The 2026 NHL Draft is right around the corner. Sat on top of the summit and waiting for the sun, I want to take one last chance to get some thoughts out. We\u2019ll touch on rumors, sleepers, and a general vibe-based mock draft in the latest edition of our ramblings series – my place to dump out prospect thoughts. We won\u2019t waste time with the setup, let\u2019s get right in:<\/p>\n
The trade action will not slow down once day-one kicks off. There are talks of a lot of teams seeking a top-10 pick, including the St. Louis Blues, who are reportedly still all-in on trying to land Ivar Stenberg with San Jose\u2019s #2 pick. I expect three-or-four first-round picks – this year and next – to be on the table, but believe there is also an ask for another forward in the deal. I think this is a deal that could get done before the horn – but St. Louis is going to need a damn good pitch to pull it off.<\/p>\n
To that end, I expect Stenberg to go #2 just as much as I expect Gavin McKenna to go #1. Grier has thrown up his classic smoke screens but the league at large understands the talent in these top-two picks. I also think San Jose is very confident in getting exactly what they want -a puck-moving defender with PP upside – at #9. They are receiving calls for both picks, so the draft is still forming a bit. But the idea that Daxon Rudolph and Malte Gustafsson will be there at #9 makes any move a bit easier to accept. If San Jose sticks at the end of the top-10, I expect to hear one of those two names.<\/p>\n
The flow of rumors out of Toronto has been incessant over the last three months. It\u2019s hard to keep things straight with so much coming true (bringing back Sundin) and so much turning out false (the drive for Stenberg), all tidbits should be taken with a grain of salt. That makes me wonder about Matthew Knies – who could land Toronto just about anything they\u2019d like on the trade market. He\u2019s a young, physical scorer on the rise. As mentioned, San Jose wants a replacement for Eklund one way or another – and Toronto has been connected to the #2 pick. I also believe there was talk of Knies to Columbus before their acquisition of Nichushkin. I wouldn\u2019t say I expect Knies to get moved – but Toronto is weighing all options in search of a spark, and he could be a fun chip to throw in the middle.<\/p>\n
This one\u2019s more a question – but Vancouver has to take Caleb Malhotra, right? I don\u2019t see a world where they explain to his dad that they didn\u2019t like him enough\u2026 though, Manny would probably be the one to take it with a smile. Maybe I\u2019m just a sucker for some sentiment, but that pick is glued into any mock draft that I put together – even despite Vancouver sitting high on Reid too.<\/p>\n
The one player gaining steam as the draft heats up is Viggo Bjorck. He was being considered by teams on the fringe – but could now land in or near the top-five thanks to love from the Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, and Winnipeg Jets. The team most inconvenienced by this are the Pittsburgh Penguins, who reportedly love Bjorck\u2019s upside. I fully expect Dubas to be working the phones to try and trade for every pick between #2 and #8, should Bjorck stick around. I particularly wonder about a deal with Buffalo, who are still listening to offers despite a need for center and a love for Reid. The one question I\u2019m left with, though\u2026 is what would Pittsburgh give up? They aren\u2019t exactly swimming in value nowadays.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve said it all year but don\u2019t be surprised if Lithuania continues their streak of only-first-round picks with Simas Ignatavicius. He has sat high on some boards since November\u2026 top-20 on some by March\u2026 and apparently really impressed teams who spoke with him at the Combine. He\u2019s a hard-worker on the ice and a mass of muscle off the ice. Next to pro experience, I expect teams to love his projection. One team to keep an eye on is the Utah Mammoth, whose staff found Janis Jerome Moser out of Switzerland just a few years back.<\/p>\n
How about Tommy Bleyl, huh? What a season – genuine superstardom if you listen to the advanced statistics. I keep thinking of Ryker Lee, who grew like a weed and brought tons of skill into a very physically-underdeveloped package in his draft year. Bleyl offers much of the same and could keep his breakout rolling in much the same way. Teams seem to think the same as I’ve begun to hear his name more in reference to the mid-20s. That is a name I\u2019ll have in mind when Buffalo, Vancouver, San Jose, and Montreal step up to the dish.<\/p>\n
Casey Mutryn is another name gaining late-year buzz. Teams are very high on his physical game and stories of his leadership are beginning to ring louder. My faith is a bit stronger that he\u2019ll land on day one. I feel similar about Ben MacBeath, who is the unsung winner of a crowded blue-line in Denver. He will have a great partner who compliments his game, rather than shadowing it. I think he could sneak into day one with a team who trusts the projection.<\/p>\n
Speaking of, we are going to see some fireworks in the 20s. Maksim Sokolovskii, Tobias Trejbal, Nikita Shcherbakov, and Jaxon Cover are all causing some pause among scouts. There is a world where they\u2019re all second-round names – but I wouldn\u2019t be shocked if any one of them is among the surprises on Friday.<\/p>\n
The second-round is a funny thing to project because it quickly devolves into chaos. Like the USHL Entry Draft as opposed to the Futures Draft – just a grab-bag of who your scouts watched, and liked, the most. With that said, some things I\u2019m hearing:<\/p>\n
It will be the goal of teams like Calgary, Seattle, Ottawa, and Vancouver to try and land the Ruck twins together. In a way, it\u2019s this year\u2019s minigame. And as so often happens, I wonder if it will get spoiled by overeagerness in round-one. I\u2019m expecting Liam Ruck to hear his name called by a team hoping to welcome Markus Ruck early on Saturday – and will hold my breath for a later pick to spoil that.<\/p>\n
Expect a lot of fallers this year. William Hakansson, Mathis Preston, Xavier Villeneuve, Egor Shilov, Marcus Nordmark, and even Elton Hermansson are at risk for a slide.<\/p>\n
On the flip side, there are multiple players booming up boards. Brek Liske, Rudolf Berzkalns, Adam Andersson, Ryder Cali, Zac Olsen, Landon Nycz, and Niklas Aaram-Olsen are all late risers after scouts began to talk business. I expect Nycz and Olsen could challenge the 50s, while I\u2019d be surprised if the rest made it that far.<\/p>\n
D Adam Goljer, one of the most divisive in pro circles. I\u2019ve heard his range is anywhere from second-round to sixth-round. Needless to say, the team drafting him will have to really like what they see.<\/p>\n
Tobias Trejbal will be the first goalie off the board. I hear a lot of connections to Calgary, who have a wealth of seconds, and Pittsburgh but some still say he could be a day-one name. I\u2019m more interested in who will go #2. While Borichev has his fans, the name I keep hearing is Filip Ruzicka – who teams find to have funky upside, as it was put to me. A real project with glistening shining through. After him, I expect Borichev, Patriks Plumins, and Samuel Hrenak to quickly rise up boards.<\/p>\n
Many people in the hockey world are holding their breath for Adam Valentini to be this year\u2019s falling gem. The things bad press can do. He should be a second-rounder but may fall even lower. Reminder, a first-round talent and Conor Sheary-type on my board. <\/p>\n
Beckett Hamilton really has his truthers. I\u2019m with \u2018em – a hard-worker in a tough setting this year. Another player with a lot of love behind him is Swedish defender Theodor Knights – big body, solid skater, strong defense. Both second-rounders, I\u2019d say.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start a roundup section with two names I regret sitting low on in my final rankings\u2026<\/p>\n
Beckham Edwards (#112) once a nifty scorer in AAA turned into a grinder-type in juniors. If a team balances those traits, he could have a solid projection. No doubt has the frame. One I should\u2019ve held strong on.<\/p>\n
Jonah Sivertson (#119) on the flip side a dampened youth player who seems to sort of luck into play. But the more I think, the more I wonder who was really driving the bus for Prince Albert. Sivertson has a great frame and good vision – he should\u2019ve stuck closer to my third-round.<\/p>\n
With that pair out of the way, let\u2019s hit on some gems I\u2019ll be watching for as day two rolls through:<\/p>\n
C Adam Andersson, a natural athlete with great jump and a good frame. He could really blossom but I haven\u2019t been able to nail down his draft outcome. Some like him as a first-rounder, some like him in the third. I say buy early.<\/p>\n
F Viktor Fyodorov, Blake Zielinski, Evan Jardine; a trio of puck-movers who stumbled down boards due to their size, then gradually climbed back with some solid seasons. Could be second-or-third-round names.<\/p>\n
W Tyus Sparks, what a motor this kid showed off all season long. Really developing the things that made his game great years ago. A hard-worker with a wide range of outcomes – should be a worthwhile, early pick on day two.<\/p>\n
C KJ Sauer, could be the unsung riser of the draft after a great start in Lincoln. I really like the kid\u2019s versatility – and chuckle at the similarities between his USHL performance and Mason West\u2019s this season. Sauer is a mid-round sleeper who will be snatched up by a team with smart scout coverage.<\/p>\n
C Cole Zurawski, listen I know the sparks came in flashes but when this kid hits, he hits. Such an exciting scorer when he\u2019s at his best, and an interesting name in the mid-rounds.<\/p>\n
W Bruno Osmanis, once again the dominating force for his team. Osmanis reads as a player who will demand an NHL deal with his age-24 season. I can only hope a team curbs that with a mid-round pick. He can play bottom-six minutes, he can be a Locmelis.<\/p>\n
W Bobby Cowan, perhaps my board is the only to mention him but the USHL swiss-army knife graduated to an NCHC swiss-army knife this season. Draft the kid, he\u2019ll be worth the investment.<\/p>\n
And let\u2019s close out with some final thoughts on a select few players\u2026<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t underestimate Keaton Verhoeff. Physical and capable in all three zones. No, he didn\u2019t pop – but he did carve out an important role on a good team, a tough feat for any freshman. That goes a long way. He has a lot of similarities to Owen Power, though a bit more mobile \/ bit less oomph.<\/p>\n
The same can be said about Tynan Lawrence. Such a smart center who found his way into an impactful role on a BU team in-need after joining halfway through the year. He was one of their best players near the end. Next year will be big – and I expect TLaw to lead the charge.<\/p>\n
The buzz around Jack Hextall is real. A utility forward who can bring some offensive spark. The pros like him – and I think it\u2019s awesome to see the Chicago star finding his way. Don\u2019t underestimate him as another two-way impact in this class.<\/p>\n
The perennial player to follow from this class is a near tie between Nikita Klepov and Wyatt Cullen. On one hand, a breakout scorer in a league that seemed to shift as a whole. On the other, a late growth-spurt tied to powerful skill. And in the end, it could be Alex Command – all finesse – who stars. All three could be gone by 20 and will be worth watching closely over the next few seasons.<\/p>\n
I think that\u2019s all I can pull together without\u2026 well, rambling. I encourage everyone to check out CapWages\u2019 interactive mock draft tool, informed by my rankings. I also welcome all draft convo over on Twitter (@NHLFoley) this weekend. What questions do you have?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s celebrate a draft season now down with a no-questions-asked, just-for-fun mock draft to close it. <\/p>\n
McKenna \/ TOR<\/p>\n
Stenberg \/ STL via SJS*<\/p>\n
Malhotra \/ VAN<\/p>\n
Reid \/ BUF via CHI<\/p>\n
Smits \/ NYR<\/p>\n
Bjorck \/ CGY<\/p>\n
Verhoeff \/ SEA<\/p>\n
Carels \/ WPG<\/p>\n
Rudolph \/ SJS via FLA<\/p>\n
Belchetz \/ NSH<\/p>\n
Cullen \/ SJS via STL*<\/p>\n
Gustafsson \/ NJD<\/p>\n
Lawrence \/ NYI<\/p>\n
Hemming \/ CBJ<\/p>\n
Command \/ SJS via STL via DET*<\/p>\n
Suvanto \/ STL via WSH<\/p>\n
Novotny \/ LAK<\/p>\n
Morozov \/ WSH via ANA<\/p>\n
Ignatavicius \/ UTA<\/p>\n
Klepov \/ BUF via EDM<\/p>\n
Dagenais \/ PHI<\/p>\n
Bleyl \/ PIT<\/p>\n
Lin \/ BOS<\/p>\n
Sokolovskii \/ VAN via MIN<\/p>\n
Hurlbert \/ OTT via TBL<\/p>\n
Rogowski \/ NYR via DAL<\/p>\n
Mutryn \/ SJS via BUF<\/p>\n
Hermansson \/ MTL<\/p>\n
MacBeath \/ STL via COL<\/p>\n
L Ruck \/ CGY via VGK<\/p>\n
Shcherbakov \/ CAR<\/p>\n
M Ruck \/ CGY via OTT*<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 NHL Draft is right around the corner. Sat on top of the summit and waiting for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":760658,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,575,85],"class_list":["post-760657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=760657"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760657\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/760658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=760657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=760657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=760657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}