{"id":331046,"date":"2025-12-07T21:12:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T21:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/331046\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T21:12:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T21:12:12","slug":"ivar-stenberg-has-surpassed-gavin-mckenna-in-the-2026-nhl-draft-the-hockey-writers-nhl-entry-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/331046\/","title":{"rendered":"Ivar Stenberg Has Surpassed Gavin McKenna in the 2026 NHL Draft – The Hockey Writers – NHL Entry Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

Entering the 2025\u201326 season, winger Gavin McKenna<\/a> was the consensus favorite to go No. 1 in the 2026 NHL Draft. Considering his jaw-dropping numbers last season in the Western Hockey League (WHL), that seems fair enough.<\/p>\n

McKenna is still at the top of most boards, but there\u2019s an emerging contender who has arguably surpassed him to this point: Ivar Stenberg. The young winger is having a record-breaking season in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) while the former is still finding his way in college.<\/p>\n

Looking at Stenberg\u2019s Generational Numbers<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the numbers, just to paint this picture clearly. Stenberg, at 18 years old, has 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) in 25 games this season in the SHL\u2014arguably the most challenging hockey league outside the NHL. He is the top scorer on a Fr\u00f6lunda HC team that is, for all intents and purposes, Sweden\u2019s version of the Colorado Avalanche<\/a>. They are 21\u20134\u20130.<\/p>\n

\"IvarIvar Stenberg, Team Sweden (Photo by Leila Devlin\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Stenberg\u2019s 24 points rank sixth all-time among draft-year SHL players, according to Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects<\/a>. Hall of Fame twin brothers Daniel<\/a> and Henrik Sedin<\/a> occupy first and second place, with 42 points in 50 games for the former and 34 points in 49 games for the latter.<\/p>\n

With Stenberg all but a lock for the 2026 World Junior Championship, he\u2019ll miss some time (several games\u2019 worth<\/a>), which will make setting the record more difficult. But he\u2019s already made his mark in the SHL.<\/p>\n

Related: Projecting Sweden\u2019s Roster for the 2026 World Junior Championship<\/a><\/p>\n

Currently on a 10-game point streak, Stenberg is the only player aged 18 or younger to achieve that feat. The previous record-holder, per the FloHockey broadcast of Fr\u00f6lunda\u2019s Dec. 4 game vs. Djurg\u00e5rdens IF, was Tomas Sandstr\u00f6m (nine games in 1982\u201383; his draft-plus-one season, meaning he was a draft class older than Stenberg).<\/p>\n

We haven\u2019t ever seen numbers like this. If Stenberg is already a top player in perhaps the next best thing to the NHL, one can only imagine his ceiling.<\/p>\n

What Makes Stenberg a Special Prospect<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what\u2019s the catch? Surely, he\u2019s bad defensively.\u201d Actually, it\u2019s quite the opposite. Stenberg is a special prospect because of his offensive prowess and ability to knife his way through the neutral zone while simultaneously covering for defense.<\/p>\n

Ivar Stenberg (2026) gets the steal in the DZ, scores a goal off the cycle shortly after.<\/p>\n

He is nearly a point per game (22P, 23 GP) in the SHL, one of the best hockey leagues in the world.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s on pace to break the Sedins\u2019 draft-year records. pic.twitter.com\/3tpfrd3CJ6<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Justin Giampietro (@justingiam) December 4, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

In the goal above, that\u2019s all on display. Stenberg gets a steal in the defensive zone and shortly after, puts the puck in the back of the net.<\/p>\n

Consistent in my viewings this season has been Stenberg\u2019s defensive-zone participation. He helps retrieve pucks and aids breakouts, which is part of the reason why he\u2019s so dominant off the rush. As if his point totals weren\u2019t enough evidence, he plays a pro-ready game.<\/p>\n

Ivar Stenberg (FHC41) makes entries \u2013 and making plays off of them \u2013 look so easy<\/p>\n

SHL is a no-joke league and he\u2019s been dominating<\/p>\n

On pace to be the best DY prospect in league history, a list currently topped by the Sedin twins pic.twitter.com\/dVFIMtDJ9X<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Justin Giampietro (@justingiam) November 26, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n

While Stenberg isn\u2019t overly physical, he doesn\u2019t get thrown around, either. If he bulks up a bit more, the 6-foot, 181-pound winger will be close to the NHL average. He has no fatal flaw, from the looks of it.<\/p>\n

Why McKenna Could Fall Out of Favor<\/p>\n

Then, you have McKenna. In the midst of a month-long break, his stock is only going down. But that was already happening before the pause.<\/p>\n

As a true freshman at Penn State University, McKenna has 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in 16 games, averaging 21:30 each night<\/a>. Immediately becoming the face of a team that made the Frozen Four last spring after a dominant WHL run is obviously impressive, but it objectively falls short of Stenberg.<\/p>\n

\"SUBSCRIBE<\/a><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s put it this way. McKenna and Stenberg are scoring at about the same per-game rate, except the latter is much better defensively, doing it in a much tougher league, and doing it with way fewer minutes.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, it\u2019s a lot more nuanced than that\u2014comparing the NCAA and SHL directly doesn\u2019t really work. But the numbers definitely do swing in Stenerg\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n

So, as it stands, Stenberg is my No. 1 prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft. What the Swedish winger is doing hasn\u2019t been touched by anyone in the class\u2014that\u2019s his case for first overall.<\/p>\n

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