Bold Predictions for the 2026 NHL Draft

The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is less than two weeks away, with the next wave of youngsters looking to hear their name called and begin their NHL journey. I think it’s high time I jump back into the predictions game, with some bold predictions for what might occur on draft day.

There are always surprises on draft day, such as the 2025 Draft not featuring a single defenseman under 6-feet-tall or Shane Wright falling to fourth overall in the 2022 Draft. The whole idea of this exercise is to predict unlikely outcomes so if I get all of them correct, then I clearly wasn’t bold enough. And if I get all of the wrong, that stays between us, okay?

Let’s dive in to my seven predictions, in order from least to most bold.

We’ll Get the Tried and True “Surprise Pick in the First Round of Someone From the London Knights”

This happens pretty regularly, with the industry having a great level of respect for the London Knights’ program. My pick from them is easy, with winger Jaxon Cover having an incredibly unique hockey story and a fascinating development road ahead. 

Cover was born and raised in the Cayman Islands, where there isn’t a single ice hockey rink. He grew up playing roller hockey and only switched to ice hockey in North America four years ago. Cover is a raw prospect, with a ton of one-on-one skill and a lot of habits from roller hockey that still need ironing out if he wants to be an NHL player. That said, he wouldn’t be a charity selection in the first round. Cover scored 20 goals and 52 points in the OHL this season and has more room to improve than most of his peers.

Adam Valentini Falls to, you guessed it, the Carolina Hurricanes

Does it count as a bold prediction to say that the Hurricanes are going to select exactly their type of player in the middle of the draft? Maybe it’s more of a called shot. Carolina doesn’t have 2nd or 3rd rounders in this year’s draft, but they won’t mind, selecting undersized, hardworking center Adam Valentini with their 4th round pick via. San Jose. 

Wyatt Cullen is Selected in the Top 10

In the past two years, Wyatt Cullen has gone from a talented prospect who you could easily overlook to a tantalizing prospect with an excellent combination of skill and work ethic. The main reason for his sharp upward trajectory is that he gained roughly 5 inches of height in that time span, shooting from 5-foot-8 at the start of the 2024-25 season to now standing at 6-foot-1. Two years ago there was a zero percent chance he could make the NHL, but he looks like a legitimate top-10 pick now.

Cullen’s season was slowed by an injury, and he’s going to need more time to adjust his game to the much larger frame that he now has. Despite this, Cullen is an excellent wing prospect who looks like a future top-six winger. I think he will go in the top-10 on his pure upside even though he was a virtual unknown to most in the public until just a few weeks ago.

Vancouver Canucks Make at Least 3 Selections in First Round

The Vancouver Canucks seem to finally be embracing a rebuild that has been coming for a long time, and as a result, they currently have two first round selections in the 2026 Draft as well as two in the second round. They are set to pick 3rd, 24th, 33rd, and 41st, which sets their new management group up well to build a foundation of young talent upon which to build their next great team. 

My prediction here is that they are going to make three picks in the first round. That could mean they move up using the first pick of the second round, but my prediction is that they will offload more NHL talent (Jake DeBrusk/Filip Hronek/Elias Pettersson?) to get back into the first round and make five total selections in the top 41. I don’t think they’re remotely done selling, though many of their best players have no movement clauses that will need to be waived in order for a deal to go through.

Ivar Stenberg goes 1st Overall

Ivar Stenberg was excellent at the World Championships for Sweden, and I think it’s fair to say he’s more NHL-ready than anyone else at the top of the draft class. Stenberg looks like a future star winger, the kind of player that just flat out wins. He gets to the guts of the ice, is hard on pucks, and scores in clutch moments. I see the logic for the Toronto Maple Leafs selecting Gavin McKenna first (partially due to the public perception), but they aren’t a team prepared to be patient. They need help soon and I think Stenberg is a better bet to be a strong contributor next season than anyone else available.

Two Centers Will Be Drafted Before Two Defenders

For most of this year, it felt like there was going to be a huge run on defensemen after the top two picks were used on Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg. Chase Reid is the favorite to be the first defender selected, but Carson Carels, Keaton Verhoeff, and Albert Šmits are all excellent defensive prospects in their own rights.

Caleb Malhotra is likely going to be the first center taken in the 2026 Draft, but I think that one of Viggo Bjorck or Tynan Lawrence will be selected before a second defender is. Centers are the most valuable commodity in the NHL, and the potential long-term value that they represent will be too enticing for teams to pass up on. 

Ryan Lin is the Big Faller on Draft Day

Ryan Lin is an excellent defenseman who is being unfairly typecast as an offence-only guy because he’s under 6-feet-tall. While I don’t think he’s as elite offensively (and his defense/frame aren’t nearly as in question), I think Lin is going to be this year’s Lane Hutson. Lin has been in and around the top 10 picks in this year’s draft class for a long time, but I think he’s going to fall at least into the 20s, but I’ll call my shot with him being drafted by the Buffalo Sabres with the 27th overall pick.