{"id":768006,"date":"2026-06-29T15:13:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T15:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/768006\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T15:13:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T15:13:10","slug":"best-picks-in-the-2026-nhl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/768006\/","title":{"rendered":"Best picks in the 2026 NHL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 NHL<\/a> Draft has come and gone. Teams were able to add prospects with the potential to change the trajectory of their organizations. Only time will tell which teams hit the nail on the head with their selections. Here are the five best picks from the 2026 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n

MORE: Avalanche complete blockbuster trade ahead of NHL Draft<\/a><\/p>\n

5. Ryan Roobroeck, Chicago Blackhawks<\/p>\n

Entering this past season, Roobroeck was a top 10 player to watch. Things didn\u2019t go as planned, and his stock took a hit. This turned out to be part of Chicago\u2019s fortune in the second round of the draft. His instincts and elite shooting make him a high boom-or-bust player at the next level. <\/p>\n

The Blackhawks organization will take their time with Roobroeck\u2019s development. If he develops into his elite potential, Chicago\u2019s roster will feature a player whose NHL comparison is Jason Robertson. In the end, the Blackhawks may have left the second round of the draft with two elite players that other teams passed on.<\/p>\n

4. Alberts Smits, New York Rangers<\/p>\n

\"\"Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Alberts Smits reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected with the fifth pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

It may have been shocking when the Rangers took Smits 5th overall, but the team got one of the best defensive prospects in the draft. Smits\u2019 offensive prowess will have an immediate impact on New York\u2019s production by a defenseman. <\/p>\n

The Rangers needed an upgrade at defense and selected arguably the top offensive-minded defenseman in the 2026 NHL Draft. Alberts Smits will feature on New York\u2019s top power play line within the first few months of the 2026-2027 season.<\/p>\n

3. Chase Reid, Seattle Kraken<\/p>\n

It was a surprise for Seattle to see Chase Reid\u2019s name available at pick seven. Seattle\u2019s defense gets an instant upgrade with the addition of Reid. His playmaking and shooting ability will give the team an immediate impact on day one. <\/p>\n

Reid will make his way into Seattle\u2019s top power play line in his rookie season. Reid\u2019s production will have him on the shortlist for the Calder Memorial Trophy. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

2. Nikita Klepov, Anaheim Ducks<\/p>\n

\"\"Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Nikita Klepov reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected with the fifteenth pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the Anaheim Ducks at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Anaheim took the league by storm last season. At 15th overall, the Ducks added one of the best offensive prospects in Nikita Klepov. He doesn\u2019t offer much offensively, but he possesses tremendous offensive upside. <\/p>\n

Klepov is coming off a season in which he was the first OHL rookie scoring champion in over 50 years. The addition of the right winger adds another outstanding young player to a roster that saw elite production from rookie Beckett Sennecke.<\/p>\n

1. Xavier Villeneuve, Chicago Blackhawks<\/p>\n

Selecting Villeneuve at 34th overall was an absolute steal for the Chicago Blackhawks. On talent alone, only Gavin McKenna is ranked above Xavier Villeneuve. The defenseman\u2019s elite offensive ability fills a glaring void for the Blackhawks. <\/p>\n

There has been much debate about Chicago trading the 4th overall pick for Bowen Byram, but Byram and Villeneuve are the future top defensive pairing for the Chicago Blackhawks. On skill and potential alone, Chicago\u2019s selection of Villeneuve was the best selection in the 2026 NHL Draft. Chicago may have landed two second-round gifts in Ryan Roobroeck and Xavier Villeneuve.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead\u00a0<\/a>\u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 NHL Draft has come and gone. Teams were able to add prospects with the potential to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":768007,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,575,7322,85],"class_list":["post-768006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nhl","tag-nhl-draft","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768006","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=768006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/768007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=768006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=768006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=768006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}