Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2026 rankings of every NHL organization’s prospects. You can find the complete ranking and more information on the project and its criteria here, as we count down daily from No. 32 to No. 1. The series, which includes evaluations on nearly 500 prospects, runs from March 9 to April 8.

The Wild’s pool looks a heck of a lot different today than it has in recent years after graduating Jesper Wallstedt and Danila Yurov, and trading Zeev Buium, David Jiricek and Liam Öhgren. They were unable to supplement their pool with any talent of that quality after trading their first-round pick in the 2025 draft as well.

That’s the cost of doing business when you add one of the game’s best players and try to push in the NHL, but it does come with a cost. If playoff success follows, they’ll be able to live with it — like the Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning all have.

All five of the picks they did make last June in Los Angeles are making their debuts on this list, though, which isn’t always the case. And that, plus the progress of their 2023 first-rounder, does prevent their system from completely bottoming out after the recent changes.

I did think about ranking them a little lower in this year’s countdown, however.

2025 prospect pool rank: No. 2 (change: -21)

Tier 11. Charlie Stramel, C, 21, Michigan State (No. 21, 2023)

After conversations with scouts or folks at the National Team Development Program about Stramel when he was there, I always felt I wasn’t quite sure where they were in terms of their belief in the player and his upside. That continued to start his draft year at Wisconsin, as he struggled to have a real impact with the Badgers early on as a freshman (albeit a young one, and albeit on a bad/at times lost team). He started to come on before the World Juniors in Halifax, though, and then he was good in a bottom-six role for Team USA and played quite well in college in the second half, renewing the hope and belief many had in him. That was encouraging enough for the Wild to take him at No. 21 in the draft (he was No. 37 on my list). He didn’t look like a first-round pick in his post-draft year, though. Between early-season injury issues, a struggle to assert himself as he had in some impressive stretches against his age group coming up, and low-end production, it really felt like he wasn’t trending in the right direction.

His transfer to MSU in fall 2024 to play his junior year under Adam Nightingale, who was his coach at the program, has done wonders. He finished third on the Spartans in scoring last year, registering 27 points in 37 games, and has taken another step this year, playing to above a point per game on their often-dominant top line with Porter Martone and Daniel Russell.

He always had tools to work with and build around. Nicknamed “Big Rig” when he was at the program, Stramel is heavy, and his athletic, muscular build jumps out at you right away. His strength complements a competitive, physical, forechecking, middle-lane style that makes good use of his length and includes a hard wrister from mid-range. He can push into space. He has decent hands when he pushes through the middle. Scouts were fascinated by his power-forward package and size down the middle (following a move to center from the wing as a 16-year-old). I’ve questioned his talent level, processing and pace, but he has played with more intention and confidence over the last two years to help re-establish himself as a potential bottom-six NHL center with size. He has played on both special teams and been a solid driver of play at five-on-five at MSU.

There are still times when I don’t see enough playmaking or sense and he’s a little sluggish from a standstill through his first few strides — once he gets moving, his stride actually has good power and he’s a decent skater for his size on the whole — but the consistency of his involvement in plays and the number of touches he’s getting have gone way up, which speaks to both confidence and also some learning in terms of how to get open/what he needs to be. When he’s around it, he can be a handful. He’s now getting around it more consistently and then making his decisions more confidently and quickly. I don’t think he’s going to provide much offense at the NHL level, but he should be able to chip in and become a good, hard and heavy bottom-six player at the next level in time. There’s probably still a scenario where he just becomes AHL depth, but his NHL likelihood has recalibrated nicely.

2. Adam Benák, C, 18, Brantford (No. 102, 2024)

Benák, who recently committed to Western Michigan, has been the top Czech player in his age group for years and has now played at two U17s, two U18s, two Hlinkas (where he broke the all-time scoring record after back-to-back 10-point performances) and a World Juniors. At his first Hlinka, he looked like maybe the best 16-year-old Czech I’ve watched at that age and was certainly ahead of where Martin Nečas and Eduard Salé were at the same age. Last season, after making the move to the USHL with Youngstown, he played to above a point per game and led the team and all U18 skaters in scoring. He also had some brilliant performances, from an early exhibition game where he dominated the NTDP to a standout showing at the Chipotle All-American Game.

This season, after making the jump to the OHL with Brantford, he has been one of the best forwards in junior hockey and a top player on a Memorial Cup favorite. His playmaking and skating were also noticeable at the World Juniors, where he was productive in the end, but I would have liked to see him get to the slot and net more offensively.

Benák is tiny at 5-foot-8, but he’s also a very high-end skater and thinker of the game offensively. The more I’ve watched him and gotten to know his game, the more inclined I’ve been to trust that he has a real chance to defy the odds of his size.

His skating, skill, passing and smarts all get very high marks, with a standout quickness from a standstill that matches his quick reads of the ice. He has jump and high-end straight-line speed. He has slick hands and feel on the puck. He’s a superb facilitator, with excellent vision and a superb ability to set things up on the power play. It can feel like he’s constantly one step ahead of the game when he’s playing against his peers. And while he’s small, he’s competitive enough, he stays on pucks and tracks, he’s good on stick lifts, he’s fearless, he defends well and he plays a mature off-puck game with an advanced understanding for his age of how to angle and track and a willing work ethic to do it. He’s cerebral and poised. He’s fast. He’s anticipatory. He’s confident on the puck. His projection is complicated, especially as a center, but he has the tools and brain you look for in a smaller player. I know his dad, a former longtime pro in Czechia, is 5-10, and if he could get even an inch or two, he could be a player.

He’s one of the top players in his age group; it’s just a matter of whether he projects that way at the NHL level. And some have their doubts, as there always are with players of his size. I’m a fan, though, and think he’s going to surprise some people.

Tier 23. David Spacek, RHD, 23, Iowa/Minnesota (No. 153, 2022)

Drafted as an overager after emerging as one of the top defensemen in the QMJHL as a rookie following a move to North America from Czechia (where he was never in real consideration to be picked), Spacek has tracked well for a fifth-round selection ever since. He was a dominant two-way defenseman on a top team in Sherbrooke, playing big minutes to a point per game and driving results when he was on the ice for the Phoenix across two years. He was an absolute rock for the silver medal-winning Czechs at the World Juniors. He played well for Czechia at the last two men’s World Championships. And now in his third pro season, he’s playing 22-23 minutes per game and has been one of Iowa’s top D across two years.

Though he has been productive across levels and can move pucks, he’s also an all-around D that you count on. He’s a steadying presence defensively on the blue line. He’s physical and stout. Though his game offensively isn’t dynamic, he keeps his eyes up, he’s a comfortable handler, he engages in the offense and he possesses a hard NHL shot. He’s also a righty. There are times when he can look a little heavy-footed for a 6-foot defenseman, but I think he could be a No. 5-7 D in the league today (and would be in some other situations). His January NHL call-up was well-earned.

4. Riley Heidt, C, 20, Iowa (No. 64, 2023)

Heidt was a top player in the WHL across three seasons there. After registering 97 points in a full 68-game season on a middle-of-the-pack Cougars team in his draft year, he finished third in the WHL in points (117) and second in assists (80) post-draft. His production wasn’t quite as prolific last year, but he still led the Cougars in scoring with 99 points in 66 combined regular-season and playoff games.

Heading into his pro career, though, some still wondered what role he could play in the NHL and whether he has what it takes to be a full-time middle-six/PP2 guy. Some of his struggles in higher-end environments with Hockey Canada have reinforced that. Between U18 worlds, the World Junior Summer Showcase and World Junior Selection Camp, he has struggled to elevate, though I did think he was better at the WJSS than Canada’s staff gave him credit for. So has his rookie season in the AHL, where he has struggled to score in decent minutes and with PP usage. I still think he becomes a top-six AHL producer who gives himself a chance to play NHL games, though.

Taken No. 2 in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft with the pick between Connor Bedard and Brayden Yager, Heidt is a talented and hardworking playmaker who keeps himself involved in the play off the puck and then makes plays (especially as an equal parts instinctual and cerebral facilitator) in possession of the puck. He was also strong in the faceoff circle the last three seasons, establishing himself as a go-to guy in the dot in the WHL. He has been just under 50 percent in the AHL this year, which is fine.

He’s not a speedster, but he’s a good enough skater who is comfortable on his edges, plays with jump, will build speed and put junior defenders on their heels and/or create separation. He leads a lot of neutral-zone carries into entries and makes plays into space for himself or his linemates at pace, though he can over-pass at times, to the point where he passes up good looks. He quickly identifies gaps and vulnerabilities in coverage and then executes through seams. He’ll finish his checks and can play a scrappy game when the intensity ramps up (which has resulted in a couple of suspensions in his time in the WHL). He’s unafraid to try things and has the skill to execute difficult plays. He’ll win inside body positioning to come away with a lot of pucks against his peers. He’ll block shots.

His ability to make plays offensively both off the rush and inside the zone — where he has slick skill in traffic, great instincts off the puck and a lunch-pail approach — also gives me confidence that the production will come. Some are concerned he doesn’t score enough or have the desired size to play the skilled-worker game he played in junior in a potential bottom-six role in the NHL, making him hard to project, and I can certainly see that.

5. Hunter Haight, C, 21, Iowa/Minnesota (No. 47, 2022)

Haight is a player I’ve enjoyed watching over the years and have an appreciation for, but also one you’re waiting to see break out and really find another level as a 5-11 center. I thought he was going to have a breakout season after the draft, and then things just didn’t really come together in Barrie, and he was traded. I know he and the Spirit thought he was going to have that breakout and become a 90-100-point guy, but it just didn’t play out that way on a deep Saginaw team, though he finished just below a point per game. Still, he won the Memorial Cup, and he was a big part of a top team before turning pro last year.

Last year, after another promising camp, he had a respectable rookie season on a low-scoring team in Iowa, playing to half a point per game, scoring 20 goals and playing 17.5 minutes per game as a contributor on both the power play and penalty kill. This season, though he has made his NHL debut, he’s now playing 20 1/2 minutes per game as a go-to center for Iowa. His proficiency in the faceoff circle has also improved from below 50 percent last year to 52 percent this year.

Haight has some talent and some real smarts to his game. He’s a decent skater with some vision and playmaking ability. He sees the ice and the development of the play at a high level. He has some cleverness and some natural finishing ability when he gets looks in the slot. And while he doesn’t fit the NHL checker mold and isn’t talented enough/productive enough to project into a top six, Haight is a responsible off-puck player who has worked to become a good 200-foot player and should play more games. He sticks with plays and draws penalties. He’s an intelligent, well-rounded player who does everything fairly well, even if he lacks ideal size or a dynamic quality.

If he makes it full-time, it’ll be as a hungry thinker whose game works better with NHL players. I thought about swapping him and Heidt here, even though Heidt has a much stronger statistical track record.

6. Ryder Ritchie, RW, 19, Boston University (No. 45, 2024)

Ritchie is a summer birthday who excelled as a 16-year-old in the WHL, finishing third in points on a bottom-of-the-standings Prince Albert team and scoring nearly a point per game. I liked what I saw of him at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge as well, and he was one of Canada’s most dangerous forwards at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup to enter his draft year with some real momentum — momentum that continued early on as the Raiders’ focal point offensively before tapering off a bit until he was sidelined in mid-December with a lower-body injury. I also liked what I saw out of him late in the year and into the WHL playoffs, but he was just fine for Canada at U18 worlds.

After a trade to a contending Medicine Hat team last year, he missed 14 games after teammate Oasiz Wiesblatt’s skate caught him in the face early on in the season, requiring surgery to bring down the swelling. Once he returned, he scored 42 goals and 84 points in 75 combined regular-season, playoff and Memorial Cup games, winning a WHL title and playing well at the Mem Cup. This season, as a freshman at BU, he has had flashes but has also been inconsistent on an inconsistent team.

Ritchie’s combination of skill and skating has always been appealing. He’s also now listed at 6-2 and 190 pounds, up from 5-10 in his 16-year-old season, as well.

Ritchie is a shifty playmaking winger who can make skill plays with the puck. He can play at multiple paces and adjust his tempo between them. He protects and holds pucks comfortably and will commonly shake past or around opposing players, building speed through his crossovers to hang onto the puck inside the offensive zone until a play presents itself. There’s also some creativity to his game as an equal opportunity facilitator and finisher; he has a nifty curl-and-drag and snap release that can cleanly beat goalies from midrange. He has a way of finding his way out of trouble, whether with a twist or turn or a bit of creativity to set up an opening to pass through with a pre-planned move so that he can place a puck under a stick or between someone’s skates.

He’s a crafty, talented winger who looks like he has middle-six upside but who will have to produce like that as a sophomore or junior in college to show it. He may top out as a AAAAer with some skating and skill elements, but I expect him to get signed out of college, and there are some who believe he’s talented enough to become a secondary skill/offense NHLer with the right development.

Tier 37. Theodor Hallquisth, RHD, 18, Örebro (No. 52, 2025)

Hallquisth is a good-sized right-shot defenseman who plays a competitive, what-you-see-is-what-you-get style. He’s physical and firm defensively, he’s tough in engagements, and he plays a simple, efficient, effective game. I think he’s decently smart on both sides of the puck as well and has made some heady reads at the J20 level over the last year and a half with the puck, though he can chase the hit a little too much at times. He’s also a June birthday who has room to fill out and already has some wiry strength in battles.

He’s only an average skater and will need to get a little quicker to play his style, and his hands aren’t the smoothest, but you’re just hoping he develops into solid organizational depth in the AHL and either a call-up option or a No. 6-7 D. He has played at both the SHL and HockeyAllsvenskan level as an 18-year-old this year and has played 17 minutes per game on loan at Sweden’s second tier. He should be a top-six D for Sweden at next year’s World Juniors in Edmonton as well.

8. Aron Kiviharju, LHD, 20, HIFK (No. 122, 2024)

Context is particularly important when trying to slot and understand Kiviharju, because he’s been around a long time and has been a top 2006 player internationally, but is also a 5-10 fourth-round pick whose game is going to have progression limits up levels.

He made the leap to Finland’s top junior league at 15 and didn’t just play but excelled, immediately becoming one of its most productive defensemen and even wearing a letter on his jersey. He then played and starred at U18 worlds three times — first in Germany at 16, topping Finland’s blue line with six points in six games to help steer them to a silver medal; again in Switzerland (still as an underager), where he was the best defenseman on a team that disappointingly lost in the quarters; and once more on home ice in Finland as captain. He also led the Finns to bronze at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup as an underager. Three seasons ago, after an excellent preseason with TPS, it looked like he might play his way into becoming the youngest full-time player in Liiga and at the World Juniors.

But then he struggled to establish himself, bounced between levels and was one of the final cuts for Finland’s under-20 national team. Two seasons ago, after making a move away from TPS to join HIFK for his draft year, he established himself as a top-six D, played on both special teams, scored his first pro goal, and then blew out his knee and missed most of the year recovering from ACL surgery. Last year, he finally played at the World Juniors, captained Finland to a surprise silver medal, stayed healthy and played to decent results as a teenage D in Liiga, playing 16-17 minutes per game. This season, he again captained Finland at the World Juniors and has averaged a slightly higher 17-18 minutes per game.

I’m a fan of the way Kiviharju plays the game, and he’s a very smart player. Is that enough when he has some other practical limitations, though?

He manages play in front of him with poise and comfort, directing and influencing play all the way down the ice. He advances play under pressure inside his own zone, side-stepping forecheckers to headman pucks. He reads the game well defensively to break up plays with good timing. He plays his off-side comfortably. He’s quietly competitive. He walks the line well, with a knack for shaping shots through to the net. His first touch on the move is always nicely caught and controlled. He processes the game quickly and sees things that others don’t. And he’s an intelligent defender who gaps up well and gets pucks going the other way quickly with little bump passes and exits in order to offset some of his size limitations.

He’s definitely most noticeable breaking the puck out of his own zone, where his little carries and outlets make a big difference. But there are also times when I’d like to see him look to attack and take charge himself in the offensive zone more. It can look like he’s always trying to set up the next heady little play instead of just commanding it. He also lacks a separation gear and quickness in straight lines, which can result in a lot of resets and concerns about the translatability of his game at his size. The lost year hurt his development, projection and status, and he’s going to need to add another gear to his skating to make it work at 5-10. His lack of length can be noticeable when trying to defend the rush and be disruptive with his stick at times.

Top players in their age group don’t always make NHL players, but I’m rooting for Kiviharju. He may just end up having a long career in Europe/the AHL, though.

9. Carter Klippenstein, C, 19, Brandon (No. 123, 2025)

Klippenstein is a November ’06 who has established himself in the WHL as a worker who plays a physical, competitive, honest, what-you-see-is-what-you-get game. He wasn’t nearly productive enough/didn’t show nearly enough offense for me to slot him in my top 100 last year, given his age, and it’s very hard for players who play checking roles in junior to rise to checking roles in the NHL. And while he was listed as a center, he also played a lot of wing last year. This year, he has played center full-time, and his role has expanded to 17 minutes per game for Brandon. He also showed enough in camp to get into one preseason game with the Wild.

He has some believers as a potential fourth-liner because of his combination of compete, size, strength, physicality and skating (he can really get going downhill in straight lines), but he finished 11th on his junior team in scoring last year as an older draft eligible, he’s under a point per game and just inside their top 10 this year, and from what I’ve seen he has some limitations in terms of hockey IQ and puck play. The Wild are betting on his clear identity — and that he has development in front of him, despite the birthday. He’s worth following because of his ability to play in straight lines and the use case for his player type at all levels.

10. Rieger Lorenz, LW, 21, Denver (No. 56, 2022)

The top NHL prospect at Canada’s Jr. A level in his draft year, Lorenz posted 96 points in 74 combined regular-season and playoff games in the AJHL and impressed as one of Team Canada’s lone bright spots at U18 worlds (where they outscored the opposition 6-0 with him on the ice at five-on-five). The college game proved a bit of an adjustment/jump for him as a teenaged freshman, though, and he probably should have played another year of junior before making the jump. Now he’s a young senior and while he has been a good and decently productive player over his last three years, I don’t think he has earned an NHL deal — an AHL deal feels more appropriate.

He’s a driven, puck-protection player who wins lanes in possession, forechecks to get it back when he doesn’t have it, can get to high-danger areas (either in control with his soft hands or off the puck to play to the front of the net) and then can finish plays when he’s there with a natural and accurate shot. He can also play to the perimeter and facilitate; he does a good job identifying and then finding second and third options. He’s not mean or imposing, but he’ll take what’s given (and sometimes what isn’t), plays hard and has a 6-3, 210-pound body. He hasn’t developed his pace or playmaking quite enough, though, and while he was one of the best penalty killers in the AJHL in his draft year (he led the league in short-handed goals with five) and has been a solid PKer at Denver, I wouldn’t say checking is a defining upward role for him either. I’d give him a pro look, but I don’t know if he becomes more than a decent AHLer.

11. Chase Wutzke, G, 19, Moose Jaw (No. 142, 2024)

Wutzke is a lean but highly mobile and active-footed goalie who the Wild signed because he’s worth working with despite a career save percentage that has hovered between .895 and .900. He’s a naturally athletic, quick goalie with great reflexes and dexterity, and sound technique. He has also played behind some mediocre teams, and the belief is that he’s a more talented goalie than his numbers suggest. His focus needs to be on his control and on getting stronger. If the Wild can build those two things into him at the pro level, he may be a worthwhile long-term commitment.

12. Lirim Amidovski, RW, 19, North Bay (No. 121, 2025)

Amidovski registered 35 points in 72 combined regular-season and playoff games last year for North Bay and has played to under a point per game this year, but he’s a better pro prospect than the numbers indicate. He scored 22 goals on a low-scoring Battalion team and was a standout for me at the OHL Top Prospects Game. He’s a very good, rangy skater who can get out in open ice and carry pucks in transition and off the rush. He’s noticeable shift-to-shift as a speedy winger with pro size. He stays around it, he can shoot it and he plays a pro style that focuses on playing between the dots and getting to the interior.

He’s not a natural playmaker or thinker, and you’d like to see a late ’06 produce more than he has, but he was a ninth-round OHL draft pick who has caught my eye enough during live and on-tape viewings over the last two years that I wanted to include him here. I think he has a chance to be AHL depth and maybe work himself into the fourth-line call-up conversation with continued development. He’s going to have to produce more to get signed and give himself that chance, though.