The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is a time\u00a0when\u00a0years of hard work and sacrifice all come down to one moment. Players sit with loved ones, eagerly waiting to hear their name called for the opportunity to earn a spot on an NHL roster.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of the hundreds of players throwing their name in the hat, some\u00a0possess\u00a0unique stories that influenced their route to the pros. From embracing disabilities to following in the footsteps of parents, this draft class boasts a diverse body of athletes that share one dream.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In lieu of the\u00a0rapidly approaching\u00a0weekend,\u00a0here\u2019s\u00a0a few moments\u00a0deserving of\u00a0a few extra minutes in the limelight.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hockey Bloodlines<\/p>\n
A lot of names are being thrown around right now\u00a0regarding\u00a0potential draft picks. And you may be thinking, \u201cHave I heard that name before?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The answer in many cases is yes, you have. While this is just the\u00a0tip of the iceberg, there are plenty of players following in the footsteps of their family members, creating waves of nostalgia for those\u00a0who\u2019ve\u00a0followed hockey for a while.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s\u00a0a few notable names that fans might be familiar with.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Caleb Malhotra: The son of former Blue Jackets forward Manny Malhotra, Caleb is a top prospect in his own right. After posting 84 points in 67 games with Brantford of the OHL, Malhotra has earned a comfortable spot atop the draft ladder and could be the first center taken. Growing up, he had a front row seat to his dad\u2019s nearly 20-year career. Now head coach of the Vancouver Canucks, who are selecting third, Manny is constantly questioned<\/a>\u00a0whether\u00a0he\u2019ll\u00a0coach his son at the top level. But Caleb\u2019s success is all Manny wants to see, making this father-son duo a fun one to\u00a0witness.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wyatt Cullen:\u00a0After a standout season with the U.S. National\u00a0Team Development Program \u2013 and a late growth spurt \u2013 the son of 21-year NHL veteran Matt Cullen could hear his name called in the top 10.\u00a0Matt won three Stanley Cups\u00a0\u2013\u00a0twice with the Pittsburgh Penguins and once with the Carolina Hurricanes\u00a0\u2013 and is one of many Cullens to dedicate their lives to the game. Regardless of where Wyatt is drafted, the duo will\u00a0reunite<\/a>\u00a0in Minneapolis at the University of Minnesota for the 2026-27 season, making for a perfect full-circle moment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Joe Iginla:\u00a0Two years ago, former Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla stood at the heart of many draft stories with his son, Tij, going sixth overall to Utah in the 2024 draft. Now, he finds himself in a similar position with his son Joe, who\u2019s looking to join the family business after spending the past two seasons in the\u00a0WHL. Joe may\u00a0not<\/a>\u00a0be as much a standout as his predecessors, but he\u00a0possesses\u00a0the\u00a0knowledge and understanding of his job\u00a0\u2013\u00a0thanks to his dad\u00a0\u2013\u00a0that others\u00a0miss\u00a0out on.\u00a0<\/p>\n An International Flavor<\/p>\n Hockey\u2019s global influence continues to grow, slowly reaching across various countries as it inspires the next Great One.\u00a0Players\u00a0from places like Russia and Sweden have been around for a bit, but\u00a0rarely\u00a0have there been so many\u00a0European skaters\u00a0projected<\/a>\u00a0to go in the first round, as 14 of the top 33 players in our consensus poll were\u00a0born overseas. So as the hockey world prepares to welcome a new group of players to the elite club,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0worth noting how impactful the international influence has on the sport.\u00a0<\/p>\n One notable European prospect is defenseman\u00a0Alberts\u00a0\u0160mits, a Latvian defenseman\u00a0who\u2019s\u00a0already\u00a0represented\u00a0his country in various forms.\u00a0\u0160mits\u00a0skated for Latvia at the 2026\u00a0Olympics<\/a>, making him the lone top prospect with Olympian status. He also\u00a0has the opportunity to\u00a0become just the second Latvian drafted in the first round, joining Zemgus\u00a0Girgensons\u00a0in 2012.\u00a0<\/p>\n From Jaxon Cover<\/a> and Ryder Cali<\/a>, who began their careers playing roller hockey in the Cayman Islands, to Luthuania\u2019s\u00a0Simas Ignatavicius<\/a> to\u00a0the Norwegian Niklas\u00a0Aaram-Olsen<\/a> to 7-foot-1\u00a0Moldovan defenseman Alexander Karmanov<\/a>, hockey\u2019s increasing impact on the globe is helping it reach outside of the typical North American powerhouses.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Seeing players excel is always gratifying, especially when they come from the most unlikely of places.\u00a0<\/p>\n A Twin Connection<\/p>\n If the Sedin brothers\u00a0weren\u2019t\u00a0enough, another identical duo is knocking on the NHL\u2019s doors. The Ruck twins led the Medicine Hat Tigers to another successful season, collecting points left and right on the way to finishing first and second on the WHL’s scoring chart. Liam, the goal scorer of the two, greatly benefited from Markus\u2019 play-making style. Now, the two projected first-rounders have the chance to either replicate the Vancouver legends or carve their own paths.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ironically enough, the British Columbia\u00a0natives grew up\u00a0watching<\/a>\u00a0the Sedins tear up the league with their theorized twin\u00a0telepathy.\u00a0The Rucks were rarely forced to split up\u00a0during their development, continuously elevating their game together.\u00a0This season,\u00a0Markus led the WHL with 108 points with Liam just behind at 104, and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0special to see them do it\u00a0together.\u00a0<\/p>\n There\u2019s\u00a0naturally talk surrounding where the two will end up, more specifically\u00a0whether it will be\u00a0together or separate. The two have\u00a0expressed<\/a> a desire to stick together, but also wish for the other to succeed, regardless of the circumstances. In a crazy,\u00a0hectic\u00a0and life-changing moment for these athletes, the Rucks have each other to navigate it in real\u00a0time and\u00a0be there for the inevitable celebrations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Lacelle Overcomes Odds<\/p>\n When perusing the top-ranked North American goaltenders for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, William Lacelle\u00a0occupies<\/a> that No. 5 spot. The QMJHL netminder earned recognition for his impressive stats, posting the league\u2019s most shutouts (seven) this season with a .917 save percentage and earning the opportunity to represent Canada at the age of 15 in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. Lacelle earned his position in every right.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n But,\u00a0he does this all on top of his hearing being restricted to just 50\u00a0percent\u00a0in his right ear, and nothing\u00a0in\u00a0his left.\u00a0<\/p>\n Instead of seeing his disability as a hindrance, Lacelle uses it to his\u00a0advantage<\/a>. He takes the phrase \u201cblocking out the noise\u201d very seriously, ensuring he\u00a0remains\u00a0focused on his game and not what outside voices are saying. A goaltender\u2019s role can be difficult for many reasons, but Lacelle\u2019s ability to keep a quiet mind helps him thrive in\u00a0the crease.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Of course,\u00a0the difficulties\u00a0become\u00a0apparent\u00a0in certain moments, but Lacelle learned to\u00a0adapt<\/a>. His lip-reading skills span across both English and French, keeping the defensive unit in complete communication while fending off the opposition\u2019s offense. As he gears up for the 2026 NHL Draft, Lacelle knows that his hockey speaks for itself.\u00a0He also knows that wherever he ends up, there\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0a challenge he\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0tackle.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Buffalo Draft Parallels<\/p>\n Columbus fans are certainly experiencing d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu after seeing the Blue Jackets\u00a0hold the\u00a014th\u00a0pick\u00a0for the second year in a row. But this\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0the only time history repeats\u00a0itself this draft.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Ten years ago, Buffalo hosted the\u00a02016<\/a>\u00a0NHL Entry Draft. And just like this year, all eyes were on the Toronto Maple\u00a0Leafs\u00a0and which generational talent\u00a0they\u2019d\u00a0add to their roster.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n When the Leafs selected Auston Matthews a decade ago, they found a star player and the eventual captain of the Original Six franchise. But now after missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 seasons, Toronto is eager to find a complimentary teammate for their veteran forward. Now, the Leafs have a nearly identical\u00a0opportunity<\/a>\u00a0to add a powerful asset to an already experienced core.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n This will be the fourth time Buffalo hosts the NHL draft, and half have featured Toronto with the No. 1 pick.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0up to the\u00a0Leafs\u00a0to select a player that garners success for the club, but\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0safe to assume that Toronto is\u00a0a big fan\u00a0of Buffalo hosting the draft.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Soon, many of these anecdotes will be overshadowed by future drafts and the storylines that come with it. But until that time comes,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0fun appreciating the future NHL superstars and understanding where they came from\u00a0\u2013\u00a0especially when they provide a unique twist to the typical selections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is a time\u00a0when\u00a0years of hard work and sacrifice all come down to one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":760825,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,575,85],"class_list":["post-760824","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\/760824","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=760824"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760824\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/760825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=760824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=760824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=760824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}