In a draft lacking high-end centres, Cooper Williams has established himself as one of the most creative of the 2026 NHL Draft class. He surprised scouts at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup despite playing a depth role, and was one of the best players at the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Top Prospects Game. Although he slipped from 42nd to 50th on Central Scouting’s Final Ranking of North American skaters, he remains high on scouts’ radars, and TSN’s Craig Button listed him in his first round.
Last season, Williams put up 21 goals and 57 points over 68 games with the Saskatoon Blades and was nominated for the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Rookie of the Year, eventually losing out to 15-year-old phenom Landon DuPont. This season, he matched his point total while playing two fewer games and scoring two more goals, finishing second in points for the Blades. He wasn’t as productive in the playoffs, scoring two goals and adding four assists in 11 games, but he played much more physically, showcasing a side of his game rarely seen during the regular season.
With the draft fast approaching, I spoke with Williams about his WHL career, his thoughts ahead of draft day, and why he’ll make an NHL team very happy in June.
What do you hope that NHL scouts have taken away from watching you in the regular season and in the playoffs?
“Just competing, wanting to win, and I think having leadership and pushing the boys through.”
Have you spoken to any scouts so far? Have they pointed out anything they liked or wanted you to work on?
“Yeah, a couple just in person over Zoom calls, stuff like that. I think the biggest thing (they mentioned) for me is my weight and muscles, so just trying to put that on after the season.”
What’s the biggest thing you’ve been working on this year?
“I think just trying to be in the gym as much as possible. Like I said, just trying to build that weight and muscle.”
How would you describe your role to a future NHL team? What will you tell them when you’re asked, “Why should we draft you?”
“High offensive, 200-foot player, so I can play in any situation, but more offensive-minded.”
What does it mean to be ranked among the top 50 skaters on the Central Scouting list?
“It’s pretty cool, pretty surreal. You dream about it since you’re a kid, being drafted, so seeing your name up there, it’s pretty cool. But I’m just trying to keep going and nothing’s set in yet, so just keep going, trying to get higher.”
Do you try to model your game after?
“Right now, I think the biggest one is Nick Suzuki. He’s just an unreal 200-foot player, but he’s more offensive. He has over 80 points last year, so I try and play like him.”
What got you into hockey?
“I think just going out to the ODR (outdoor rink) with my older brother and my cousin. They built it at my grandparents house every year, so just going out there with them, that was my biggest factor.”
Is it true that Jacob Bernard-Docker coached you in elementary school? What did you learn from a player who became a first-round NHL Draft pick?
“So I went to this hockey school that my mom taught at, and the Okotoks Oilers’ (of the Alberta Junior Hockey League) head coaches ran it, so he would could out there sometimes. They had a couple players, like him, Nick Blankenburg would sometimes come out, he’s playing in the NHL as well, Dylan Holloway was out there a couple times, so it’s pretty cool. I’m trying to remember back, I would have been grade three or four, so hard to remember, but probably learned two or three things.”
Why did you choose to commit to the University of North Dakota?
“I think just more of a pro-style hockey down there. I don’t want to leave here until I dominate, until we win here, so I’ll be coming back next year, trying to do that, then head down there. It’s an unreal facility there. I got to go down for a day and see everything, and it’s unreal, the campus, the facility, and then just the town; it’s 60,000 people and they average however many fans at a game, so it’s just an all-hockey city. Whereas the bigger schools like Michigan and all those like that, they’ve got other sports like football and basketball, but North Dakota really has hockey as the biggest thing.”
The University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks averaged over 11,500 fans per game in 2025-26, leading not just all Division 1 hockey teams for the 11th consecutive season, but also outpacing all Canadian junior hockey and American Hockey League (AHL) teams. The AHL’s Cleveland Monsters were the second-most attended hockey games outside the NHL, averaging 11,438 fans at the 19,000-seat Rocket Arena. North Dakota’s Ralph Engelstad Arena, on the other hand, has a maximum capacity of 11,643.
How would you describe the kind of person you are? How do you want to be remembered?
“Just a leader, like a positive leader trying to help the boys up, and someone who talks a lot, I think everyone would say that here, so just trying to stay positive.”
The NHL Draft will take place on June 26 and 27 at the KeyBank Centre in Buffalo.
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