2025-26 Team: USA U18 (NTDP)
Date of Birth: February 16, 2008
Place of Birth: Excelsior, Minnesota
Height: 5-foot-10, Weight: 181 pounds
Shoots: Left
Position: C/LW
NHL Draft Eligibility: First Year Eligible
Rankings
- Smaht Scouting: 49th
- Elite Prospects: 94th
- Daily Faceoff: 71st
- NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters): 77th
Mikey Berchild is an undersized winger whose strong work ethic and offensive creativity are more impressive than his production was as a draft eligible this season. It takes a special combination of scoring and talent to earn significant draft buzz as a 5-foot-10 winger, and Berchild’s slow start this season (coming off an injury) all but ended that possibility for him.
However, Berchild is still a reasonably valuable draft prospect in my estimation, with more physicality and grit than most, which allows him to beat larger opponents in board battles and in one-on-one races for the puck. He has a shot with some pop and is very clever with the puck on his stick, making bold moves under defenders’ sticks through traffic. His frame is an obvious limitation, but I think he’s got more upside than a lot of the other options in the middle of the draft.
Mikey Berchild – NHL Draft Projection
Berchild’s size is going to limit how high he can go, but I think he’ll be in play as early as the third round. On pure talent I think he’s roughly a second round pick, and his development will be handled by the ever trustworthy University of Denver. Most likely Berchild will go between the third and sixth rounds, as it’s not uncommon for undersized wingers with real talent to drop pretty far down in the draft.
Quotables
“Slight, but witty and flashy, often making defenders and goalies pay.” – Aoife Sweeney, Dobber Prospects
”He’s strong for a 5-9/10 winger. He plays to the interior and has a nose for the net. On the puck, he’s confident and plays to challenge and threaten inside the offensive zone and off the rush” – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic (2026 NHL Draft ranking: Gavin McKenna leads Scott Wheeler’s final top 100 list, June 3, 2026).
Strengths
- Great skill and creativity with the puck
- Wins more battles than his frame would have you expect
- Strong skater
Under Construction- Improvements to Make
- Can sometimes try to play hero-puck and ignore teammates
- Could improve general playmaking
NHL Potential
Berchild isn’t a sure bet to play in the NHL by any means, but his work ethic and skill give him a skill set that gives him a chance. Players with his combination of scoring and motor are coveted in the NHL, and can be found all throughout NHL lineups. I think the ideal spot in a depth chart for Berchild is as a bottom-six winger, as a Tyler Motte type of player.
Risk- Reward Analysis
Risk- 3/5, Reward 3/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offense- 7/10, Defense – 4/10