The Winnipeg Jets didn’t win the draft lottery. They won’t be able to take Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 overall pick.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks’ lottery wins pushed the Jets’ pick down from No. 7 to No. 8. McKenna, along with top-ranked defenceman Chase Reid and top Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg, will be off the board. But there’s still reason for hope.

What this year’s draft lacks in a dominant, Macklin Celebrini-type No. 1 overall pick, it makes up for with a deep group throughout most of the top 10. The Jets should be able to choose one of the draft’s big, mobile defencemen, such as Keaton Verhoeff or Daxon Rudolph, or one of the top-rated centres — if not Caleb Malhotra, then Tynan Lawrence or Viggo Björck.

There are still enough options for the Jets to draft a top-of-the-lineup player at No. 8, but who should the Jets take? Assuming McKenna, Reid and Stenberg are off the board, here are eight great potential choices for Winnipeg this summer.

Carson Carels, LHD, Prince George (WHL)

Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 198 lbs
DOB: June 23, 2008

Let’s start Winnipeg’s quest for its next gamebreaker two hours west of Canada Life Centre on the No. 2 highway. Pick up a snack at Ma’s Drive In and you’re about halfway to Cypress River, Man., where Carson Carels was born and the Carels family maintains their farm. The big, farm-strong, mobile left-shooting defenceman is among the least likely prospects on this list to make it as far as No. 8, but no one knows Manitoba better than a rural kid raised on calving and Manitoba socials.

The Pilot Mound Hockey Academy product is known for his all-around game, playing major minutes at even strength and on both special teams. He may not become a top power-play defenceman in the NHL, but scouts are confident he’ll make smart, decisive plays all over the ice to kill opponents’ attacks and start his team headed up ice. Carels has a big shot, which he used to score 20 goals for Prince George — fifth most by a defenceman in the WHL — and was a finalist for the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the WHL defenceman of the year. He also picked up one assist in five games at the World Juniors.

Most importantly, Carels can play a shutdown role with edge to his game, whether gapping tightly in transition or finishing plays along the boards.

“That attitude and that edge comes from the farm because if you don’t have that, you might get ran over by a cow,” Carels told The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler at the World Juniors.

If he’s on the board when the Jets pick at No. 8, Winnipeg should take him and run.

Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford (OHL)

Height: 6-1
Weight: 182 lbs
DOB: June 2, 2008

Malhotra was ranked 10th on Corey Pronman’s rankings as recently as March. He’s since surpassed Björck and Lawrence on most rankings, thanks in part to a dominant OHL playoffs: Malhotra scored 13 goals in 15 playoff games for Brantford — the fourth-most goals of all time by an OHL rookie in the playoffs — and added 13 assists in the run.

He was always thought of as a complete, all-around centre who could drive play against top competition, but a lack of top-end offensive potential held him back. Now that he’s dominated the OHL playoffs, Malhotra has shot up most draft rankings and projects to be the first centre taken off the board.

That bodes poorly for Winnipeg’s odds of taking him at No. 8. Malhotra’s NHL bloodline (via his dad, Manny Malhotra) and all-around play seem to assure he’ll be long gone before then, but you can read more about Malhotra’s rise here.

Alberts Smits, LHD, Jukurit (Liiga) / Munich (DEL)

Height: 6-3
Weight: 205 lbs
DOB: Dec. 2, 2007

Smits is bigger than Carels and played against men in different leagues this year, starting with Jukurit in Liiga and then joining Munich for its playoff run in Germany. The 18-year-old Latvian also represented his country at the 2026 Olympics and is expected to do so again at the men’s World Championships in May. Factor in games played at the junior level and Smits has played a lot of hockey, excelling against his peers and defending well against men in Liiga and the DEL.

Smits is projected as a top-pairing defenceman who competes extremely hard, makes a good first pass and has a big shot from the point. Scouting reports convey a rawness to his game, which seems expected when a teenager plays professional hockey against men. His profile is similar to Carels — good mobility, shutdown capabilities, a big shot, strong competitiveness — but his experience comes mostly from pro leagues overseas. Does his commitment to playing in Liiga, Germany, the Olympics, the World Juniors, and men’s worlds reflect obsession in a positive way? For me, that’s a green flag that demonstrates work ethic. For the Jets, Smits’ impressive resume should warrant plenty of conversation at the combine in June.

Keaton Verhoeff, RHD, North Dakota (NCAA)

Height: 6-4
Weight: 208 lbs
DOB: June 19, 2008

Verhoeff is next up in a draft class teeming with big, strong, mobile defencemen with the ability to help in all three zones. Pick the right one and Winnipeg’s top four snaps into place, with a top young addition to a group led by Josh Morrissey, Dylan Samberg and prospects like Elias Salomonsson and Sascha Boumedienne.

What makes Verhoeff special?

The right shot played a top-four role for UND, despite being the youngest defenceman in the NCAA last season. He scored four points in five games for Team Canada at the World Juniors, and was once thought of as the consensus No. 1 defenceman available in this draft class. Verhoeff defends hard, moves the puck well and has a great shot from the point, scoring 21 goals as a 16-year-old in the WHL last year before joining UND. Both of our analysts project a top-pair, power-play defenceman, although Wheeler was not enamored by Verhoeff’s play at the Frozen Four, citing decision-making issues.

When all else is equal, I tend to support taking younger prospects like Carels or Verhoeff. To me, even six months at 17 or 18 years old is substantial in terms of decision-making and mobility, particularly when a player is 6-4. That Verhoeff plays on the right side will also be a tiebreaker for some teams. I don’t think Verhoeff is a threat to surpass Jonathan Toews (No. 3, 2006) as the highest-drafted player from UND anymore, but he could be a strong pick at No. 8.

Daxon Rudolph, RHD, Prince Albert (WHL)

Height: 6-2
Weight: 206 lbs
DOB: March 6, 2008

Daxon Rudolph is the second straight right-handed defenceman on our list and is having an outstanding playoffs for Prince Albert in the WHL. Not only does Rudolph lead all WHL players in playoff scoring with 23 points in 15 games, but also he was a finalist (along with Carels) for the WHL’s defenceman of the year award.

Rudolph’s hockey sense and mobility lead the way for him offensively, while he’s a strong but not physically dominant defender in his own zone. Compared to the other defenceman on this list, Rudolph’s cerebral approach stands out. He has great hands and vision, attacking off the offensive blue line and finding seams through multiple layers of defenders. In the defensive zone, he’s more about reach and mobility than about brawn — he’s not as mean as Carels is, for example — and should be able to defend well enough to play a top-four role.

Rudolph projects to be a first- or second-pairing defenceman who can quarterback a power play.

Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University (NCAA)

Height: 6-0
Weight: 185 lbs
DOB: Aug. 3, 2008

Isn’t it about time we talked about a centre? How about Lawrence, the second-youngest player in the NCAA — who one proponent compared to Macklin Celebrini for the quality of his all-around game?

The Celebrini comparison is destined to rub some people the wrong way — Lawrence is a sensible pick at No. 8, not a generational talent — but Lawrence’s all-around game has impressed both of our analysts. Pronman writes that Lawrence “has the traits to be a great two-way play-driving top two line center in the NHL who can play in all situations.” Wheeler calls him “a future 2C your coach loves more than a true No. 1.” The characterization sounds like an ideal needs-based pick for the Jets, who have been searching for a second-line centre for most of their existence as a franchise.

The 17-year-old stands out for his skating, puck handling and, most of all, his work ethic. If Malhotra is long gone before the Jets pick, as anticipated, Lawrence will be the closest thing to an ideal centre available to Winnipeg in this year’s draft. His seven points in 18 games for Boston University won’t leap off the page, but Lawrence finished second in scoring for Team Canada at the U18 championships last month, with six points in five games. The Fredericton, N.B. product should be BU’s No. 1 centre next season.

Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor (OHL)

Height: 6-5
Weight: 228 lbs
DOB: March 30, 2008

Belchetz is massive, at over 6-5 and well over 200 pounds, and he’s only just turned 18 years old. Defencemen in the OHL struggled to contain him in battle situations, with Belchetz scoring 34 goals in 57 games for Windsor as a direct result. He has great hands — not just for his size, but for any player — and finishes plays from the most difficult areas of the ice. The hulking left wing is not a strong skater but his combination of power and skill will make him a playoff favourite if he makes it to the NHL. He projects as a top-six forward despite the skating concerns, and was on pace for 41 goals for the Spitfires before breaking his collarbone in March.

Viggo Björck, C, Djurgården (SHL)

Height: 5-9
Weight: 177 lbs
DOB: March 12, 2008

Björck is an undersized centre who is good at too many things to be left out of the discussion at No. 8. He skates well, handles the puck well, shows strong hockey sense, plays a two-way game and has already played against men for Djurgården in Sweden’s top league. He was also one of the top players at the World Juniors, where he won a gold medal, won the majority of his faceoffs and finished second to Stenberg on Team Sweden in scoring.

Björck’s scouting report reminds me of Marco Rossi, the 5-9 centre who has averaged 59 points per 82 games in the NHL over the past two seasons. It’s difficult for players at that size to dominate in the NHL unless they’re blazing-fast skaters — Björck falls just short of that — or they grow. Despite my concerns, Pronman and Wheeler each see Björck as having more upside than Rossi did as a prospect. He’s also recently been listed as 5-10 by Team Sweden, for whom he’s expected to play at the men’s World Championships.

Björck projects as a second-line centre as is, but there’s also a possibility he’ll grow a couple of inches based on his family’s heights. Gambling on bloodlines seems tricky — somebody has to be the smaller brother — but Björck is good enough for inclusion on this list based on his existing merits. He has won over coaches and teammates at all levels of play.

“He’s the youngest player on this team, and he plays like the oldest,” Djurgården teammate Anton Frondell told Wheeler this season. “He’s not the tallest guy, but he’s so strong. When he has the puck, it’s impossible to take it from him. His shot is incredible. On the power play, his hockey sense, his playmaking, it’s special. And he’s all-around, offensive and defensive.”