The 2026 NHL Draft is starting to come into focus.
With some teams eliminated from the playoffs, and the Draft Lottery now complete with a shocking result, there is some definition beginning to take shape in the order of selection.
The fascinating part about this draft class is that both Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg are wingers. They are both expected to go off the board within the first three picks, but this makes defenceman Chase Reid and centre Caleb Malhotra all the more intriguing. Reid is the projected first defenceman off the board, while Malhotra looks to be the best available centre.
Teams typically place more value on the centre and defence positions over wingers. While the high-end defence market is plentiful in this draft, the next two centres after Malhotra are projected a little further down the draft board, and both come with some level of concern. Viggo Bjorck is just five-foot-nine, while Boston University’s Tynan Lawrence has had a bit of a roller-coaster season.
After Tuesday’s draft lottery results, we now have a shake-up at the top of the order. The Toronto Maple Leafs will be over the moon excited to be able to pick first, while the San Jose Sharks jumped the line and will have a chance to add another stud to an already stacked prospect pipeline.
We know the order of the top 16 picks now, so I present to you my post-lottery mock draft:
No. 1: Toronto Maple Leafs - Gavin McKenna, LW, 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, Penn St. (NCAA)
The Leafs get a chance to replace Mitch Marner's high-end skill and vision, without the same defensive-mindedness. A great player to start rebuilding back with again.
No. 2: San Jose Sharks - Chase Reid, RD, 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
The Sharks are rich in both forwards and defencemen in their system and GM Mike Grier said he will go after the best available player here. Right-shot defencemen who can skate as well as Reid can are too tough to pass up.
No. 3: Vancouver Canucks - Caleb Malhotra, C, 6-foot-2, 182 pounds, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)
You can't have enough centres in your system, and when it comes to Malhotra there's familiarity with the family and ties to the area. Father Manny is the AHL team's head coach. Seems like a perfect fit.
No. 4: Chicago Blackhawks - Ivar Stenberg, LW, 5-foot-11, 183 pounds, Frolunda (SHL)
There will be some familiarity there with Anton Frondell and the Hawks continue to add to their prospect pool at the forward position. Stenberg put up historic numbers in the SHL and was the best player at the 2026 world juniors, helping Sweden win just their second gold medal since 1981.
No. 5: New York Rangers - Keaton Verhoeff, RD, 6-foot-4, 208 pounds, North Dakota (NCAA)
The Rangers' system is devoid of dynamic, two-way defencemen. Verhoeff fills that need with the ability to defend, but he also has some untapped offensive potential.
No. 6: Calgary Flames - Tynan Lawrence, C, 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Boston University (NCAA)
With this pick the Flames are getting a worker bee, two-way centre who's had a roller-coaster season, but has enough of a track record dating back to last year to believe he can blossom. They continue to fill their prospect base with skill at a coveted position.
No. 7: Seattle Kraken - Nikita Klepov, RW, 6-foot, 180 pounds, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
In desperate need of goal scoring, the Kraken go slightly off the board here to address that shortfall. A magician with the puck, Klepov is a dual-threat offensive juggernaut who led the OHL in scoring and should provide production down the road.
No. 8: Winnipeg Jets - Carson Carels, LD, 6-foot-2, 198 pounds, Prince George Cougars (WHL)
The Jets have an aging defensive group with the exception of Elias Salomonsson, who looks to be a legit NHLer. Carels not only has an excellent two-way game, but being a farmer from Manitoba, the Jets would hit a home run with this selection.
No. 9: Florida Panthers - Viggo Bjorck, C, 5-foot-9, 177 pounds, Djurgardens (SHL)
There’s enough size signed to long-term contracts in Florida that the Panthers will be able to insulate Bjorck upon arrival. He is a skilled player who knows what to do with the puck, and how to get it back. He fits the hockey IQ profile of Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell.
No. 10: Nashville Predators - Daxon Rudolph, RD, 6-foot-2, 206 pounds, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
With uncertainty in the GM's chair the default is to go back to drafting at a position where the organization has traditionally had success. Rudolph is a productive, high-energy defenceman who brings plenty of swagger.
No. 11: St. Louis Blues - Alberts Smits, LD, 6-foot-3, 205 pounds Munchen (DEL)
With some of their aging defensive defenceman, Smits fills a need on the back-end with his size and physicality. As a late birthday with plenty of pro and international experience already, it won’t be long before he arrives.
No. 12: New Jersey Devils - Oscar Hemming, LW, 6-foot-4, 193 pounds, Boston College (NCAA)
The Devils need some size up front, and Hemming provides that. He missed half a season, but then made a positive impression as a freshman, and there’s still some offence to be uncovered in his game.
No. 13: New York Islanders - Ethan Belchetz, LW, 6-foot-5, 228 pounds, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
He missed the latter part of the season and the playoffs, but Belchetz has the size and skill combination every team dreams of. He will need to find some consistency in his game and understand the concept that size before skill will help hasten his path to the NHL.
No. 14: Columbus Blue Jackets - Ryan Lin, RD, 5-foot-11, 178 pounds, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
The Blue Jackets love what they’re getting from Denton Mateychuk at the NHL level and Lin has a similar profile as a slightly smallish, great-skating, puck-moving defenceman. He may not be as hard of a defender, but he puts plenty of effort into that side of the game.
No. 15: St. Louis Blues (via Detroit) - J.P. Hurlbert, LW, 5-foot-11, 176 pounds, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
The Blues have already locked up a defenceman earlier in our mock draft, so now it’s time to address some scoring up front. Hurlbert’s move from the USNTDP to Kamloops led to a 42-goal, 97-point season as a WHL rookie.
No. 16: Washington Capitals - Ilia Morozov, C, 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Miami (NCAA)
A team that always seems to make picks in this area of the first round work, the Capitals add to their size and skill up front with Morozov, who was one of the youngest players in college hockey this season.
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