The 2026 NHL Draft is officially in the books, and the first round brought plenty of strategic maneuvering, surprises, and franchise-altering talent. From Gavin McKenna going wire-to-wire as the top pick for the Maple Leafs to a heavy run on high-ceiling defensemen, the foundation for the league’s next decade is officially set.
But as you know here at Upside Hockey, we don’t just care about where a player was drafted—we care about what they will ultimately become after development beyond the draft.
To give you the clearest picture of this year’s first-rounders, we are pairing every pick below with their official Quantum Upside Player Card.
If you are new to the Quantum Upside Tool, this is our proprietary evaluation system designed to cut through the noise and project a player’s true NHL ceiling, as premiered in our Upside 2026 NHL Draft Guide (still available!). Rather than just relying on the scout’s eye test alone, our Quantum Upside system breaks down a prospect’s individual tools mathematically—analyzing elite traits, developmental runway, and pure talent to generate an overall Quantum Upside Score.
It is the clearest metric for visualizing exactly how much game-breaking potential a prospect possesses.
Here is how the first round played out, complete with the data behind the upside for all 32 selections. The Quantum Upside Player Card also notes where we had the prospect ranked.
1. Toronto Maple Leafs: Gavin McKenna, LW
2025-26 Team: Penn State (NCAA)
2. San Jose Sharks: Ivar Stenberg, LW
2025-26 Team: Frölunda HC (SHL)
3. Vancouver Canucks: Caleb Malhotra, C
2025-26 Team: Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)
4. Buffalo Sabres: Daxon Rudolph, D
2025-26 Team: Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
5. New York Rangers: Alberts Smits, D
2025-26 Team: EHC Red Bull Munchen (DEL)
6. Calgary Flames: Carson Carels, D
2025-26 Team: Prince George Cougars (WHL)
7. Seattle Kraken: Chase Reid, D
2025-26 Team: Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
8. Winnipeg Jets: Viggo Bjorck, C
2025-26 Team: Djurgårdens IF (SHL)
9. San Jose Sharks: Keaton Verhoeff, D
2025-26 Team: North Dakota (NCHC)
10. Nashville Predators: Wyatt Cullen, LW
2025-26 Team: USNTDP (USHL)
11. St. Louis Blues: Tynan Lawrence, C
2025-26 Team: Boston University (NCAA)
12. New Jersey Devils: Alexander Command, C
2025-26 Team: Orebro HK (SHL)
13. New York Islanders: Malte Gustafsson, D 2
025-26 Team: HV71 (SHL)
14. Columbus Blue Jackets: Oscar Hemming, LW
2025-26 Team: Boston College (NCAA)
15. Anaheim Ducks: Nikita Klepov, RW
2025-26 Team: Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
16. St. Louis Blues: Maddox Dagenais, C
2025-26 Team: Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
17. Utah Mammoth: Ethan Belchetz, LW
2025-26 Team: Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
18. Washington Capitals: Oliver Suvanto, C
2025-26 Team: Tappara (Liiga)
19. Los Angeles Kings: Elton Hermansson, RW
2025-26 Team: Modo Hockey (Allsvenskan)
20. Buffalo Sabres: Ilia Morozov, C
2025-26 Team: Miami RedHawks (NCHC)
21. San Jose Sharks: Ryan Lin, D
2025-26 Team: Vancouver Giants (WHL)
22. Pittsburgh Penguins: Liam Ruck, RW
2025-26 Team: Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
23. Detroit Red Wings: JP Hurlbert, LW
2025-26 Team: Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
24. Vancouver Canucks: Adam Novotny, LW
2025-26 Team: Peterborough Petes (OHL)
25. Ottawa Senators: Jonas Lagerberg Hoen, RW
2025-26 Team: Leksands IF (SHL)
26. Montreal Canadiens: Gleb Pugachyov, RW
2025-26 Team: Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)
27. Philadelphia Flyers: Maksim Sokolovsky, D
2025-26 Team: London Knights (OHL)
28. Anaheim Ducks: Marcus Nordmark, LW
2025-26 Team: Djurgårdens IF (SHL)
29. Vegas Golden Knights: Juho Piiparinen, D
2025-26 Team: Tappara (Liiga)
30. Calgary Flames: Jack Hextall, C
2025-26 Team: Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
31. Nashville Predators: Tommy Bleyl, D
2025-26 Team: Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
32. Ottawa Senators: Jaxon Cover, LW
2025-26 Team: London Knights (OHL)
Available Now! The Upside Guide to the 2026 NHL Draft
To honour the ultimate second-round steal Patrice Bergeron, we are offering an exclusive 37% discount for our Substack community. For this week only, use the code upside37 at checkout to unlock the entire 500+ page guide for just $9.95 (regularly $15.79).
Upside Hockey.
Draft. Develop. Dominate.
2027 NHL Draft Rankings: Ridiculously Early Top 32
Dynamic blueliner Landon DuPont, son of former NHLer Micki (drafted 270th overall by the Calgary Flames in the 2000 NHL Draft), may be the early favourite to go coast-to-coast as our number ranked prospect, though there is plenty more talent to get excited about for this upcoming draft class.