NHL Central Scouting released its final rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft class Thursday.

Penn State winger Gavin McKenna tops its list of North American skaters, while Frölunda winger Ivar Stenberg ranks first on the list of international skaters.

Here are the top 10 players on both rankings, plus some thoughts from our draft expert Scott Wheeler.

North American skaters final rankings
Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State University
Chase Reid, RHD, Soo Greyhounds
Carson Carels, LHD, Prince George Cougars
Keaton Verhoeff, RHD, University of North Dakota
Daxon Rudolph, RHD, Prince Albert Raiders
Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford Bulldogs
Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University
Nikita Klepov, RW, Saginaw Spirit
Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor Spitfires
Ilia Morozov, C, Miami University

Find the full list here.

International skaters final rankings
Ivar Stenberg, RW, Frölunda HC
Alberts Smits, LHD, EHC Munchen
Oliver Suvanto, C, Tappara
Viggo Bjorck, C, Djurgarden
Elton Hermansson, RW, MoDo
Juho Piiparinen, RHD, Tappara
Malte Gustafsson, LHD, HV71
Marcus Nordmark, LW, Djurgarden
Gleb Pugachyov, RW, Nizhny Novgorod
Simas Ignatavicius, RW, Geneve-Servette

Find the full list here.

Reid takes over as top D in North America

On NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings, Keaton Verhoeff was the No. 1-ranked D in North America. Now that’s Chase Reid, and Verhoeff has fallen to fourth on the list and third among D behind Reid and Carson Carels.

That reflects my upcoming list and the view of most scouts I’ve talked to about those three recently. The college game revealed some weaknesses in Verhoeff’s game (particularly in his boots and decision-making), while Reid has built momentum over the last two years with continued development defensively around his impressive offensive package.

Risers

I was happy to see Nikita Klepov, who led the OHL in scoring this season, rise from No. 16 in North America on NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings to No. 8. He’s a favorite of mine and possesses top-six talent. He has gone from late-first/second-round pick to top-20 candidate.

Shifty NTDP standout Wyatt Cullen and 2024 Q No. 1 pick Maddox Dagenais have also strengthened their first-round cases over the course of this season, and they’re No. 13 and No. 15, respectively, on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking for North America.

The Ruck twins also both rose, with Liam moving from No. 26 to No. 20 in North America and Markus rising from No. 31 to No. 23. Scouts are partial to Liam’s scoring tilt, but Markus led the CHL in scoring this year with 108 points. They’re 5-foot-11 forwards who work but lack the skating that teams prioritize in players of that size. They’re both going to be top-two-round picks, but where still feels up in the air. They’re in the midst of the WHL playoffs with Medicine Hat.

The sub-6-foot D

There has been a lot of talk about the trio of 5-foot-11-and-change CHL D this year, and NHL Central Scouting has them back-to-back-to-back on the North American list like this:

16. Ryan Lin, RHD, Vancouver Giants
17. Tommy Bleyl, RHD, Moncton Wildcats
18. Xavier Villeneuve, LHD, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada

Bleyl has debatably been the best D in the QMJHL this year, and his blend of consistency, playmaking, vision, feel, hockey sense and skating has deservedly pushed him into the conversation with Lin and Villeneuve, who’ve been names to watch for a couple of years.

The talented but 5-foot-10 Axel Elofsson landed all the way down at No. 29 on the international skaters list.

I still think Lin is the first one taken, but Bleyl might be the second.