Blackhawks 2026 Combine Notebook: Stenberg, Reid, Malhotra, More

The 2026 NHL Prospect Combine was this past week (June 1-6) in Buffalo, New York. 90 top prospects came together for interviews and fitness testing, for teams to get one final look at candidates before making their draft decisions later this month. The NHL Entry Draft is just around the corner, on Jun. 26-27.

For the Chicago Blackhawks, lots of debate is revolving around their fourth overall selection. The organization is essentially at the mercy of the first three selections made ahead of them by the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks. This results in the Blackhawks having a lot of potential options and candidates to consider.

With that in mind, here are some relevant notes from the Combine regarding who could be available at the No. 4 spot.

Blackhawks Interview Strategy

It turns out the Blackhawks once again opted to NOT treat any prospects to dinner at the Combine. They didn’t last year either, meaning the last prospect they took out was defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who was chosen second overall in the 2024 Draft.

The Hawks feel the interview process is enough. After all, they’ve already done extensive research on these young players. Said general manager Kyle Davidson after the Draft Lottery on May 5,

There’s a lot of work that goes in before something like the Combine occurs. We’re talking to a lot of people along the way to make sure we understand who these players are.

So when you get to the combine there’s already a rapport there with probably an area scout or a crossover scout. It’s actually a fun experience where you’re just validating at that point. For us at this point, we already have a good feel for who a lot of these players are. For the combine it’s a final check for a couple questions, and get to know you a little better for myself, who has not met the majority of these players. It’s a good final piece of the puzzle.

All that said, the Blackhawks’ GM indicated they will be taking a “best available player” approach to their fourth overall selection. This means they were busy at the Combine getting final impressions from a number of prospects. But just who are they targeting? Let’s see if we can obtain some clues from happenings at the Combine.

Observations From the Combine

All signs point towards Gavin McKenna not being available for the Blackhawks. Most pundits believe he will be taken by the Maple Leafs first overall. But after that, things seem to be up in the air.

For the second overall pick, it’s well known the Sharks need defense. So will they select defenseman Chase Reid (righthanded, RHD)? On the other side of the coin, they still need more strength at forward. Meaning winger Ivar Stenberg or center Caleb Malhotra aren’t off the table. For what it’s worth, the Sharks took defensemen Reid, Carson Carels and Keaton Verhoeff to dinner this week. But wait! They also treated forward Stenberg to dinner. The Sharks are obviously not showing their hand.

The Canucks, for their part, are rebuilding and need help everywhere. With the third overall pick, they could be very tempted to select Malhotra, especially since his father (Manny Malhotra) was recently named as the Canucks new head coach. However, nothing is a given.

With all this uncertainty, it’s in the Blackhawks’ best interest to consider all three of Reid, Stenberg and Malhotra as players that might be available at the No. 4 spot. If the top forwards and/or Reid come off the board, D-men Carels (LD), Verhoeff (RD) and even Alberts Smits (LD), could also be options. It might all boil down to character, handedness and projected fit with the Blackhawks’ roster.

Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times reported the Blackhawks met previously with Reid at his home in Detroit. There, they actually DID take him out to dinner! That’s a pretty good sign the organization is extremely interested in the young D-man if the top three forwards have already been taken.

Fitness Testing Notes

Now that we’ve covered who the Blackhawks are likely targeting with the fourth overall pick, let’s get to the fitness testing part of the Combine. Our Mark Scheig reported the heights and weights of all the prospects. Here’s the official listings for the above discussed Blackhawks targets.

• *Carson Carels (LHD), Prince George Cougars (WHL): 6-foot-1.75, 198 pounds 
• Caleb Malhotra (C), Brantford Bulldogs (OHL): 6-foot-1.75, 185 pounds
• Chase Reid (RHD), Soo Greyhounds (OHL): 6-foot-2.5, 190 pounds
• Alberts Smits (LHD), Jukurit (Liiga): 6-foot-2.75, 209 pounds
• *Ivar Stenberg (LW/RW), Frolunda HC (SHL): 5-foot-11, 183 pounds 
• Keaton Verhoeff (RHD), University of North Dakota (NCAA): 6-foot-4, 215 pounds

*It should be noted that Stenberg and Carols did not take part in the fitness testing (including getting updated heights and weights). Stenberg opted out since he got sick after participating in the recent World Championships, and Carols was injured in the WHL playoffs. Their measurements were last conducted by NHL Central Scouting.

Malhotra performed very well in the fitness testing, finishing in the top 10 in five categories. He was 10th at 14:09 on the Vo2 Max bike test, his vertical jump of 22.8 inches was tied for fifth, and in the pro agility shuttle run he was tied for eighth starting to the left (4.4 seconds) and tied for 10th starting to the right (4.4 seconds). He was also tied for ninth in the 10m sprint, at 2.11 seconds.

The top forward prospect was also tied for 13^th in the horizontal jump, with a distance of 108.5 inches. Finally, he finished 18th in peak power output on the Wingate ergometer bike test, one of the more famous tests at the Combine because of its rigorous nature. Malhotra’s output was 15.9 watts of energy per kilogram of body weight.

Verhoeff was in the top 10 in three categories. In the pro agility shuttle run, he finished tied for third when starting to the right (4.27 seconds), and tied for eighth when starting to the left (4.4 seconds). He was tied for ninth in left-hand grip at 168 pounds of force. Verhoeff was also tied for 15th with 12 pullups and had the 18th longest wingspan at 77.5 inches.

Reid, for his part, was tied for 11^th on the bench press. He measured in with 6.0 watts/kg. He was also in the top 25 with a 76.5 inch wingspan.

Smits was tied for 8^th among prospects with a 165 pounds of force for right-hand grip and tied for 16^th on the left-hand grip (155 pounds of force).

For the Blackhawks, it will all depend on who’s available once their number is called for the fourth overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft. Will they stay put with this pick?! We’ll get to some plausible draft trade scenarios in a separate piece.

But for now, they’ve gained some valuable insights at this year’s Combine. If they stay at No. 4, they should come away with a very good player.