Each year, I put together an NHL Draft class superlatives ranking prospects across several different categories: best skaters, best shooters, best hands, most competitive, smartest, strongest, top 200-foot forwards and top offensive defensemen.
This year-end class project (pun intended) is like the “best of” or “most likely to” section of your high school yearbook, except the graduating class is each draft class.
Here’s how the 2026 draft class slots across those different categories and traits.
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Best skaters
None of the forwards in this class skate like a Cullen Potter or an Oliver Moore, and none of the defensemen skate like a Matthew Schaefer, but there are standout skaters in their own ways. Landon Hafele has natural wheels. Mathis Preston can get out and go and put defenders on their heels with his acceleration. Adam Novotný has real power in his stride. And then there are several D whose mobility is central to their profile (Tomas Galvas, Tommy Bleyl) and one who is naturally springy in his changes of direction (Xavier Villeneuve).
Landon Hafele
Mathis Preston
Tomas Galvas
Carson Carels
Tommy Bleyl
Adam Novotný
Ethan MacKenzie
Chase Reid
Pierce Mbuyi
Xavier Villeneuve
Honorable mentions: Vertti Svensk, Michal Jakubec, Tynan Lawrence, Axel Elofsson, Alexander Bilecki, Wyatt Cullen, Niklas Aaram-Olsen, Beckham Edwards, Cole Zurawski, Juho Piiparainen
Best shots
This draft class doesn’t have a Cole Eiserman or a Cole Caufield. It doesn’t even really have an Arthur Kaliyev. But there’s still a diverse group of finishers. Preston does it with accuracy, routinely placing shots with precision (including at times from bad angles). Ryan Roobroeck’s shot is probably the most lethal. Niklas Aaram-Olsen and Jonas Lagerberg Hoen have great releases and can score off the flank on the power play. Marcus Nordmark, Novotný and Lars Steiner each have some pop. And there are several D who can score, led by Daxon Rudolph and Chase Reid, but also including Carson Carels and Alberts Šmits.
Ryan Roobroeck
Niklas Aaram-Olsen
Jonas Lagerberg Hoen
Marcus Nordmark
Mathis Preston
Daxon Rudolph
Adam Novotný
Lars Steiner
Chase Reid
Ethan Belchetz
Honorable mentions: Ivar Stenberg, Elton Hermansson, Niko Tournas, Liam Lefebvre, Carson Carels, Alberts Šmits, Keaton Verhoeff, Jakub Vanecek, Tomas Chrenko, Beckham Edwards, JP Hurlbert, Liam Ruck
Best hands
While there isn’t a truly world-class skater or shooter in this class, there are a handful of handlers who meet that standard. All of Gavin McKenna, Wyatt Cullen, Ivar Stenberg, Elton Hermansson and Villeneuve have dynamic puck skill. Cullen’s and Hermansson’s is very one-on-one. Stenberg’s is about puck protection. McKenna’s is about touch, feel and inventiveness. Increasingly, draft classes are chock full of guys who can play with the puck on a string.
Gavin McKenna
Wyatt Cullen
Ivar Stenberg
Elton Hermansson
Xavier Villeneuve
Mathis Preston
Nikita Klepov
Marcus Nordmark
Viggo Björck
Caleb Malhotra
Honorable mentions: Egor Shilov, Jonas Lagerberg Hoen, Jaxon Cover, Egor Barabanov, Axel Elofsson, Zach Lansard, Evan Jardine, Tomas Chrenko, Vladimir Dravecký, Braidy Wassilyn, Beckett Hamilton, Cooper Williams, Matias Vanhanen
Smartest
The top seven here in particular think the game at a higher plane than their peers, whether that’s seeing things others don’t (McKenna, the Rucks), or understanding the way the game is played and making smart reads all over the ice (Björck, Malhotra).
Gavin McKenna
Viggo Björck
Ryan Lin
Ivar Stenberg
Caleb Malhotra
Markus Ruck
Liam Ruck
JP Hurlbert
Matias Vanhanen
Egor Barabanov
Honorable mentions: Nikita Klepov, Tommy Bleyl, Tomas Galvas, Cooper Williams
Most competitive
There are different ways to be competitive and these guys check different boxes. Chase Harrington and Zach Olsen are that combination of sturdy and fiery, which allows them to be on top of you all the time and then outmuscle you for pucks in contact; Harrington does it with a little more piss and vinegar as well, and his opponents commonly talk about not liking playing against him. Carels has some jam and meanness in battles and plays hard every shift, with a firmness to his defending that teams covet. Björck is the competitive little guy who persists and makes you believe in his ability to stick at center in the NHL because of his combination of work ethic, commitment and strength. Guys like Gleb Pugachyov and Ryder Cali are big boys who play in straight lines. And guys like Tynan Lawrence and Adam Valentini just don’t stop moving their feet, expending energy on every shift.
Chase Harrington
Zach Olsen
Carson Carels
Viggo Björck
Gleb Pugachyov
Tynan Lawrence
Adam Valentini
Evan Jardine
Malte Gustafsson
Ryder Cali
Honorable mentions: Rian Chudzinski, Casey Mutryn, Caleb Malhotra, Jean-Cristoph Lemieux, Axel Brøngel-Larsson, Liam Lefebvre, Oscar Hemming, Oliver Suvanto, Adam Novotný, Ryan Lin, Alberts Šmits, Kayden Lemire, Olivers Murnieks, Charlie Morrison
Strongest
Maksim Sokolovskii is the physical specimen of this class. But one of my takeaways from the last few combines was just how many bulky, jacked players there are now at 17 and 18, and this class is no exception. Belchetz is massive. Novotný and Morozov are thick. Morrison is naturally strong. Some of these prospects are incredibly strong.
Maksim Sokolovskii
Adam Novotný
Ryder Cali
Ethan Belchetz
Oliver Suvanto
Malte Gustafsson
Landon Nycz
Charlie Morrison
Ilia Morozov
Keaton Verhoeff
Honorable mentions: Colin Fitzgerald, Zach Olsen, Casey Mutryn, Jakub Vanecek, Carson Carels, Luke Schairer, Simon Katolicky, Juho Piiparainen, Oscar Hemming, Giorgos Pantelas, Alberts Šmits, Adam Andersson, Viggo Björck
Top 200-foot forwards
I wanted to highlight a reduced list of the true cream of the crop two-way forwards in this class, and I landed on seven players who not only have that as their identity now but could have it as a value-add even within their pro projections.
Caleb Malhotra
Viggo Björck
Jack Hextall
Tynan Lawrence
Alexander Command
Ilia Morozov
Adam Novotný
Honorable mentions: Viktor Fedorov, Oliver Suvanto, Thomas Vandenberg, Alessandro Di Iorio
Top offensive defensemen
I often get asked who the top D are from a pure skill/point projection standpoint, so this is how that list would look for me. Of note, I think Šmits’ skill has been underrated, and his game and NHL projection have been miscast a little. He has legit puck skill.
Xavier Villeneuve
Chase Reid
Daxon Rudolph
Tommy Bleyl
Ryan Lin
Carson Carels
Alberts Šmits
Honorable mentions: Keaton Verhoeff, Tomas Galvas, Samu Alalauri, Vladimir Dravecký, Jakub Floris
For Corey Pronman’s best tools and traits of the 2026 draft class, click here.
The Athletic and FloHockey have partnered to bring fans a live 2026 NHL Draft show. Hosted by Max Bultman and featuring experts Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler and Chris Peters, “The Athletic x FloHockey NHL Draft Live” will livestream during the entire first round. Tune in June 26 at 7 p.m. ET on The Athletic Hockey Show’s YouTube channel, across FloHockey’s platforms, and on Amazon Prime (U.S.) and Fubo (Canada).