With the draft lottery setting the order of the first 16 picks of the 2026 NHL Draft, we are officially in mock draft season. Today, I make my first projection for the top-32 picks. Keep in mind we\u2019re still pretty early in the process, so intel on teams and players is scarce, and this is mostly based on where I think players\u2019 ranges will be on draft night.<\/p>\n
1. Toronto Maple Leafs: Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State (NCAA)<\/strong><\/p>\n McKenna is the consensus favorite for the top spot right now, though we\u2019re still early enough in the process that it\u2019s not a done deal yet. There are camps in the scouting world that have other preferences, be it a particular defenseman, Ivar Stenberg, or Caleb Malhotra. It\u2019s hard to see the Maple Leafs passing on his dynamic skill and vision at No. 1 as it currently stands.<\/p>\n 2. San Jose Sharks: Chase Reid, RHD, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n If McKenna goes first, the Sharks face a massive debate between adding another high-skill forward into what\u2019s becoming a crowded power play or anchoring their blue line. Reid\u2019s name comes up often in those conversations as arguably the draft\u2019s most talented defender who can quarterback the power play with San Jose\u2019s young forwards for a decade.<\/p>\n 3. Vancouver Canucks: Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford (OHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n Malhotra is the hot name in the scouting community currently after his OHL postseason. Teams in this range are debating the value of his all-around center profile versus taking a swing on a high-skill winger such as Stenberg or McKenna. For a lot of teams, he\u2019s right here, and very well could go as high as No. 3 to Vancouver.<\/p>\n 4. Chicago Blackhawks: Ivar Stenberg, LW, Fr\u00f6lunda (SHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n I think the dream for Chicago is to add a dynamic scorer to eventually pair with Connor Bedard. Stenberg\u2019s electric puck skills fit the bill, though there are still mixed opinions on how high he ultimately goes. Some think he could be gone by No. 4, but history lacks precedent of two 5-foot-11 wingers going at the very top of the draft.<\/p>\n 5. New York Rangers: <\/strong>Carson Carels, LHD, Prince George (WHL)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n If the board goes like this to start, I think you will see a run on defensemen, as there is a very good top group of blueliners remaining. Carels\u2019 heavy, competitive style to go with some offense certainly fits what the Rangers like from their defenders.<\/p>\n 6. Calgary Flames: <\/strong>Keaton Verhoeff, RHD, North Dakota (NCAA)<\/strong><\/p>\n Calgary needs everything right now in its rebuild except probably a power-play QB after taking Zayne Parekh. Verhoeff\u2019s combination of size, feet and offense will be hard to pass up at No. 6.<\/p>\n 7. Seattle Kraken: <\/strong>Alberts Smits, LHD, Munich (DEL)<\/strong><\/p>\n Seattle has heavily drafted forwards in recent years, leading to early speculation that the Kraken might pivot to the blue line with this pick. Smits offers great size and mobility along with decent offensive skills, which could make him a prime target if they look for someone to play major NHL minutes.<\/p>\n 8. Winnipeg Jets: <\/strong>Malte Gustafsson, LHD, HV71 (SHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n Winnipeg has a track record of coveting big, rangy defensemen, and Gustafsson\u2019s name has generated a lot of buzz in this range recently after a great U18 worlds. His excellent gap control, good puck-moving skills and rugged play make him an easy projection for a top four in the NHL.<\/p>\n 9. Florida Panthers: <\/strong>Daxon Rudolph, RHD, Prince Albert (WHL<\/strong>)<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a while since Florida picked this high, so it\u2019s hard to get a read on the Panthers\u2019 preferences. The league loves Rudolph; his elite brain makes him a strong top-10 pick candidate, and he could even be gone by No. 9.<\/p>\n 10. Nashville Predators: <\/strong>Wyatt Cullen, LW, U.S. NTDP (USHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n Cullen\u2019s massive recent growth spurt has his stock rising, making him one of the true wild cards of the top 10 due to his elite skill level. Guys with late helium tend to keep rising, and along with Malhotra and Gustafsson, he\u2019s been one of the late risers in this draft cycle.<\/p>\n 11. St. Louis Blues: <\/strong>Oscar Hemming, LW, Boston College (NCAA)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The Blues have a new GM, so it\u2019s hard to predict their tendencies here, but Hemming is very well thought of in the league. Hemming is highly physical with size, while also having a good amount of talent that makes him a potential hard-nosed top-six winger.<\/p>\n 12. New Jersey Devils: <\/strong>Viggo Bj\u00f6rck, C, Djurg\u00e5rden (SHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n Where Bj\u00f6rck lands will be fascinating because he\u2019s extremely talented and competitive, but he is also 5-foot-9. Teams will wrestle with whether he\u2019s Brayden Point or closer to Marco Rossi or Matt Savoie.<\/p>\n 13. New York Islanders: <\/strong>Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University (NCAA)<\/strong><\/p>\n Lawrence was very well thought of in the league six months ago, with many teams having him in the top three, but he\u2019s plummeted in the second half of the season after average performances in college and at the U18 worlds. He\u2019s a great skater and competitor down the middle, but the level of offense in his game is a minor concern.<\/p>\n 14. Columbus Blue Jackets: <\/strong>Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor (OHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n Belchetz was once thought of as a potential top-five pick due to his massive 6-foot-5 frame, hard elements and being able to score. He didn\u2019t have a great season, though, and scouts have concerns about his pace. This deep into the draft, though, he starts to become very enticing, and Columbus takes the swing on him at No. 14.<\/p>\n 15. St. Louis Blues: Oliver Suvanto, C, Tappara (Liiga)<\/strong><\/p>\n With their second pick, the Blues bolster their center depth. Suvanto\u2019s direct, highly competitive net-front style to go along with legit offense is a highly desirable player type, even if his feet are a bit heavy.<\/p>\n 16. Washington Capitals: <\/strong>Alexander Command, C, \u00d6rebro (U20 Nationell)<\/strong><\/p>\n Washington has been checking in on several centers in this range as it looks toward the future. Command is viewed around the league as a highly projectable, safe bet for the middle six, which could appeal to their brass.<\/p>\n 17. Los Angeles Kings: <\/strong>Elton Hermansson, RW, MoDo (SHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n Hermansson\u2019s stock is a bit all over the place in May, with teams loving his puck skills but questioning his consistency. He\u2019s coming off a great tournament at the U18s where he led Sweden to gold, though. He\u2019s one of the most purely talented players left in the draft and has top-six potential if he hits.<\/p>\n 18. Washington Capitals: <\/strong>JP Hurlbert, LW, Kamloops (WHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n After getting a well-rounded center with their first pick, Washington rolls the dice in some ways on a much more skilled player in Hurlbert, who has more holes. Hurlbert is one of the more purely talented scorers and playmakers in the draft, but he is just an OK skater who can be inconsistent.<\/p>\n 19. Utah Mammoth: <\/strong>Maddox Dagenais, C, Quebec (QMJHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n Utah loves raw athletic tools, and Dagenais fits the type it tends to target. Dagenais moves exceptionally well for being 6-foot-4; he plays with an edge and has enough skill and scoring ability to play in the league.<\/p>\n 20. San Jose Sharks: Gleb Pugachyov, RW, Nizhny Novgorod Jr. (MHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n After securing an elite defenseman at the top of the draft, the Sharks add a big, heavy winger to their forward corps with this pick. Pugachyov has exciting pure tools, skates well and plays with a ton of bite. While there are some questions about his pure offense, his heavy elements will complement the skill in the Sharks\u2019 system.<\/p>\n 21. Philadelphia Flyers: Casey Mutryn, RW, U.S. NTDP (USHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n Philadelphia loves hard-nosed, competitive players, making Mutryn a very natural fit for their organizational identity. He\u2019s a hardworking, physical 6-foot-3 winger who plays at an NHL tempo and has some offensive touch too. He complements the skill the Flyers have in their forward group.<\/p>\n 22. Pittsburgh Penguins: <\/strong>Ryan Lin, RHD, Vancouver (WHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n Pittsburgh doesn\u2019t really have a future power-play QB in its prospect pool, and Lin could be that. He\u2019s a highly intelligent defenseman, and despite being undersized and having average skating, he competes hard and wins a surprising amount of battles, giving him a chance to be a quality NHL defenseman.<\/p>\n 23. Boston Bruins: Adam Goljer, RHD, Trencin (Extraliga)<\/strong><\/p>\n Goljer is trending up with teams after a strong worlds and the Bruins haven\u2019t picked a defenseman in the first round in a decade. Goljer skates well, breaks up plays effectively, and makes a good first pass, even if he doesn\u2019t project as a major offensive driver. He projects to become a dependable top-four presence on the Bruins\u2019 blue line.<\/p>\n 24. Vancouver Canucks: Adam Novotny, LW, Peterborough (OHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n After taking Malhotra, the Canucks use their second first-rounder on the versatile Novotny. He has NHL-level speed and skill and can play in a variety of spots in a lineup.<\/p>\n 25. Montreal Canadiens: Liam Ruck, RW, Medicine Hat (WHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n Montreal has shown it isn\u2019t afraid to bet on sheer hockey sense, making Ruck an intriguing target here. He\u2019s a dangerous, intelligent scoring winger who relies on his great stick and brain rather than elite athletic tools. Despite being a below-average skater, he gets to the hard areas to generate offense, giving him a chance to be a middle-six contributor.<\/p>\n 26. Seattle Kraken: <\/strong>Ilia Morozov, C, Miami (NCAA)<\/strong><\/p>\n Seattle grabs a big, physical center in Morozov, who plays a style that translates directly to winning playoff hockey. He skates well for his size, uses his frame to win battles and competes at a high level. He may never be a prolific point producer, and some teams view him more as a bottom-six type, but centers are hard to come by.<\/p>\n 27. New York Rangers: Brooks Rogowski, C, Oshawa (OHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n The Rangers take a massive swing on sheer upside with Rogowski, whose aesthetic tools are impossible to ignore. A 6-foot-7 center who moves well with enough puck skills is a rare thing to see. His ultimate scoring potential will be debated, but he\u2019s just as talented as someone such as 2024 Bruins pick Dean Letourneau was at the same point.<\/p>\n 28. Calgary Flames: <\/strong>Jack Hextall, C, Youngstown (USHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n Calgary adds a highly intelligent, diligent pivot to its prospect pool in Hextall with its second pick after going defense with its first selection. He\u2019s a slick playmaker with excellent offensive sense who doesn\u2019t shy away from going into traffic to make plays. Though his skating doesn\u2019t stand out and he hasn\u2019t been a prolific scorer, his strong two-way detail makes him a very safe bet to be a useful pro down the middle.<\/p>\n 29. Buffalo Sabres: <\/strong>William H\u00e5kansson, LHD, Lule\u00e5 (SHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n Buffalo adds a massive, highly competitive defenseman in H\u00e5kansson. He moves very well for his size, plays the body aggressively and excels at killing plays defensively. While his offensive ceiling and puck play are limited, his high-end compete level and physical tools project him as a highly dependable everyday NHL defender, and Buffalo has plenty of guys who can slot onto a power play.<\/p>\n 30. Carolina Hurricanes: <\/strong>Nikita Klepov, LW, Saginaw (OHL)<\/strong><\/p>\n Carolina has a long history of betting on pure hockey sense and skill in the draft, and Klepov fits that mold perfectly. He\u2019s a highly intelligent winger with the ability to consistently make difficult plays and potentially run an NHL power play. He lacks dynamic athleticism and can be pushed to the perimeter, but the Hurricanes are the exact type of organization to bet on his talent after leading the OHL in scoring.<\/p>\n 31. St. Louis Blues: <\/strong>Marcus Nordmark, LW, Djurg\u00e5rden (U20 Nationell)<\/strong><\/p>\n Armed with their third pick of the first round, the Blues can afford to swing on Nordmark\u2019s immense raw talent. At 6-foot-2, he skates very well, possesses highly gifted hands and can break open a shift with his flashy offensive abilities. He comes with notable risk due to an inconsistent effort level and some bad habits, but his pure tools are those of a top-six NHL winger.<\/p>\n 32. Ottawa Senators: <\/strong>Juho Piiparinen, RHD, Tappara (Liiga)<\/strong><\/p>\n Ottawa closes out the first round by adding a steady, projectable right-shot defenseman to its system. Piiparinen is a mobile blueliner who moves pucks up the ice cleanly and uses his length to break up plays defensively. He doesn\u2019t truly excel at any one specific trait, and his offensive upside is a question mark, but he\u2019s a dependable defender whom coaches tend to trust and projects to log a decent number of NHL minutes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the draft lottery setting the order of the first 16 picks of the 2026 NHL Draft, we…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":788623,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[3103,1720,3113,3107,291,3110,1323,2081,3104,3111,2994,1301,1302,293,3105,3108,1334,1328,2999,62,2996,1304,67,132,68,2082,3114,3109,292],"class_list":{"0":"post-788622","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-boston-bruins","9":"tag-buffalo-sabres","10":"tag-calgary-flames","11":"tag-carolina-hurricanes","12":"tag-chicago-blackhawks","13":"tag-columbus-blue-jackets","14":"tag-florida-panthers","15":"tag-los-angeles-kings","16":"tag-montreal-canadiens","17":"tag-nashville-predators","18":"tag-new-jersey-devils","19":"tag-new-york-islanders","20":"tag-new-york-rangers","21":"tag-nhl","22":"tag-ottawa-senators","23":"tag-philadelphia-flyers","24":"tag-pittsburgh-penguins","25":"tag-san-jose-sharks","26":"tag-seattle-kraken","27":"tag-sports","28":"tag-st-louis-blues","29":"tag-toronto-maple-leafs","30":"tag-united-states","31":"tag-unitedstates","32":"tag-us","33":"tag-utah-mammoth","34":"tag-vancouver-canucks","35":"tag-washington-capitals","36":"tag-winnipeg-jets"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/788622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=788622"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/788622\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/788623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=788622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=788622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=788622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}