2026 NHL Draft: Top 10 American Prospects

The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is approaching quickly, so it’s time to take a look at some of the top prospects available. The USA has been very successful in international tournaments of late, and they have another batch of talented young players coming through the draft this year.

This isn’t the strongest American group we’ve seen recently, but there are a few players at the top of this list who could become superstars someday in the NHL. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the top 10 American prospects available in the 2026 NHL Draft.

10. Luke Schairer, RD, USA U18 (NTDP)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 45th (NA Skaters)

Luke Schairer is a two way defender who has the size and skating NHL teams covet, but lacks the skill or defensive prowess to dominate on either end of the ice. Schairer is very athletic and has the boldness to charge in off the rush, but he can put himself in difficult positions to recover and gives up a fair bit the other way. In the end, being a 6-foot-3 defender with a right handed shot is likely to be enough for Schairer to go early in the 2026 Draft, but there are questions about his ultimate role as a pro player.

9. Rian Chudzinski, RW, Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 63rd (NA Skaters)

Rian Chudzinski is a riser in this year’s draft following an impressive run in the QMJHL playoffs. Chudzinski has good skill and skating, but his primary calling card is his physical play. He is a highly competitive winger who creates a ton of his offense right in close to the net, making life miserable for defenders and goaltenders alike. Believers in Chudzinski think he will be an agitator that can be a huge factor in the playoffs one day, while doubters ask if he has the offensive skill to become more than a bottom-six grinder. 

8. Brooks Rogowski, C, Oshawa Generals (OHL)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 21st (NA Skaters)

Brooks Rogowski is probably the best bet to be drafted out of this ranking order as a 6-foot-7 center who has good hands and skating for his size. He’s athletic and competitive enough that I expect he’ll be a long-term NHLer, but I’m not sure he’s going to have a ton of offense at the pro level. Recent prospects like Dean Letourneau set the blueprint for Rogowski to go in the first round.

7. Tommy Bleyl, RD, Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 17th (NA Skaters)

Tommy Bleyl is an incredibly mobile defenseman who sees the ice well and has been a great offensive piece as a junior player. Bleyl led all QMJHL defenders in scoring en route to being named defensive rookie in the league this year.

While he is a smart offensive player, his size and lack of physicality draw some questions as to how he will defend as a pro, but his offensive play and skating are both strong enough for him to be selected as early as the first round if a team isn’t too worried about his defensive projection. 

6. Casey Mutryn, RW, USA U18 (NTDP)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 24th (NA Skaters)

Casey Mutryn is a physical two-way winger who coaches are going to love as a pro. Mutryn isn’t going to be a massive offensive piece for an NHL team, with modest point totals lining up with his skill and scoring level, but he is competitive and does a lot of things right. He is a great screener as the net-front man on a power play, and has scored a few goals because of how well he can box out defenders. 

5. Jack Hextall, C, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 34th (NA Skaters)

Jack Hextall is an intelligent center who sees plays well and can use that to his advantage as a playmaker and as a physical force. He is equally comfortable making a massive body check as he is making a skill play through traffic. Hextall isn’t huge (about 6-feet-tall), but he plays strong enough that I expect he’ll stick as a center as a pro. While his production wasn’t all that impressive this season, he played better than those totals, and could become a strong two-way, third line type of center in the NHL. 

4. Nikita Klepov, LW, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 8th (NA Skaters)

Nikita Klepov is an average sized winger who has the skill and slipperiness to be a first round selection. It’s common for wingers to be pushed to the outside a bit and become perimeter threats, but Klepov has been successful in and around the net as well as from range. He is on the young end of the draft class, but his 97 points this season led the entire OHL in scoring. There are some questions about his athleticism and compete level, but his scoring speaks for itself.

3. J.P. Hurlbert, LW, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 12th (NA Skaters)

J.P. Hurlbert is a prospect who did himself a lot of favors this season. That’s a good thing too because he took on a lot of risk leaving the NTDP after playing for the U17 squad there last season. That move burned some bridges and could have looked foolish if he hadn’t excelled in the WHL, but luckily for him he finished the season fourth in WHL scoring after spending the majority of the season at age 17. 

Hurlbert is a good wing prospect, with the skill and compete level to have a chance at becoming a top-six winger in the NHL. He has an NHL shot and works hard enough, though his defensive game could use some fine-tuning, and was part of his mid-season pivot from center to the wing. Hurlbert is going to be a first rounder and might not have been if he hadn’t taken the swing he did and left the program in favour of the CHL. 

2. Wyatt Cullen, LW, USA U18 (NTDP)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 13th (NA Skaters)

Wyatt Cullen is one of the most interested prospects I’ve ever seen in his draft year. Cullen was always a super skilled wing prospect, but NHL teams were never going to take him particularly seriously due to his size. At the end of the 2024-25 season, Cullen measured at 5-foot-8 in the NTDP, at the NTDP/CHL Prospects game back in November he was 5-foot-11, and then he is sitting at 6-foot-1 on the NHL Central Scouting’s final draft ranking.

That kind of growth has made him a legitimate NHL prospect, and one that teams are scrambling to understand. When a prospect goes through such a dramatic physical change, it’s fascinating to watch how their game adapts to their new frame and Cullen’s skill has thankfully remained. Cullen can challenge defenders one-on-one a bit too often, but he has the skill to pull off ridiculous moves pretty regularly. He didn’t score a ton this year for a player so skilled, but I think he deserves some grace considering the massive physical changes he was dealing with. Cullen is going to be a lottery pick this year (top-16), and could go as early as the top-10. 

1. Chase Reid, RD, Soo Greyhounds (OHL)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 2nd (NA Skaters)

is the undisputed top American prospect in this year’s draft. His development over the past two seasons has been nothing short of astounding, beginning the 2024-25 season as a second pairing defender in the NAHL, and finishing the 2025-26 season as one of the very best players in the OHL at age 18. He creates a ton of offense off the rush and off the blueline, but he’s no slouch defensively either. 

Reid is a two-way defender who projects to play big minutes in the NHL in all situations. He can be a bit aggressive offensively, but he battles hard enough defensively that it’s not a concernHis profile is a bit reminiscent of Matthew Schaefer’s a year ago, though Schaefer’s skating was a few levels above Reid.