Emptying the 2026 NHL Combine Notebook

The 2026 NHL Combine has come and gone. We are just 18 days away from the Toronto Maple Leafs being put on the clock in Buffalo by commissioner Gary Bettman. Now things will start to pick up from an offseason perspective with each passing day.

We shared our three overall takeaways. We posted the heights and weights of the prospects. Now it’s time to empty my Combine notebook.

We spoke to 30 prospects after their fitness testing was completed on Saturday. Coupled with talking to various people at the Combine, this is a collection of notes, insight, analysis and some predictions as to what might happen in the coming weeks.

We reiterated in our takeaways just how well Gavin McKenna did this week. While nothing’s settled, it would be a major surprise if he’s not taken first overall.

Ivar Stenberg did not partake in the fitness testing due to an illness. It would have been interesting to see how he did as someone who has a chance to go well within the top-five.

You can see the list of fitness testing results here.

But we begin our notebook with a question I haven’t seen asked much given the discourse around the San Jose Sharks.

What If Sharks Go Offense at 2?

All we’ve heard about the Sharks is how loaded their forward prospects are. There’s no denying that. There’s also no denying their desire to want to add an elite defenseman to their pipeline. There have their pick of the litter in that regard.

However, we aren’t asking an important question when it comes to the Sharks. What if Stenberg is their best available player?

Conventional draft wisdom indicates teams take the best available player. Assuming McKenna is gone, many feel Stenberg is next best. Would the Sharks aim for need with the second pick?

Here’s the question we need to be asking ourselves. Is Stenberg an upgrade on any of the forward prospects the Sharks have? If the answer is yes, and a strong argument can be made the answer is yes, then they must consider him with the second pick.

GM Mike Grier will of course not leak anything in terms of what they’re thinking. But in Buffalo this week, Stenberg had two dinners with teams, the ones who own the second and third picks of this draft. It at least points to the Sharks doing their diligence in learning as much about Stenberg as possible so they can make their most informed decision.

What actually happens with the second pick remains one of the biggest storylines in the lead up to the draft. It could be traded if the right package is offered. But if we learned anything this week, it’s that we cannot assume the second pick will be used on a defenseman.

While Reid would fit like a glove in San Jose, Stenberg would add another elite element to their forwards. They’d have other means of being able to add defensemen given what they could put together in a trade package to acquire one.

Good luck guessing what Grier and the Sharks do second overall. Just don’t rule out the possibility of a forward if that’s the best available player and no trades materialize. In our recent THW Writer’s Mock Draft, it was Stenberg to the Sharks. He has elements of being a potential number-one pick in most years.

My best advice here? Just keep an open mind to the possibilities. Lottery luck put the Sharks in this position.

If Reid Falls to the Blackhawks…

There was a ton of chatter this week about what the Blackhawks are thinking. One prevailing theme I heard in talking to multiple people: The Blackhawks love them some Chase Reid.

Reid is considered by many the best defenseman available in this draft. He has elements in his game that show he could be a number-one pick in most years. Yet, depending how the first three picks go, Reid could fall to the Blackhawks.

Should that happen, the buck would stop there.

The Vancouver Canucks could have the draft’s most interesting debate. Would they draft the coach’s son Caleb Malhotra? Or would they lean in a different direction if that player is best available?

Should the Canucks pick Malhotra, that sets the Blackhawks up well to take who’s left. It could be Stenberg. It could be Reid.

An elite winger for Connor Bedard? They’d love that. A top-level defenseman on their blue line? Sign them up.

The Blackhawks still could trade the fourth pick if an elite talent is available to acquire. But short of that, signs point to them keeping the pick and being able to add an elite talent to an already robust prospect pool.

While the obvious need for the Blackhawks is to surround their young talent this offseason, the team is still in an envious position of being able to add someone that could help them for a decade. They’re truly not all that far off from building something.

If Reid is available at four, it’s game over. I can’t see a situation where he falls below that spot on draft night.

Just Who Is the Third Best Defenseman?

One of the other narratives coming into this draft is the number of top defensemen available to teams. That is true in comparison to top forwards.

Time for another question. Who in your mind is the third best defenseman in this draft? Many believe Reid will go first. Then opinions start to vary even with the second best. Keaton Verhoeff? Alberts Smits? Others?

Here’s a name that you should get familiar with. Malte Gustafsson. There are multiple people who believe he has a chance to be the third-best defenseman in this draft class. Yet, his name usually doesn’t come up until the middle of the first round after the initial run of defensemen are gone.

Why is Gustafsson thought of so highly? It’s his overall two-way game that has garnered praise. The belief is that his game is more well rounded than his counterparts at this stage.

While most that know Gustafsson is a good shutdown defender, he also has an offensive mindset. When asked on Saturday if he’d rather score a goal or stop the other team from scoring, “I’d say score” was his response. It shows his willingness to impact the game in multiple ways.

Gustafsson said he likes to watch the likes of Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar and Gustav Forsling. “I wouldn’t say I’m similar to them but still nice to take some inspiration.” Decent choices by him.

Gustafsson did speak with 26 teams. One team treated him to dinner but didn’t want to admit who that was. What did they want to know most about him?

“Just about a bit of my background, family, get to know me as a person.” Variations of this was a common theme throughout the week from all the prospects we spoke to.

Gustafsson confirmed he will play in the SHL next year. What is he looking forward to in his second season? “Just developing my game. Getting stronger off the ice and playing big minutes.”

Why has Gustafsson gone up many boards in his mind? “I think my off-ice training has been good. Put on some muscles. My game has been better the second half of the season. I’ve been working on my offensive game.”

Don’t be surprised if you hear of Gustafsson’s name more as one of the top defensemen available. Some believe he’s one of the three-best available.

Ethan Belchetz Talks About His Season

Power forwards always get the attention of teams. They’re becoming much harder to find. One prospect that is going to generate a lot of attention in that regard is Ethan Belchetz.

Belchetz spoke for over 10 minutes after his fitness testing Saturday. For my money, he did a lot to help himself this week in Buffalo. He should be among the first 15 names called.

Many have questioned Belchetz’s season and if he played his best. While he put up respectable numbers, those folks believe he left some opportunity on the table.

We asked Belchetz Saturday to reflect on his season and if he felt he had a good season despite what some have said.

“I think it was a positive season,” Belchetz said. “I learned a lot and we had a really good year there. I was really excited to play in the playoffs there. Then at the end of the year, you go down with an injury and that sucks. Those are things you can’t control. But all you can control is work ethic and how you come back from it.”

Belchetz will be taking his talents to the powerhouse program at Michigan State. Why was this his choice?

“You see all the players that come through that program,” Belchetz said. “Adam Nightinggale and his staff are so good at instilling pro habits in you. Will Morlock is also so good with the strength and conditioning. He’s going to make me stronger, faster and leaner going into next year.

Belchetz measured 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds this week. He is going to be a tantalizing option as a power forward. This week showed that he’s a top-10 candidate even if some have questions about how last season went.

Blue Jackets Corner

The Columbus Blue Jackets own the 14th pick at the NHL Draft like they did last year when they picked Jackson Smith. It’s likely that a player they pick won’t help them in the NHL for at least three seasons. That’s why there’s a belief this pick will be available if the right player comes back the other way.

But in the event the Blue Jackets use the pick, don’t be surprised if they strongly consider Belchetz. He’s exactly the type of prospect the pipeline needs.

Not only did the Blue Jackets meet with Belchetz this week in Buffalo, they met with him multiple times this season in person and on Zoom. They also took him to dinner.

As for how the Blue Jackets meeting went:

“We had a really good meeting,” Belchetz said. “They’re a great group of guys and it was fun to get to know these guys. I’ve had a lot of conversations with Columbus. They’re an unbelievable organization and I workout with Sean Monahan. It’s super cool to see him in a Columbus jersey.”

Belchetz of course was not the only meeting the Blue Jackets had with prospects. Here is a list of confirmed names the Blue Jackets did speak to this week. This is not all inclusive but just those I was able to confirm with prospects.

• Casey Mutryn, Keaton Verhoeff, Malte Gustafsson, Dax Rudolph, Vladimir Dravecky, Beckett Hamilton, Layne Gallacher, Alberts Smits, Tynan Lawrence, Ryan Lin, Alex Command, Xavier Villeneuve, Oliver Suvanto, Oscar Hemming, Jack Hextall.
• Hamilton, Lawrence and Mutryn confirmed the Blue Jackets met with them during the season as well.

Oscar Hemming on the Blue Jackets meeting: “It was one of the normal ones.” Haha.

Dax Rudolph was asked in his Blue Jackets’ meeting who he modeled his game after. “Zach Werenski” was his answer. Many have already compared Rudolph’s game to Werenski’s.

“He’s definitely another guy I see myself similar to,” Rudolph said of Werenski. “Very two-way, but he knows how to create offense. But he’s not reckless at all. He’s very smart with his decisions and I find that’s kind of the way I look at it as well. I want to be reliable but also jump in offensively.”

And on answering Werenski as a player comparable:

“They just agreed with it,” Rudolph said. “I’m sure they like to see that. I’m sure they probably want to have another guy like Werenski. He’s a pretty good player.”

Xavier Villeneuve on the Blue Jackets’ meeting: “I remember Rick Nash was in there. That was awesome. I saw him and I was like yeah, that’s him. That’s sick. That’s Rick Nash.”

Overall, the Blue Jackets spoke to guys in their expected range including some outside the range. One can never get enough information.

The prospect I am watching is Belchetz given the amount of communication they’ve had. He might be gone before 14. But if he happens to get to the Blue Jackets in that spot, I think it’s a no-brainer pick. Although the team will have some good options in that area even if Belchetz gets drafted in front of them. You have to draft power forwards like him if you want them.

Early prediction for the 14th pick: Belchetz. But if not him, watch for guys like Lin, Lawrence, Hemming or Gustafsson.

One final thing for now on the Blue Jackets. Interesting rumor. There are folks who believe that head amateur scout Ville Siren could be leaving the Blue Jackets after this draft. Should that happen, those same folks believe he would join Jarmo Kekalainen and the Buffalo Sabres. It’s a situation to watch in the coming weeks. Obviously, Kekalainen and Siren have worked together for a long time. Stay tuned.

Emptying the Notebook

Time to empty out the ol’ notebook with a bunch of random notes and thoughts.

• I want to sit in on an interview with the Montreal Canadiens. Their questions to prospects went viral. From the desert question to the submarine question, they went right at it. Another similar question asked was involving a snake and what they’d do if they were bitten and poisoned by one. Personal opinion, I think they’re measuring the amount of fight a prospect has. Also being told they won’t draft you if a prospect missed their shot. They had to throw a puck into a bucket. Not one prospect we spoke to said they made their shot. Does this mean the Canadiens won’t draft anyone? (Insert sarcasm here.)
• Casey Mutryn’s toughest competition from this draft class? The Finns Oliver Suvanto and Oscar Hemming.
• Keaton Verhoeff got the cheese question from Montreal. If he ordered a sandwich with cheese and it came back with no cheese, would he go back and have them fix it? “I’d go in and ask politely for the cheese on it. If it was with Marty (St. Louis), so I said I’d go in and ask for the cheese for me and Marty.”
• As for other questions, the Islanders asked prospects what they’d do with random objects presented to them. A brick and an umbrella were among the items. One of the answers with the brick: “use it as a free weight.”
• The Penguins made prospects watch their worst shifts during their interview. Talk about humble pie and having to be honest about things in the moment.
• The Rangers presented a card with 1-100 in random spots and prospects had to find the numbers in order in 60 seconds. “It’s harder than it looks guys,” one prospect chirped.
• Dax Rudolph met with the Seattle Kraken and Florida Panthers for dinner this week. The Kraken need high-end defensemen in their pipeline. Also don’t sleep on what the Panthers might be up to.
• Dravecky on possibility of staying with Brantford: “We’ll see. We’ll see.”
• Beckett Hamilton confirmed he will be back in Red Deer next season. “I’ll be back in Red Deer next season. I haven’t been too focused on college at all.”
• Layne Gallacher confirmed also he will return to the Guelph Storm next season.
• Prospects were asked about the impact of the NCAA and NIL. Not surprisingly, most admitted that wasn’t as much of a factor to them citing best for their development. A few prospects mentioned they know they’ll get their money eventually. Of course NIL will influence some things. But it is truly case-by-case as the allure of being able to go to college remains an important factor.
• One prospect this week on the current state of hockey said they believe the CHL is the best development league in the world for age 16-18. But after that, said NCAA was more beneficial against the higher level of competition. A new world to be sure.
• Carson Carels said he has “about a thousand cows, and then about 150 goats right now and there’s about a hundred other kind of animals.” Farm living at its finest. Tough as they come.
• What did teams want to know about Tynan Lawrence? The thought process of leaving the USHL early to jump to BU in the second half of the season. It created a lot of buzz. It also allowed scouts to evaluate Lawrence against tougher competition. Will this be a trend moving forward??

And that wraps up another NHL Combine in Buffalo. This offseason has a chance to be memorable given what might happen. The Dylan Larkin trade request hovers over the hockey world. Then will anyone else make a huge move? Winning matters.

These next 18 days should be very interesting as we count down to the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo. Players are becoming bolder than ever. There are more choices than ever. The salary cap rising offers more options than ever.

If we learned anything about the offseason at the Combine, it’s that we could be in for one wild ride.