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2026 NHL Draft Guide

Peter B. 10 min read FEA

Consider The Hockey Writers your go-to source for everything related to the NHL Draft and this page your live home for information on the upcoming 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

Bookmark this page and check back often, as it will be constantly updated leading up to hockey’s version of Christmas. THW’s 2026 NHL Draft Guide is your quintessential draft resource featuring:

  • Detailed unique prospect profiles on all the top prospects
  • Mock drafts
  • Exclusive rankings
  • Team-specific needs and speculations
  • Looking ahead to the 2026 NHL Draft and beyond

Recent Posts

2026 NHL Draft Rankings

Orth’s Top 64 April Rankings
Forbes’ Top 96 April Rankings
Reimer’s Top 64 March Rankings
Baracchini’s Top 96 March Rankings
Forbes’ Top 64 February Rankings
Orth’s Top 32 February Rankings
Baracchini’s Top 64 January Rankings
Baracchini’s Top 32 Preseason Rankings
Baracchini’s Way-Too-Early Top 32

Mock Drafts/ Scenarios

Top-16 Post- Draft Lottery Mock
2026 NHL Draft Top-5 Scenarios: Maple Leafs Add Stenberg, Canucks Draft Reid
2026 NHL Draft Top-5 Scenarios: Maple Leafs Land McKenna, Reid With First Two Picks
2026 NHL Draft Top-5 Scenarios: Maple Leafs Get McKenna & Sharks on the Chase

2026 NHL Draft – Prospect Profiles

Top 5 Hopefuls

McKenna, Gavin
Reid, Chase
Stenberg, Ivar
Malhotra, Caleb
Verhoeff, Keaton

Top 16 Hopefuls

Belchetz, Ethan
Bjorck, Viggo
Carels, Carson
Hermansson, Elton
Hemming, Oscar
Lawrence, Tynan
Lin, Ryan
Malhotra, Caleb
McKenna, Gavin
Novotny, Adam
Reid, Chase
Rudolph, Daxon
Smits, Alberts
Stenberg, Ivar
Suvanto, Oliver
Verhoeff, Keaton

Forwards

Andersson, Adam
Andersson, Ludvig
Aaram-Olsen, Niklas
Arkko, Luka
Barabanov, Egor
Bartholdsson, Nils
Belchetz, Ethan
Bernat, Lucian
Berzkalns, Rudolfs
Bjorck, Viggo
Cali, Ryder
Chrenko, Tomas
Command, Alexander
Cover, Jaxon
Cullen, Wyatt
Dagenais, Maddox
Di Iorio, Alessandro
Edwards, Beckham
Frolo, Jakub
Fyodorov, Viktor
Gashilov, Lavr
Harrington, Chase
Hemming, Oscar
Hermansson, Elton
Hextall, Jack
Holmertz, Oscar
Hurlbert, J.P.
Iginla, Joe
Ignatavicius, Simas
Isaksson, Max
Kähkönen, Viljo
Katolicky, Simon
Klepov, Nikita
Kuhta, Jasper
Lagerberg Hoen, Jonas
Laitinen, Jiko
Lawrence, Tynan
Lefebvre, Liam
Lemieux, JC
Malhotra, Caleb
Mbuyi, Pierce
McKenna, Gavin
Morozov, Ilia
Murnieks, Olivers
Mutryn, Casey
Nordmark, Marcus
Novak, Filip
Novotny, Adam
Olsen, Zach
Pakarinen, Noel
Plante, Victor
Pugachyov, Gleb
Preston, Mathis
Rogowski, Brooks
Roobroeck, Ryan
Ruck, Liam
Ruck, Markus
Sedlacek, David
Shaikhlislamov, Alan
Shilov, Egor
Steiner, Lars
Stenberg, Ivar
Suvanto, Oliver
Szongoth, Domán Kristóf
Valentini, Adam
Vandenberg, Thomas
Vanhanen, Matias
Vanhatalo, Vilho
Wassilyn, Braidy
Williams, Cooper
Wilmott, Ben
Zielinski, Blake

Defensemen

Alalauri, Samu
Ambrosio, Lucas
Bilecki, Alexander
Bleyl, Tommy
Brøngel-Larsson, Axel
Carels, Carson
Croskery, Callum
Dravecký, Vladimír
Elofsson, Axel
Eriksson, Samuel
Fedoseyev, Yaroslav
Galvas, Tomas
Goljer, Adam
Gudmundsson, Mans
Gustafsson, Malte
Karmanov, Alexander
Lin, Ryan
Liske, Brek
MacBeath, Ben
Matveyev, Vsevolod
Palme, Ola
Pantelas, Giorgos
Piiparinen, Juho
Reid, Chase
Rhéaume-Mullen, Dakoda
Rieber, Jimmy
Rudolph, Daxon
Runtso, Timofei
Shcherbakov, Nikita
Smits, Alberts
Sokolovskii, Maksim
Svensk, Vertti
Tukio, Ossi
Vaněček, Jakub
Verhoeff, Keaton
Villeneuve, Xavier
Håkansson, William

Related: Vancouver Canucks’ Targets With No. 41 Pick in 2026 NHL Draft · NHL Rumours: Montembeault Done with Habs, Bedard Extension & Senators All-In on Ullmark · Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Chayka, Rielly, Raddysh, Koblar & Akhtyamov

Goalies

Boettiger, Harrison
Borichev, Dmitri
Knowling, Brady
Larys, Jan
Nilsson, Douglas
Orsulak, Michal
Poletin, Frantisek
Ruzicka, Filip
Rybkin, Yegor
Tamm, Viggo
Trejbal, Tobias

Top 5/10 Lists

2026 NHL Draft – 5 Most NHL-Ready Players
2026 NHL Draft – Top 5 Snipers
2026 NHL Draft – Top 5 Playmakers
Superlatives for the 2026 NHL Draft Class
2026 NHL Draft: Top 10 American Prospects
2026 NHL Draft – Fastest Risers
2026 NHL Draft – Top 10 Finnish Prospects
2026 NHL Draft – Top 10 Swedish Prospects
2026 NHL Draft – 5 Underrated Finnish Prospects
Top 5 CHL Defencemen in the 2026 NHL Draft
5 Underrated Prospects on NHL Central Scouting’s 2026 Preliminary Watch List

Positional Rankings

2026 NHL Entry Draft – Top 10 Centers
2026 NHL Entry Draft – Top 10 Goalies
2026 NHL Draft – Top 10 Right Wingers
2026 NHL Draft – Top 10 Left Wingers
2026 NHL Entry Draft – Top 10 Defensemen

League Rankings

2026 NHL Draft – Top 10 OHL Prospects
2026 NHL Draft – Top 10 QMJHL Prospects
2026 NHL Draft – Top 10 WHL Prospects
2026 NHL Draft: Preseason Top 10 WHL Players
5 2026 NHL Draft-Eligible OHL Players to Watch For
5 WHL Players to Watch After the Hlinka Gretzky Cup

Draft Coverage by NHL Team (Alphabetical)

Calgary Flames

Chicago Blackhawks

Columbus Blue Jackets

Detroit Red Wings

Florida Panthers

Nashville Predators

New Jersey Devils

New York Islanders

New York Rangers

Pittsburgh Penguins

Philadelphia Flyers

San Jose Sharks

St. Louis Blues

Toronto Maple Leafs

Vancouver Canucks

Washington Capitals

Winnipeg Jets

Player Features

2026 NHL Draft: Interview with Saskatoon Blades Defenceman Brayden Klimpke
2026 NHL Draft-Eligible Standouts at World U18 Championship
Ranking the Best Landing Spots for Keaton Verhoeff
2026 NHL Draft: Interview with Saskatoon Blades Forward Zach Olsen
Ranking the Best Landing Spots for Gavin McKenna in the 2026 NHL Draft
Breaking Down Viggo Björck’s Historic SHL Playoff Debut
Top NCAA Prospects in the 2026 NHL Draft
Saskatoon Blades Impress at 2026 WHL Top Prospects Game
7 Standouts from the 2026 WHL Top Prospects Game
Caleb Malhotra Proving Why He Should Be First OHLer Selected in 2026 NHL Draft
Top 3 Finnish Skaters on the NHL Central Scouting 2026 Draft Board
Top Performers From the 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game
2026 NHL Draft: Sorting Out the Goalie Class
Who Has the Edge to Go First Overall in the 2026 NHL Draft After the World Junior Championship?
Gavin McKenna Put Doubts to Rest at the World Junior Championship
Ivar Stenberg Has Surpassed Gavin McKenna in the 2026 NHL Draft
Top Performers From the 2025 CHL/ USA Prospects Challenge
Nikita Klepov Should Be a 1st-Round Pick in the 2026 NHL Draft
J.P. Hurlbert Should Be in Top 10 Conversation for 2026 NHL Draft
2026 NHL Draft Watch List: Scouting 3 Saskatoon Blades’ Draft-Eligible Players
7 Spitfires Named to Preliminary 2026 NHL Draft Watch List
Ethan Belchetz Might Be a Top-3 Prospect in Stacked 2026 NHL Draft
Chase Reid Poised to Climb 2026 NHL Draft Boards
Ryan Lin: The Most Polished Player in the 2026 NHL Draft
Keaton Verhoeff Finds a Home at North Dakota While Chasing NHL Dreams
2026 Draft-Eligible Keaton Verhoeff Is a Generational Defensive Prospect
2026 Draft-Eligible Standouts at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup
2026 Draft-Eligible Players to Watch at Hlinka Gretzky Cup
Success of CHL-to-NCAA Pipeline Hinges on Gavin McKenna

World Junior Championship Coverage

World Junior Championship All Time Leading Scorers
Guide to the 2026 World Junior Championship
10 Things to Watch for at the 2026 World Junior Championship
2026 NHL Draft-Eligible Players to Watch at the WJC
2026 World Juniors Rosters by NHL Team

Looking Back At Older NHL Drafts

10 Best 7th Round Picks Since 2005
1999: The Worst NHL Draft Class Ever?
1st Overall NHL Draft Picks: Regrets From the Last Decade
2007 NHL Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks
2010 NHL Entry Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks
2012 Redraft: What if the Edmonton Oilers Didn’t Take Nail Yakupov?
2013 NHL Entry Draft: Where Are They Now?
2016 NHL Entry Draft Top 10: Where Are They Now?
2017 NHL Entry Draft Top 10: Where Are They Now?
4 Oilers’ Early Draft Steals of the Past 5 Years
All-Decade NHL Draft – 2010 to 2019
Boston Bruins’ Top 5 Draft Picks of the Don Sweeney Era
Canucks’ 2011 Draft Remains Worst in Franchise History
Classic Draft Day Quotes
Did The 2005 NHL Lockout Help Make The 2003 Draft Class Great?
Edmonton Oilers’ Top 5 Draft Picks of Ken Holland Era
Grading Buffalo Sabres’ First-Round Picks in the Pegula Era
Grading the Red Wings’ First Round Picks of the Last Decade
Islanders Draft History: Missing Out on First-Round Selections
Kings’ Top 5 All-Time Draft Steals
Oilers’ 10 Best First Round Picks All-Time
Rangers Paying Price for Failed Top-10 Picks in 2017 & 2018
Re-Drafting the 2012 NHL Entry Draft
Revisiting Minnesota Wild Drafts – 2010
Revisiting Preseason Rankings for 2018 NHL Draft
Revisiting the Edmonton Oilers’ Disastrous 1990 Draft
Revisiting the Edmonton Oilers’ Dubious 2012 Draft After 10 Years
The Best Late-Round Picks Ever
The Sedin Twins and the 1999 NHL Entry Draft
The Worst 1st Overall Draft Pick…Ever
The Worst 1st Overall Draft Pick…Ever
The Worst First Overall Draft Picks in NHL History
Who’s Never Picked #1 in the Draft?

2025 NHL Draft Review

Grading Each Team’s 2025 Draft Class
Meet the Flames’ 2025 First-Round Draft Picks
Grading the Rangers’ 2025 NHL Draft Class
Top 10 2025 Undrafted Prospects at NHL Development Camps
Get to Know the Anaheim Ducks’ 2025 Draft Class
Reviewing the Dallas Stars’ 2025 Draft Class
Grading the Montreal Canadiens’ 2025 Draft Class
Rangers Deployed Unorthodox but Fascinating Strategy in 2025 Draft
Meet the Minnesota Wild’s 2025 Draft Class
Maple Leafs Address Being ‘Mean’ and Competitive at 2025 NHL Draft
Meet the Seattle Kraken’s 2025 Draft Class
Ottawa Senators’ 2025 Draft Class: Reaction & Analysis
Meet the Canucks’ 2025 Draft Class: Reaction & Analysis
Carolina Hurricanes’ 2025 NHL Draft Recap
Grading the Sabres’ 2025 Draft Picks
Meet the Blackhawks 2025 Draft Class: Reaction & Analysis
Meet the Jets’ 2025 NHL Entry Draft Class
Meet the Bruins’ 2025 NHL Draft Class

Previous Draft Guides

Forgotten Draft Picks

Where Are They Now?

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Peter Baracchini

Peter Baracchini

Peter is in his sixth year with The Hockey Writers, covering the Toronto Maple Leafs. He also does extensive coverage of the NHL Draft and prospects, attending the NHL drafts in Montreal, Nashville and Las Vegas. He has previously interned at The Hockey News and worked on Toronto Marlies broadcasts for Rogers TV. He currently is the co-host of the podcast Sticks in the 6ix and host of the Maple Leafs Lounge. Aside from hockey, he also enjoys drumming, animation and impressions/ voices.

More by Peter Baracchini →
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