The Winnipeg Jets didn\u2019t win the draft lottery. They won\u2019t be able to take Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 overall pick.<\/p>\n
The Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks\u2019 lottery wins pushed the Jets\u2019 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\u2019s still reason for hope.<\/p>\n
What this year\u2019s 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\u2019s big, mobile defencemen, such as Keaton Verhoeff or Daxon Rudolph, or one of the top-rated centres \u2014 if not Caleb Malhotra, then Tynan Lawrence or Viggo Bj\u00f6rck.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Carson Carels, LHD, Prince George (WHL)<\/p>\n
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 198 lbs
DOB:\u00a0June 23, 2008<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start Winnipeg\u2019s quest for its next gamebreaker two hours west of Canada Life Centre on the No. 2 highway. Pick up a snack at Ma\u2019s Drive In<\/a> and you\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019ll make smart, decisive plays all over the ice to kill opponents\u2019 attacks and start his team headed up ice. Carels has a big shot, which he used to score 20 goals for Prince George \u2014 fifth most by a defenceman in the WHL \u2014 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.<\/p>\n Most importantly, Carels can play a shutdown role with edge to his game, whether gapping tightly in transition or finishing plays along the boards.<\/p>\n \u201cThat attitude and that edge comes from the farm because if you don\u2019t have that, you might get ran over by a cow,\u201d Carels told\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s Scott Wheeler at the World Juniors.<\/p>\n If he\u2019s on the board when the Jets pick at No. 8, Winnipeg should take him and run.<\/p>\n Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford (OHL)<\/p>\n Height: 6-1 Malhotra was ranked 10th on Corey Pronman\u2019s rankings as recently as March<\/a>. He\u2019s since surpassed Bj\u00f6rck and Lawrence on most rankings, thanks in part to a dominant OHL playoffs: Malhotra scored 13 goals in 15 playoff games for Brantford \u2014 the fourth-most goals of all time by an OHL rookie in the playoffs \u2014 and added 13 assists in the run.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s dominated the OHL playoffs, Malhotra has shot up most draft rankings and projects to be the first centre taken off the board.<\/p>\n That bodes poorly for Winnipeg\u2019s odds of taking him at No. 8. Malhotra\u2019s NHL bloodline (via his dad, Manny Malhotra) and all-around play seem to assure he\u2019ll be long gone before then, but you can read more about Malhotra\u2019s rise here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alberts Smits, LHD, Jukurit (Liiga) \/ Munich (DEL)<\/p>\n Height: 6-3 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 good mobility, shutdown capabilities, a big shot, strong competitiveness \u2014 but his experience comes mostly from pro leagues overseas. Does his commitment to playing in Liiga, Germany, the Olympics, the World Juniors, and men\u2019s worlds reflect obsession in a positive way? For me, that\u2019s a green flag that demonstrates work ethic. For the Jets, Smits\u2019 impressive resume should warrant plenty of conversation at the combine in June.<\/p>\n Keaton Verhoeff, RHD, North Dakota (NCAA)<\/p>\n Height: 6-4 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n What makes Verhoeff special?<\/p>\n 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<\/a> 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\u2019s play<\/a> at the Frozen Four, citing decision-making issues.<\/p>\n 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n Daxon Rudolph, RHD, Prince Albert (WHL)<\/p>\n Height: 6-2 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\u2019s defenceman of the year award.<\/p>\n Rudolph\u2019s hockey sense and mobility lead the way for him offensively, while he\u2019s a strong but not physically dominant defender in his own zone. Compared to the other defenceman on this list, Rudolph\u2019s 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\u2019s more about reach and mobility than about brawn \u2014 he\u2019s not as mean as Carels is, for example \u2014 and should be able to defend well enough to play a top-four role.<\/p>\n Rudolph projects to be a first- or second-pairing defenceman who can quarterback a power play.<\/p>\n Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University (NCAA)<\/p>\n Height: 6-0
Weight: 182 lbs
DOB:\u00a0June 2, 2008<\/p>\n
Weight: 205 lbs
DOB:\u00a0Dec. 2, 2007<\/p>\n
Weight: 208 lbs
DOB:\u00a0June 19, 2008<\/p>\n
Weight: 206 lbs
DOB:\u00a0March 6, 2008<\/p>\n
Weight: 185 lbs
DOB:\u00a0Aug. 3, 2008<\/p>\n