said the right things at the combine<\/a> about it (that it would be special and that they could both handle it the right way).<\/p>\nUltimately, if Malhotra\u2019s their guy, the player is also likely to outlive the coach, and that has to be the priority. Then you figure out the messaging and navigate it all with your players and fans as honestly and transparently as you can. I do wonder, if it\u2019s Malhotra, whether that makes two years at BU more likely than one, so that once he makes the jump,\u00a0 there\u2019s no doubt in anyone\u2019s mind, internally or externally, that he\u2019s NHL-ready and there is less room for questioning the opportunity he\u2019s given at that point. That may be the best timeline for the player, regardless, too.<\/p>\n
4. Chicago Blackhawks: Carson Carels, LHD, Prince George (WHL)<\/p>\n
If the Sharks take one of the D, I think there\u2019s a good chance Stenberg is available here. He feels to me and others like the perfect fit for them to secure Connor Bedard a worthy first-line running mate of the future. If Stenberg and the three top forwards are gone, however, I\u2019d anticipate the Blackhawks will take one of Carels or Reid here (Verhoeff isn\u2019t their type). Their trip to visit Reid has now been publicized, but don\u2019t overlook Carels here. They\u2019re very close in the consensus, and while you\u2019re not making a decision on a No. 4 pick based on the handedness of your roster, I don\u2019t think it hurts that he could play opposite righties Artyom Levshunov or Sam Rinzel someday, either.<\/p>\n
5. New York Rangers: Chase Reid, RHD, Soo (OHL)<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve heard the Rangers like Verhoeff and mocked him to them in my first mock, but I\u2019m also starting to think there\u2019s a chance Reid gets here, and if he does, I think they\u2019d take him. The Rangers are the first of these teams that I think would give serious consideration to Alberts \u0160mits as well. He\u2019s one of the closest D to the NHL, which I think matters for New York still, and he has some of the swagger they\u2019ve been drawn to in the past.<\/p>\n
6. Calgary Flames: Alberts \u0160mits, LHD, Munich (DEL)<\/p>\n
I\u2019m in the same place on the Flames as I was in my first mock: I keep coming back to the left-shot D (the Flames feel to me like Carels\u2019 absolute floor, and then \u0160mits) and the centers (Viggo Bj\u00f6rck and Tynan Lawrence). I\u2019d heard they like Lawrence, but the sense I have coming out of Buffalo was that Lawrence is no longer viewed in the same light as the top D and Bj\u00f6rck by the league. And while Bj\u00f6rck is definitely their type, I do wonder about the size of their forward pool with Cole Reschny, Ethan Wyttenbach and Cullen Potter.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard not to draw the line between Verhoeff and his longtime pal Reschny as well, but \u0160mits would give them a better foil to their talented up-and-coming righties.<\/p>\n
7. Seattle Kraken: Keaton Verhoeff, RHD, North Dakota (NCAA)<\/p>\n
The Kraken have used four top-10 picks on forwards, and this draft is tailor-made for them to finally invest in a stud D prospect. They\u2019re promised to have at least two of the top five D available to them when they pick, and could have three if someone takes a swing on Bj\u00f6rck early. In this scenario, it\u2019s Verhoeff or Daxon Rudolph, both of whom they took to dinner in Buffalo. The Kraken were one of Verhoeff\u2019s two dinners in Buffalo, and he would fill a clear need. He\u2019s also teammates with Kraken prospect Ollie Josephson at North Dakota.<\/p>\n
8. Winnipeg Jets: Viggo Bj\u00f6rck, C, Djurg\u00e5rden (SHL)<\/p>\n
Finding a future play-driving top-six center has to be a priority for the Jets, and increasingly, I think teams believe Bj\u00f6rck is going to be that player. If it\u2019s not Bj\u00f6rck, or if he\u2019s already been picked, attention probably turns to the remaining D (Rudolph in this scenario). They obviously have the two young Swedes in Elias Salomonsson and Sascha Boumedienne, but the former is a lesser prospect than Rudolph, there are doubts about the latter, and while the Jets could really use a top C, they could also certainly use a top D.<\/p>\n
9. Florida Panthers: Daxon Rudolph, RHD, Prince Albert (WHL)<\/p>\n
Rudolph\u2019s excellent playoff run leading the Raiders to a WHL final impressed scouts and gives him a real chance to go higher than No. 9. But one of the top five D is likely to be available here, and he still seems to be viewed as the fifth in the consensus. If he gets to the Panthers, I expect they\u2019ll take him. He announced his commitment to the University of Denver in Buffalo at the combine last week, and with Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, Seth Jones and Dmitry Kulikov all 30-plus to start next season, now is the time for them to start thinking about a future blue line. Of note, the Panthers did take Rudolph to dinner in Buffalo as well.<\/p>\n
10. Nashville Predators: Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor (OHL)<\/p>\n
It sounds like Belchetz and his nearly-healed broken clavicle presented well in Buffalo at the combine, and teams view his move to play next season at Michigan State as a positive step for his development. Despite an up-and-down draft year and the injury, he remains a standout prospect in this class because of his combination of size and puck skill. He\u2019ll also join Predators prospect Ryker Lee at MSU.<\/p>\n
11. St. Louis Blues: Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University (NCAA)<\/p>\n
If either Bj\u00f6rck or Lawrence are available at No. 11, I expect the Blues, who have a solid stable of young wingers and defensemen, will pounce. Other players are in play in the 10-15 range (skilled winger Wyatt Cullen, brawny wingers Oscar Hemming and Belchetz, defenseman Malte Gustafsson), but the only other pure center is Alexander Command, and while the gap between the two players has shrunk for most scouts and Command wouldn\u2019t stun me in this range, I\u2019d bet the Blues would target Lawrence of the two.<\/p>\n
12. New Jersey Devils: Wyatt Cullen, LW, U.S. NTDP (USHL)<\/p>\n
This is the range for Gustafsson, Command and Hemming, but the Devils are unlikely to target a D here, and I\u2019d guess they favor the skill and skating of Cullen. There are reasonable cases for several players as the best player available, but Cullen is the most talented player available, and the Devils\u2019 pool could use that injection of skill.<\/p>\n
13. New York Islanders: Alexander Command, C, \u00d6rebro (U20 Nationell)<\/p>\n
Projectable centers go early because there are a lot of teams that need them, and the Islanders are one of those teams. I think this is the start of Command\u2019s range as a result, and some have him as the next-best center after the big three now (or certainly in the conversation with guys like Oliver Suvanto). I wonder about the brawny Hemming here as well because he would give their pool something different from Victor Eklund and Cole Eiserman.<\/p>\n
14. Columbus Blue Jackets: Oscar Hemming, LW, Boston College (NCAA)<\/p>\n
Forwards with Hemming\u2019s profile (big, strong, powerful) never linger for long, the early teens are his projected range, and he\u2019s the kind of player the Blue Jackets should covet opposite forwards like Kent Johnson and Conor Garland \u2014 especially with some uncertainty around Cayden Lindstrom\u2019s likelihood of now meeting his projection.<\/p>\n
15. St. Louis Blues: Malte Gustafsson, LHD, HV71 (SHL)<\/p>\n
If the Blues don\u2019t get one of the centers at No. 11, I could see them taking Command or Suvanto. But after nabbing Lawrence with their first pick, they add to their stable of D with Gustafsson. You can never have too many big, strong two-way types. I thought about Ryan Lin here too (they probably need a righty more than a lefty) and think they would strongly consider him.<\/p>\n
16. Washington Capitals: Oliver Suvanto, C, Tappara (Liiga)<\/p>\n
The Capitals and I have seen eye-to-eye on a lot of their picks over the years, and this gives me a little pause as a result because I\u2019m lower on Suvanto. But their pool\u2019s need for a center is hard to deny, and Suvanto or Ilia Morozov would still be the consensus top centers here. They\u2019re another team I\u2019d bet prefers Command, though, and another reason to believe Command won\u2019t be around for long. If the proximity of our boards holds, let the record show that Lin would be my guy here. Because you know there will be plenty of talented wingers to pick from with your next pick, it makes sense for the Capitals to take the center they like here with their first one.<\/p>\n
17. Los Angeles Kings: Elton Hermansson, RW, MoDo (SHL)<\/p>\n
The Kings badly need to add a skilled forward to their pool, and so I\u2019ve thought about guys like Hermansson, Nikita Klepov and JP Hurlbert with them. But the second tier of centers is going to go quickly in this range, and guys such as Morozov and Jack Hextall would give them a future middle-six C they can be confident will help them and fit with how they\u2019ve drafted in the past.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve wondered about Lin here, too. Their need for a forward doesn\u2019t preclude them from taking a D, and their pool doesn\u2019t have one anything like Lin.<\/p>\n
18. Washington Capitals: Nikita Klepov, LW, Saginaw (OHL)<\/p>\n
The clearest need in the Capitals\u2019 pool is at center, but I don\u2019t think Command, who is one I\u2019m confident they\u2019d like, will be here, and I\u2019m not sure their scouting staff will love Suvanto or Morozov. I don\u2019t think the presence of Cole Hutson will stop their group from taking Lin or Tommy Bleyl, either. But they\u2019ve also shown they\u2019ll take the best player available, and I could see Klepov being their guy, even if it means adding another winger.<\/p>\n
19. Utah Mammoth: Ryan Lin, RHD, Vancouver (WHL)<\/p>\n
The Mammoth have prioritized length on the back end and have depth at center in their pool with Caleb Desnoyers, Tij Iginla and Cole Beaudoin. That positions them to be a team willing to take a winger or Lin or Bleyl. Lin, in particular, feels like he could be a really nice fit opposite the length they have, while filling a need as a potential power-play guy. There will be wingers here that they could target, though, such as Hermansson, Hurlbert and Adam Novotn\u00fd.<\/p>\n
20. San Jose Sharks: Tommy Bleyl, RHD, Moncton (QMJHL)<\/p>\n
If the Sharks take Stenberg at No. 2, I fully expect they\u2019ll take a D here, and Bleyl is the first I thought of. If they\u2019re not convinced that Sam Dickinson is their PP1 guy of the future, then Bleyl should come into focus. The full expectation is that he\u2019s going to go in the 20s somewhere \u2014 and ahead of Xavier Villeneuve. Sharks prospect Teddy Mutryn also just finished a season with Moncton.<\/p>\n
21. Philadelphia Flyers: Maksim Sokolovskii, LHD, London (OHL)<\/p>\n
The 6-foot-7.25, 240-pound Sokolovskii was the talk of the combine this year. The belief is that he\u2019s going to go in the first round and potentially as early as the early 20s. He\u2019s a physical specimen who can move, and while his game is still very raw in a lot of areas, he started to put his game together in the second half of his rookie season in the OHL this year. He\u2019s the Flyers\u2019 type, and they have a track record with the London Knights. If Bleyl is still here, I could see them targeting him over Sokolovskii as well.<\/p>\n
22. Pittsburgh Penguins: Ilia Morozov, C, Miami (NCAA)<\/p>\n
The Penguins are in a good spot because there are a few players who fit their type that could be there at No. 22. I don\u2019t think Lin gets to them, but he\u2019d make a ton of sense, and I\u2019d guess they\u2019re Lin\u2019s floor. Some others I\u2019ve heard they like or would expect are in their mix: Morozov, Hurlbert and Hextall.<\/p>\n
23. Boston Bruins: JP Hurlbert, LW, Kamloops (WHL)<\/p>\n
The Bruins haven\u2019t used a top-50 pick on a defenseman since 2017, and I\u2019m sure they\u2019d consider Bleyl. But I\u2019m not convinced he gets here, and if he doesn\u2019t, I\u2019m not convinced that Jakub Vanecek, Adam Goljer, Juho Piiparainen or William H\u00e5kansson fit in this range when there are likely going to be forwards who are hard to pass up on for their group. All of Hurlbert, Hextall, Novotn\u00fd and Maddox Dagenais would give them a future top-nine forward with a different look from James Hagens and Dean Letourneau.<\/p>\n
24. Vancouver Canucks: Mathis Preston, RW, Vancouver (WHL)<\/p>\n
If Morozov is here, the Canucks are another team I could see targeting the athletic and versatile Miami center, who projects safely as a 3C. If he\u2019s not, I like them to potentially take a swing on a skill player and wonder if they\u2019re the start of Preston\u2019s range. They haven\u2019t drafted Giants players in the past, but I\u2019ve heard they were around them more this year. He\u2019s viewed as a bubble first-rounder but helped his case with a strong showing in testing at the combine. The Canucks\u2019 pool could use his speed and skill.<\/p>\n
25. Seattle Kraken: William H\u00e5kansson, LHD, Lule\u00e5 (SHL)<\/p>\n
I could see the Kraken doubling down on D with their two first-rounders this year, and the big H\u00e5kansson would underline the size they\u2019ve added with Verhoeff here. I could see them being another team willing to take a swing on Sokolovskii and maybe even Villeneuve. Piiparinen would be a safe bet as well, and Vanecek and Goljer are some other 20-40 range D candidates. If they don\u2019t go D, I think they\u2019re one of the few teams that could consider a swing on the frustrating but talented Marcus Nordmark or Ryan Roobroeck in an effort to inject some skill into their pool.<\/p>\n
26. New York Rangers: Maddox Dagenais, C, Quebec (QMJHL)<\/p>\n
The Rangers\u2019 pool could use a center, and they\u2019re well-positioned to take a D early and then a pivot here. Some view Dagenais as a winger, and he\u2019s their type and offers more skill than a Hextall. One player I wondered about here: towering center Brooks Rogowski. The Rangers have drafted a lot of big forwards (Nathan Aspinall, Dylan Roobroeck, Matt Rempe, Jaroslav Chmelar, etc.).<\/p>\n
27. Buffalo Sabres: Gleb Pugachyov, RW, Nizhny Novgorod Jr. (MHL)<\/p>\n
I\u2019d bet the Sabres prioritize size with this pick and that they\u2019re the floor for Morozov. I don\u2019t think Morozov makes it to them, though, and if he doesn\u2019t, names like Pugachyov, Casey Mutryn, Simas Ignatavicius and Ryder Cali come into focus as heavy, hard-on-pucks, pro-style types.<\/p>\n
28. Montreal Canadiens: Adam Novotn\u00fd, LW, Peterborough (OHL)<\/p>\n
I could see the Canadiens taking this pick in one of two directions: 1. They prioritize the physicality their pool and team could use up front and target Novotn\u00fd, Mutryn, Ignatavicius or Cali, or 2. they take a swing on smarts and skill with a player such as Liam Ruck. I\u2019m not convinced Novotn\u00fd gets here, but he\u2019d fit as a future middle-six winger who adds speed, strength and secondary scoring.<\/p>\n
29. St. Louis Blues: Jack Hextall, C, Youngstown (USHL)<\/p>\n
Hextall could go a little earlier in the 20s based on everything I\u2019ve heard, but if he doesn\u2019t, I could see the Blues doubling down on centers and prioritizing him with this pick. Rogowski would be a candidate to give them something a little different in their system as well. And while I don\u2019t think Bleyl gets here, he\u2019s the kind of prospect their strong group of young D lacks.<\/p>\n
30. Calgary Flames: Liam Ruck, RW, Medicine Hat (WHL)<\/p>\n
If the Flames take a D at No. 6, I fully expect them to go with a forward here. I think they\u2019re probably the floor for Klepov if he\u2019s one of the wingers that inevitably lingers. They\u2019re also one of the teams that has the picks to make the Rucks\u2019 dream come true<\/a>. I don\u2019t think they\u2019d be as afraid of the mercurial Roobreock or Nordmark as some other teams as well. I don\u2019t see Rogowski as their type, but if they feel their pool needs more size down the middle (which it does), he could be an option.<\/p>\n31. Carolina Hurricanes: Niklas Aaram-Olsen, LW, \u00d6rebro (SHL)<\/p>\n
Knowing the Hurricanes, they\u2019ll probably trade this pick and move back. If they sit tight, though, they\u2019ve never been shy to take a swing on skill \u2014 even with some imperfections \u2014 and that puts guys such as Aaram-Olsen, Nordmark, Villeneuve or Roobroeck in focus. Aaram-Olsen doesn\u2019t come with quite as many warts as the others, and his strong combine showing could help him go from an early second-round pick to a late first-rounder.<\/p>\n
32. Ottawa Senators: Brooks Rogowski, C, Oshawa (OHL)<\/p>\n
Rogowski, Cali, Mutryn and Ignatavicius all fit the profile the Senators have prioritized in the past \u2014 players with size, projectability and athleticism. Piiparinen could be a good fit for them if they go for a D as well. Their pool could use an infusion of skill, but I don\u2019t think their group would take Roobroeck or Nordmark.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 NHL Scouting Combine is in the books. After spending the week in Buffalo, N.Y., gathering info,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":80561,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1929,4165,4586,1611,3300,4799,15056,2971,945,269,4794,72,63,2498,271,65,448,1982,1563,1759,1928,48,954,9562,1239,15055,277],"class_list":["post-80560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-toronto","tag-anaheim-ducks","tag-boston-bruins","tag-buffalo-sabres","tag-calgary-flames","tag-carolina-hurricanes","tag-chicago-blackhawks","tag-columbus-blue-jackets","tag-florida-panthers","tag-los-angeles-kings","tag-montreal-canadiens","tag-nashville-predators","tag-new-jersey-devils","tag-new-york-islanders","tag-new-york-rangers","tag-nhl","tag-ottawa-senators","tag-philadelphia-flyers","tag-pittsburgh-penguins","tag-san-jose-sharks","tag-seattle-kraken","tag-st-louis-blues","tag-toronto","tag-toronto-maple-leafs","tag-utah-mammoth","tag-vancouver-canucks","tag-washington-capitals","tag-winnipeg-jets"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80560"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80560\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}