s also highly creative on the ice, with a willingness to put pucks into spaces and try things one-on-one. There are times when he needs to get his teammates more involved and simplify, but it’s not because he doesn’t process it quickly. There are also times when he can overhandle it and try to do too much, but I think that’s just habitual for him. He looks a little like a roller skater in his stride, too, skating from the knees more than the hips, though he’s a great athlete, and continued improvements to his mechanics should make him an interesting skater. He has also come along quickly; he has talent and size. He has been one of the more productive players for a different-looking London team this year, even if his numbers don’t pop. NHL teams are watching him closely, and while I’m not yet buying into some of the late-first chatter that has been out there at times, the longer runway he should have definitely makes him appealing, and I thought about ranking him a little higher here.
He’ll return to London next year and then will take the college route (he has committed to Penn State).
Photo:
Luke Durda / OHL Images
I have mixed feelings about Rogowski — an MSU commit who got an “A” rating from NHL Central Scouting in their preliminary players to watch list and then ranked No. 14 on their midseason list of North American skaters and No. 21 on their final list — and I’m not the only one. Some see a 6-foot-7 center with good hands and skating who played big minutes for the Gens as a go-to player this season on both their power play, where he has the dexterity and soft skill to play the net-front and get sticks on tips and rebounds, and their penalty kill. Others see a big player who doesn’t involve himself or impose himself nearly enough for their liking and are turned off by his lack of intensity — a concern many also had with Bruins first-rounder Dean Letourneau, who has now figured it out, but Letourneau had even more skill/finesse/athleticism at the same age.
Rogowski does get low into an active base in his stride for his size. He does read and anticipate play well defensively. He will make little plays around the net. I’ve seen him play a lot in the OHL and internationally (including most recently at U18s, where he was just OK but also apparently dealing with a wrist injury), and I fit more into the latter camp, though the tools obviously make him interesting. We’re also exiting out of a couple of drafts where big OHLers Kieron Walton and Ilya Protas have become top prospects for their organizations, though I’m very confident Rogowski is more in the Walton tier if things progress than the Protas tier. Development will be key for Rogowski, and he’ll be in good hands at Michigan State, which helps. He’s a fine-to-good prospect. I just don’t think he’s a top-40 one.
Photo:
Terry Wilson / OHL Images
Vandenberg, a Providence commit, made the move from the USHL with Cedar Rapids to the OHL with Ottawa this season and was a top player on a top team with the 67’s while playing mostly with two other rookies and creating a lot of the offense for himself. He’s one of the youngest players in the draft, born just a week from eligibility for 2027. At U18 worlds with Canada, he started as the 3C and then found a role as a 2C; he was better earlier in the tournament than later, though and struggled to break through offensively in the quarterfinal.
While he’s average-sized, the details and habits are already there, he puts himself in good spots and he excels in the faceoff circle. He wins races and plays with jump. He applies puck pressure. He played tough matchups and performed in all situations on a consistent basis. He doesn’t have a standout trait or attribute, and is a 5-11ish center who isn’t particularly physical, though he does work very, very hard and doesn’t give up on plays. Some wonder what he is at the next level, even if they like the player, his commitment and his consistency. He has an NHL release, he’s a smart player (though I find he can get a little too hurried at times with the puck and skate himself into bad ice), he works and the development runway and progression are noteworthy enough to belong in the second or third round.
Photo:
Terry Wilson / OHL Images
My top-ranked overager in the draft, Barabanov finished fourth in the OHL in scoring this year, registering 28 goals, 63 assists and 91 points in 68 games as the Spirit’s first-line center, often playing between Nikita Klepov (2026) and Dima Zhilkin (2027). He’s a heady, skilled and competitive who was named the Western Conference’s second-smartest player and its No. 1 playmaker in the OHL Coaches Poll this year.
A former Penn State commit who is now considering his options, Barabanov sees the ice at an advanced level, finding his way around the offensive zone in possession and then making plays from the outside in. He looks like a bit of an awkward skating, and presents a little lanky, but he’s stronger than he looks and still gets around the ice quite well. And while I wouldn’t say competitiveness defines his game in the way it does Zhilkin’s, he’s willing to compete. His game is primarily about his good skill, his offensive know-how (in terms of spacing, timing, reads, anticipation), and his ability to break down coverage.
Photo:
Natalie Shaver / OHL Images
Steiner had a strong season last year as a rookie in the QMJHL with Rouyn-Noranda, where he registered 60 points in 57 games. He also played well at his first of two World Juniors for Switzerland despite going scoreless in four games. Then he got off to a good start in the Q this year as well before suffering an upper-body injury (shoulder) that came with a six-to-12 week timeline for recovery. And after his production cooled off a little in his earlier-than-expected return to action, it then ramped back up and he finished with 30 goals and 55 points in just 44 games, though he did have a tougher time producing against good teams in the playoffs. He again played well at his second World Juniors, too, leading the Swiss with 17 shots on goal in five games.
Steiner is a short but strong and stocky winger who plays a physical, competitive, almost power-forward game, while also having the skill and finesse of a smaller player. He moves his feet. He’s sturdy for his age over pucks. He can play the flank or the bumper on the power play and has a heavy wrister and a one-touch shot. He wants the puck. He’s a strong skater through his compact crossovers. He looks like a player already and plays a bit of a power game for a sub-6-foot forward. He’s a Day 2 pick as a shorter winger, but I’ve liked watching him over the last couple of years, and he’s more than meets the eye as a player.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Valentini was a top prospect through minor hockey who decided to take the tried-and-true Chicago Steel to Michigan Wolverines path before CHL eligibility opened up. He was also briefly signed with the Kitchener Rangers for his draft year before accelerating to play in the NCAA, a decision which surprised some observers who thought he could benefit from a season in the OHL but quieted with consistently solid contributions on a top team in the country. He has worn a letter and been an important player for Canada at U17s, the Hlinka and U18s, and was named one of Canada’s top three players of the tournament in Slovakia at the latter. He stays around it, works, keeps his feet moving and broke the 10-goal mark (the barometer of a good college season) as a 17-year-old freshman (as the highest-scoring 17-year-old in college hockey, too).
Valentini is a small but strong forward (he can play both center and the wing) who plays with pace and intention and has good habits off the puck, supporting play effectively defensively. His stride can look a little short and compact, but he buzzes around the ice with quick feet and strong crossovers. He also protects pucks well on his forehand and backhand and has an admirable wall game for his size and a hard wrister. Offensively, Valentini has good hands and great sense, finding his teammates quickly and putting pucks into good spots for them. He’s a smart, well-rounded offensive player who’s a legit player in the ’08 age group and has some pro attributes. He has some poise and will play into contact. The motor is real. Teams are just trying to figure out if he’ll have a role to play in the NHL at his size and with some elements of his skating (his edges) that he needs to work on. His work rate should help him, though. He involves himself. He has a little Denver Barkey in him, and Barkey was a late-third-round pick. I think he’s a worthy mid-round pick, but it’s not an easy profile to climb the ladder with, even if he’s a very likable player when you watch him.
Read more in our feature here.
Photo:
Nick Wosika / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Holmertz really caught my eye at U17 worlds and hovered around a point per game at the J20 level last season with Linköping while playing center as a 16-year-old. While he didn’t grab me as much this year or really take that next step, his skill flashed more in the second half, earning him some SHL games, albeit in very limited minutes.
Holmertz is a standout skater through his edges and in and out of cuts, but also has natural pull-away speed. He’s not explosive in the powerful skater way, but he makes guys miss. He’s more of a playmaker than a play finisher, but he’s talented and very noticeable on the puck for how smooth he is as both a skater and stickhandler. He can shoot it, too, and boasts a quick release when he wants to. He makes a lot of crafty little plays inside the offensive zone to put pucks into space for his linemates, too, and also has quick hands to create for himself in space or traffic. He’s not the most intense competitor and can kind of play within the flow of the game at times, but he’s smart off the puck, penalty killed regularly this season, and has offensive talent, skating, skill and feel for the game. I’ve been drawn to him when I’ve watched him play at times, even if he’s viewed as more of a late-round pick than the mid-round one I’ve seen.
Photo:
Pär Olert / Sipa via AP Images
Dravecky was a top player for Rögle’s J20 team and the Czech national U18 team last year across multiple events, playing big minutes (often 20-25 per game) and adding penalty killing to his power-play role with Rögle as the season went on. He even got a taste of the SHL. He looked good with Czechia’s U20 team in their exhibitions against Finland and Switzerland in the summer as well. This season, he made the move from Rögle to the OHL with the title-chasing Bulldogs, where he played in all situations early on and has run both of their power-play units in stretches, but has naturally seen his role reduced after they added to their stacked blue line at the deadline. He didn’t play much in his first World Juniors, but projects to run one of Czechia’s power plays next year.
Dravecky is talented and confident on the puck, absorbing pressure well and completely unafraid to try things. His game comes with some risk and some turnovers, but he has the tools to attack and make things happen, and is already drawing interest from college programs. He can set up the next play with the puck in his hands or make plays for himself. He’s sturdy and a strong skater going forward with a hard shot and an athletic build. He likes to attack and challenge, and has scored some beautiful goals in each of the last two seasons, though there are times when I want to see him move it quicker, and he can try to force the issue. He looks like a pro in a lot of important ways, though, and passes and moves it crisply. He also walks the line well and can jump into the play with his feet, though he does need to work on his rush defense and his decision-making on and off the puck. He gaps up quickly on his heels and likes to close and take away time in the neutral zone, but can lack polish defensively. He also plays within a really wide base that has some advantages in battles but disadvantages against speed, though he is a strong skater himself. He’s not for everybody but looks like a typical second- or third-rounder to me. In another situation, I think he would have been a point per game D (or close) somewhere else in the OHL.
He has the bloodline too, as his dad, Vladimir Sr., is a legend in Czechia and still playing at 40. Those who know him credit Sr. for his son’s talent and work ethic.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Berchild wore the “C” at times for USA’s U17s last year and was productive playing up with the U18s, including a strong showing with eight points in seven games at U18 worlds. He’s a short but stocky and skilled scoring forward — he has played more wing than center but can play both — who played on USA’s first line for most of his career at the NTDP. He also rose to the level of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge and the Chipotle All-American Game, and finished with four goals and six points in five games at U18 worlds, where he was named one of USA’s top three players of the tournament. He reminds me a little of NTDP alum Ike Howard, though he hasn’t been quite as productive in his time at the program, and I think he’s more competitive and a little less skilled. He got off to a slow start this season while dealing with injury, and at his size, you have to continue to produce. It did come on, but it probably won’t be enough to be more than a mid-to-late round pick.
Berchild has legit one-on-one puck skill and handles and has scored some pretty goals beating D over the last couple of years, though, and I thought he made some guys miss again laterally at U18s. He finds his way out of trouble and has some real creativity on the puck and an ability to play under triangles. He’s strong for a 5-9/10 winger. He plays to the interior and has a nose for the net. On the puck, he’s confident and plays to challenge and threaten inside the offensive zone and off the rush. He has a dangerous shot that comes off his blade hard. He’s really comfortable going backhand and playing small area games/pucks into space. Off the puck, he has some hustle and some hardness, regularly winning battles against bigger players through body positioning, hard stick lifts and work ethic. He’ll also get open and has a good first touch. He’s a good skater. His strong one-timer and scorer’s instincts give him power-play utility. There are times when he can try to do too much, but he’s a gamer who stays around it. He also penalty killed for the program this year in stretches.
If he were a couple of inches taller, he’d be a second-round talent. I trust that he’ll be well-developed at Denver after the NTDP. At this point on the list, all of the prospects have some translation questions, and I’ve liked Berchild more than most of them in my viewings.
Photo:
Rena Laverty / USA Hockey’s NTDP
Mutryn is an athletic 6-foot-3 forward who can play both center and wing and who can skate. He impressed at U17 worlds, scoring twice in the bronze medal game and drawing praise from scouts at the time and was named captain for Team USA at U18s this year. A July 2008 birthday, he has a pro frame already and a strong skating stride. He’s committed to Boston College, plays a committed two-way game and is competitive. He’s quite physical, regularly knocking opposing players over. His wall play and cycle game are both effective. He has learned to play the net front on the PP well over the last two years and shows some touch and feel around the net and sliding passes through the crease. Mutryn’s offense and playmaking aren’t ever going to be defining attributes but he just looks like he’s going to be a bottom-six NHLer. He’ll make the occasional play at pace as well.
Photo:
Rena Laverty / USA Hockey’s NTDP
Elofsson, with Lin, Villeneuve and Bleyl, is one of four sub-6-foot defensemen of note in the 2026 class, a year after none were taken in the 2025 draft at all. He led the Hlinka in assists in the summer and finished tied for second in tournament scoring with 11 points in five games, and was extremely productive at the J20 level the last two seasons. This year, he produced like a top forward domestically and internationally and earned some SHL time. His game has more flaws than the others, though, too, and he’s the smallest of the bunch. He also really disappointed me with his play at U18 worlds in Slovakia, turning over pucks, making mistakes defensively, and shying away from contact at times; he finished as a sheltered No. 7, though he made a big play in the gold medal game.
Elofsson is very skilled on the puck, with great hands and a real evasiveness shaking past opponents. He makes a lot of plays inside the offensive zone and off the rush, breaks pucks out with poise under pressure and is an impressive talent. He wants to take pucks to the interior and isn’t satisfied on the perimeter, too, though he also has the vision to make east-west plays from out wide or the point. He’s going to have to prove he can defend against pros and make plays with his current volume without his current volume of turnovers. I’ll be fascinated to see where he goes because he grabs your attention out there, but he’s certainly not for everyone. The skill level is legit, but he’s clearly the fourth-best prospect of the four smaller D in this class.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Di Iorio, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 OHL draft after Belchetz, is an average-across-the-board and intelligent center who has good hands and some soft skill and work ethic. He has played at five separate events for Hockey Canada already, leading them in scoring at the Youth Olympics, and wearing a letter at U17s and Hlinka and a second U18s, the first of which he made some plays in (with some looks that didn’t fall, including a clean crossbar in the gold medal game) a limited role in and the second of which I really liked him on the penalty kill but but wanted him to manufacture more at five-on-five as the 4C.
He has quick crossovers and room to add muscle. He can play out wide, and I’ve seen him pick corners from mid-range with his curl-and-drag wrister (he has a decent shot, though I expected him to score more than he did this year) and facilitate with his good feel as a passer, but he’s also sneaky strong on stick lifts and willing to go to inside ice. I like his defensive instincts, and he’s willing to block shots. But he just doesn’t seem to convert on his chances enough, and at 6-foot, I’m not sure what he is up levels. In fairness to him, his draft year was delayed after he hurt his elbow prior to the season, and it was hard for him in Sarnia this year with the team’s lack of depth. He’s a hard eval with the injury and the team context because he can look like a player when he’s at his best, and he’s generally well-liked, but he also hasn’t gotten better at the rate many expected he would.
Photo:
Natalie Shaver / OHL Images
Mbuyi, a Penn State commit, is the reigning OHL Rookie of the Year and was named captain of the Attack midway through this year. He was a star with the Toronto Marlboros in minor hockey, and then scored 29 goals and 52 points in 63 games with Owen Sound last year, both second on the Attack. This year, he broke 30 goals and led the Attack in scoring, creating a lot of his own offense. But he started the Hlinka as a scratch for Canada, and that question about where he fits in a lineup up levels is going to follow him fairly or unfairly; he was also left off of Canada’s U18 worlds roster despite being available to play because of those questions of role/fit into a forward group at that level, despite his production suggesting he should be there. He plays with drive, intensity and work rate, buzzing around the ice to make things happen and will plays into existence. He can be scrappy. He’s a standout skater, shooter and handler who can attack off the rush, wind around the offensive zone and strike with his release. But how effective will he be, or can he be, as an NHLer? That’s what teams will ask themselves on draft day, and he’ll have to answer it over and over again with his play. Cameron Schmidt went at the end of the third round in 2025 to the Stars, and he had more international pedigree, though Mbuyi is also a more well-rounded player and a little taller. I think about other recent third-round 5-foot-10ish wings like Nick Lardis a little, too. He’s a fun player to watch in the OHL but remains a bit of a long shot.
Photo:
Terry Wilson / OHL Images
Tier 6
Schairer, a BU commit, is an athletic right-shot defenseman who impressed scouts in international play with the U17s last year at all three of the U17 worlds, the December Five Nations and the February Five Nations, making plays and playing with confidence, and a bit of brashness, against his peers. I think that — particularly the U17s in Sarnia last fall — did buoy him a little too long, though, and I’ve been less convinced in my viewings since, but another strong showing at a big event at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge did help his case, and he was solid in his 18:30 per game at U18 worlds. I was admittedly a little surprised that NHL Central Scouting gave him an “A” rating to start the year.
He has often shown me that he and his game have some growing to do. He has the frame and skating, but I’m not entirely sure what his identity is or what his role is at the next level because he’s probably not an offensive type or a lockdown defensive type, and I’m not sure he fully knows how to be the two-way type quite yet. I’ve seen him make plays (he scored a beautiful overtime winner against Czechia at U17s, but again, that was a long time ago), but I also waited for him to separate from a weak NTDP age group and blue line, and while he was one of their better players down the stretch, he didn’t separate and become a minute-eating stud. He loves to force the issue and isn’t shy to drive play down ice himself or activate as a fourth forward into the rush, but he often skates himself into trouble in the process, and the results just aren’t there. He has some step-up physicality to his game and the pro body. The tools are there, and I do think there’s a possibility they reveal themselves more in college as he gets more coaching and time to work out the kinks. It’s just a matter of when in the draft you want to roll the dice on him figuring it all out, especially when a lot of it is between the ears. I felt the front of Tier 6 was that range for me.
Photo:
Rena Laverty / USA Hockey’s NTDP
My only note in my notebook on Pantelas coming out of U17s in Sarnia two falls ago was “good player,” but that has only held up in some (I’ll get to that) of viewings since. I thought he played well in his role as the No. 7 on a deep blue line at Hlinka and at the WHL Prospects Game, where he scored. I’ve seen him play a very capable and two-way game at times in Brandon. But he really struggled at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge, both moving/handling pucks (a litany of turnovers and bobbles) and defending, and those issues have cropped up at times in Brandon as well. He was also cut from Team Canada’s camp ahead of U18s, signaling the way many have cooled on him. His production early on this season, which showed promise and came as a surprise to some, myself included, also came back down to earth over time. The Wheat Kings played him 22-23 minutes per game, and it has been nice to see him contribute there and show some poise on the puck at times, on top of his defensive responsibilities, which he did establish last year, struggles in Calgary and Lethbridge aside.
He’s a pro-sized D who skates well, defends hard, has an active and disruptive stick and does a decent job gapping up and angling opposing players. His puck play is definitely vanilla, but he’ll get shots through. There was some late first/early second chatter in the fall, but he belonged lower than that at the time and certainly does now. He projects as a potential depth defenseman but he has some imperfections he needs to work through. His results in Brandon have been quite strong but I thought about excluding him from this top 64, and would have if there were more players I liked in this class.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Svensk is an excellent skater who played for Finland at U18 worlds in Texas last spring and got reps with the U20 national team and his pro club team this season, while producing to a point per game as a D in their junior level. He’s not the biggest defender, but he battles and competes and can have a bit of a chip on his shoulder at times. His game really revolves around his mobility, though. He plays tight gaps, closes early and often, can go back and get pucks, can skate pucks out of trouble, joins the rush in transition and walks the line effortlessly. He also has good hands and feel on the puck, with an ability to make plays at pace and in and out of traffic. He’s on the older side of the draft, he’s going to need to get stronger to play his style up level and he’s going to be a late-round pick (NHL Central Scouting gave him a “W” rating in their preliminary players to watch list, which “indicates a 6th/7th round candidate,” and then ranked him No. 87 on their final international skaters list), but this is four straight rankings I’ve felt he belonged at the back of my list.
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