2026 NHL Draft Guide

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 – Top 10 Left Wingers
• Calgary Flames’ Lottery Draft Scenarios & Prospects to Target
• Callum Croskery – 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Profile
• 2026 NHL Draft – Top 10 OHL Prospects
• Oliver Suvanto — 2026 NHL Draft Profile

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

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

Defensemen

Alalauri, Samu
Bleyl, Tommy
Carels, Carson
Croskery, Callum
Goljer, Adam
Gudmundsson, Mans
Gustafsson, Malte
Karmanov, Alexander
Lin, Ryan
Piiparinen, Juho
Reid, Chase
Rhéaume-Mullen, Dakoda
Rieber, Jimmy
Rudolph, Daxon
Runtso, Timofei
Shcherbakov, Nikita
Smits, Alberts
Svensk, Vertti
Tukio, Ossi
Verhoeff, Keaton
Villeneuve, Xavier
Håkansson, William

Goalies

Boettiger, Harrison
Borichev, Dmitri
Nilsson, Douglas
Orsulak, Michal
Poletin, Frantisek
Tamm, Viggo
Trejbal, Tobias

Top 5/10 Lists

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 Defensemen

League Rankings

2026 NHL Draft – Top 10 OHL 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

• Calgary Flames’ Lottery Draft Scenarios & Prospects to Target

Chicago Blackhawks

• What the Blackhawks Should Do if They Draw the Third Pick

New York Rangers

• Rangers Shouldn’t Rely on Winning Draft Lottery

Montreal Canadiens

• 3 Players the Canadiens Should Watch at the CHL Prospect Games

Philadelphia Flyers

• Flyers Should Set Sights on Viggo Björck, Not Gavin McKenna for 2026 NHL Draft

St. Louis Blues

• The Blues Can Benefit From Going for Gavin McKenna in the 2026 NHL Draft

Toronto Maple Leafs

• Maple Leafs’ Chances of Keeping the 5th Overall Pick in the 2026 Draft
• Maple Leafs Can’t Let History Repeat with First-Round Pick
• Maple Leafs Can Look to Draft Lottery if the Season Continues to Go South

Vancouver Canucks

• Canucks Should Only Consider Drafting Malhotra If McKenna & Stenberg Are Off the Board
• Canucks 2026 NHL Draft Lottery Preview
• Are Liam and Markus Ruck Destined to Become Canucks?
• Canucks Clearly Prioritizing 2026 NHL Draft
• Juho Piiparinen Should Be on the Canucks Radar at the 2026 NHL Draft

Player Features

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
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

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

• 2025 NHL Draft Guide
• 2024 NHL Draft Guide
• 2023 NHL Draft Guide
• 2022 NHL Draft Guide
• 2021 NHL Draft Guide
• 2020 NHL Draft Guide
• 2019 NHL Draft Guide
• 2018 NHL Draft Guide
• 2017 NHL Draft Guide

Forgotten Draft Picks

• 2014 NHL Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks
• 2013 NHL Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks
• 2012 NHL Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks
• 2011 NHL Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks
• 2010 NHL Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks
• 2009 NHL Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks
• 2008 NHL Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks
• 2007 NHL Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks
• 2006 NHL Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks
• 2005 NHL Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks
• 2004 NHL Draft: 5 Forgotten Picks

Where Are They Now?

• 2018 NHL Draft: Where Are They Now?
• 2017 NHL Draft: Where Are They Now?
• 2016 NHL Draft: Where Are They Now?
• 2015 NHL Draft: Where Are They Now?
• 2014 NHL Draft: Where Are They Now?
• 2013 NHL Draft: Where Are They Now?
• 2012 NHL Draft: Where Are They Now?
• 2011 NHL Draft: Where Are They Now?
• 2010 NHL Draft: Where Are They Now?
• 2009 NHL Draft: Where Are They Now?