Over the past month since we shared a mock draft, we’ve seen a great of movement in… everything that would play a part in a mock draft. The NHL standings are evolving daily. Prospects are performing either incredibly well or frustratingly not great.
We’ve reached the part of the season where there appears to be some legitimate debate about who claims the No. 1 prospect rankings in the 2026 NHL draft class. I’m sure that will continue to bubble on the surface in the coming weeks before the World Junior Championship at the end of December. After that? All bets are off.
With the holiday weekend upon us, let’s update our 2026 NHL Mock Draft.
And, again, I’m including links to the EliteProspects profiles for each player in this mock draft so you can see where they’re playing and how they’re producing.
- Note I: for this mock draft, the order was set based on the NHL standings thru games played on Tuesday, Nov. 25.
- Note II: there are only 31 selections in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. Ottawa forfeited their first-round pick because of the Evgenii Dadonov trade.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
2026 NHL Mock Draft — First Round
1. Nashville Predators — Keaton Verhoeff, RHD, North Dakota (NCAA)
I am not necessarily subscribing to the school of thought that Gavin McKenna is falling out of the No. 1 prospect status in this draft class — yet. But, if Nashville has the first overall selection, I can see Barry Trotz taking the more comfortably projectable, big-body right-handed defenseman Verhoeff here. Trotz has always relied on great defensemen, and Verhoeff could be the next cornerstone for the Predators.
2. Calgary Flames — Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State (NCAA)
Whichever team calls McKenna’s name at the 2026 NHL Draft is going to be thrilled. And they’re going to sell a lot of jerseys. We’ve seen early projected No. 1 picks slide and get over-analyzed in the past, and he’s going thru that now skating for Penn State in the competitive Big Ten Confernece.
3. St. Louis Blues — Ivar Stenberg, RW, Frölunda (SHL)
Stenberg feels like the easy call for the “consolation prize” at No. 3 this year after McKenna and Verhoeff, but don’t sleep on him maybe hearing his name earlier than expected like Leo Carlsson did in 2023. He checks every box.
4. Vancouver Canucks — Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor (OHL)
The Canucks desperately need an identity and a player to build around — especially if Quinn Hughes isn’t part of the long-term in Vancouver. Belchetz could be the next big, front-line player who becomes the face of their franchise. He plays with an attitude and wants to be all-things Canada.
“He’s a wrecking ball.”
5. Boston Bruins (from TOR) — Chase Reid, RHD, Soo (OHL)
Reid’s stock has seen a meteoric rise over the past year; he was passed over by USA Hockey for the U18 roster, and now he’s making a case to be one of the top defensemen taken in the 2026 NHL Draft. The Bruins could use a guy his size (6-2, 187) who puts up terrific offensive numbers and
plays with a chip on his shoulder.
6. New York Rangers — Tynan Lawrence, C, Muskegon (USHL)
Lawrence is a consensus top-ten prospects who many analysts have consistently had in the top five overall. He’s a solid center who does everything well. He’s young (August birthday) and will matriculate to Boston University next season.
7. Buffalo Sabres — Ryan Roobroeck, C, Niagara (OHL)
Scouts don’t agree much on Roobroeck. He’s been ranked anywhere between No. 4 and 27 overall recently, which is interesting. One thing the scouts can agree on: he’s a massive center (6-4, 216). And those tend to trend favorably around draft time.
8. San Jose Sharks (from EDM) — Ryan Lin, RHD, Vancouver (WHL)
If the Sharks want to have a dynamic defenseman on the back end, Lin might be a sleeper in this draft class. He won’t fall because of his ability to play the game; Lin is listed at only 5-11 and 176 pounds. With some other, bigger defensemen in this class, he could be an absolute steal.
He’s the total package.
9. Boston Bruins — Adam Novotný, LW, Peterborough (OHL)
Novotný
left Kobylice, Czechia to play in the OHL this season to help improve his draft stock. He’s doing that quite well, averaging better than a point per game with Peterborough. He was part of the CHL squad in the CHL USA Prospect Challenge games.
10. Columbus Blue Jackets — Alberts Šmits, LHD, Jukurit (Liiga)
Šmits is a big-time helium prospect in the draft class right now. He’s got the size (6-3, 205) that scouts love and has been producing better than many anticipated. The Latvian defenseman could be the second player playing overseas to come off the board.
11. San Jose Sharks — Mathis Preston, RW, Spokane (WHL)
Preston was arguably the biggest winner in the first game of the CHL USA Prospect Challenge with regards to draft stock. He’s got a great shot and showed it off in the first game. He’s another guy whose stock would likely be higher if his height began with a six.
12. Chicago Blackhawks — Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford (OHL)
Malhotra
checks most of the boxes for the Blackhawks: terrific player, good skater and productive on the ice. He was the captain this week for the CHL team in the CHL USA Prospect Challenge games. And, he’s a Brantford Bulldog; Chicago has drafted a player from that organization three years in a row (
Nick Lardis, Marek Vanacker and
Parker Holmes).
13. Washington Capitals — Daxon Rudolph, RHD, Prince Albert (WHL)
The Caps could use a big body on the back end and Rudolph is that (6-2, 205). He’s been a productive postseason player in his previous stops and is wearing an A for Prince Albert this season.
14. Chicago Blackhawks (from FLA) — Nikita Klepov, RW, Saginaw (OHL)
Klepov, a late-June birthday, is off to a great start in the OHL this season, passing all of his 59-game numbers in just 24 to start this year. He’s committed to Michigan State for the 2026-27 season where he’ll play with Blackhawks’ 2025 first-round pick
Mason West. The Blackhawks have a strong relationship with MSU.
15. Winnipeg Jets — Xavier Villeneuve, LHD, Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)
There are two blue line prospects in this draft who will be fascinating to track in the coming months: Lin and Villeneuve. Both have the skill and production to warrant a high pick, but they’re both under six-feet tall. And, in the case of Villeneuve, being listed under 160 pounds also doesn’t help. But he’s been
compared to Lane Hutson and plays a feisty game.
16. Detroit Red Wings — Oliver Suvanto, C, Tappara (Liiga)
Suvanto might be one of the guys not a lot of people talk about before the draft who people are wondering how he slid a few years later. He’s got great size already (6-3, 209), is young (September 2008 birthday) and is a left-handed shot at center.
17. Utah Mammoth — Carson Carels, LHD, Prince George (WHL)
Carels stood out in the first game of the CHL USA Prospect Challenge. He has ideal size (6-2, 194) and is averaging better than a point-per-game with Prince Albert to start the season. The defense group in this draft is really good and about seven player deep; Carels could be available here, and he could easily be picked inside the top ten.
18. Montreal Canadiens — Marcus Nordmark, LW, Djurgårdens U20 (U20 Nationell)
Nordmark put on a show at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He’s a smart winger with a lot of skill and a knack for finding open space on the ice. He had decent size (6-1, 183) and could be a nice addition to the forward group in Montreal.
19. Pittsburgh Penguins — Juho Piiparinen, RHD, Tappara (Liiga)
This starts the next tier of defensemen in this year’s draft class for me. Between Piiparinen, Malte Gustafsson, William Håkansson and Giorgos Pantelas, it may really come down to a general manager’s preference of the three. Two of the three are playing in Europe; Pantelas is in the WHL.
20. Philadelphia Flyers — Malte Gustafsson, LHD, HV71 U18 (U18 Region)
Gustafsson (6-4, 198) is taller than Piiparinen (6-1, 201) and is an August 2008 birthday. The Flyers have only used one first-round pick on a defenseman in their last six drafts (Oliver Bonk, 2023), so adding one here makes sense for their pipeline.
21. New York Islanders — Elton Hermansson, W, MoDo (HockeyAllsvenskan)
The Islanders have two picks in the first round, and their own keeps sliding later in the draft. Hermansson was dominant at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he scored six goals with five assists in six games for Sweden. This would be a nice offensive addition to their pipeline up front.
22. Minnesota Wild — Egor Shilov, C, Victoriaville (QMJHL)
Shilov left Russia before the 2024-25 season and has been really good in his stops on North America thus far. He’s committed to Boston University for next season. There’s decent size (6-1, 181) and great production here for the Wild to consider adding to their system.
23. Los Angeles Kings — William Håkansson, LHD, Luleå (SHL)
Håkansson is an older prospect (October 2007 birthday) but he’s also a big defenseman (6-4, 207). At some point the Kings are going to need some reinforcements on the back and and he could be a solid defenseman for them in a few years.
24. Calgary Flames (from VGK) — Viggo Björck, C, Djurgårdens (SHL)
Björck is a polarizing prospect because of his size. The skill and talent are there to make him dangerous, but he’s a haircut under 5-10 and listed at only 172 pounds, which has some scouts questioning about his projection to the next levels in North America. The Flames have done well with undersized prospects in the past, and the talent here is undeniable for their second pick of the first round in our mock draft.
25. Seattle Kraken (from TB) — JP Hurlbert, LW, Kamloops (WHL)
Hurlbert is
putting up enormous numbers in the WHL to start the year. There are some questions about his skating and size, which could cost him a few spots in the draft. In this mock draft, the Kraken have back-to-back picks.
26. Seattle Kraken — Oscar Hemming, LW, Sherwood Park (BCHL)
Hemming is a big winger (6-4, 194) from Finland who scored four goals in five games at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Balancing Hurlbert and Hemming might keep them in the same area of the alphabet, but they’re also different players who would both help their system improve. He hasn’t played yet this season because his contract situation is a hot mess.
27. New Jersey Devils — Niklas Aaram-Olsen, W, Örebro HK (SHL)
Out of Norway, Aaram-Olsen has already played in SHL games in his pre-draft season with Örebro. He has strong puckhandling skills and is a good facilitator on the power play.
28. Anaheim Ducks — Gleb Pugachyov, W, Torpedo-Gorky NN (VHL)
Pugachyov is your prototype power forward who has great size (6-3, 198) and plays the game with strength and speed in every zone. He might only project to be a third-line ceiling, but he has a high floor and likelihood to reach that role.
29. Carolina Hurricanes (from DAL) — Tomas Chrenko, C, HK Nitra U20 (Slovakia U20)
Chrenko’s stock has slid since the start of the rankings cycle began after the 2025 NHL Draft; he was initially considered potentially a top-half of the first round guy, but now he seems to be in the mid- to late-20s. Nice player with good skills who could be a middle-six player.
30. New York Rangers (from CAR) — Brooks Rogowski, C, Oshawa (OHL)
When you read a scouting report of Rogowski, it’s either going to be in love with his size and skill package or question if that projects to the NHL. He’s listed at 6-7 and 231 pounds and is another player headed to Michigan State next year. He’s probably a bottom-six ceiling, but the size might help him sneak into the end of the first round.
31. New York Islanders (from COL) — Giorgos Pantelas, RHD, Brandon (WHL)
Pantelas (6-2, 214) already has the size to be an impactful defenseman in the NHL. He has a high hockey IQ and, while he doesn’t dazzle as much as some of the guys at the top of this defense class, he might have one of the higher floors in the group. Getting Pantelas to potentially pair with Matthew Schaefer could be fantastic for the Islanders.
