2026 NHL Draft Thread

[Icon]

Originally Posted by flamesaddiction

six flames and none of them named parekh?

Edit. Never mind, i didn’t read the whole tweet and only read the names below the screen capture.

#4

[Samonadreau]

Oilers with only 1 @ 91 and Leafs with none lol

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Bingo

https://twitter.com/user/status/2021263297182564441

Just curious, but is this the same guy that had Wyttenbach ranked #16th OA last year in his entry draft rankings?

[Mattitude]

One thing that stands out to me from that list is that Parekh, Wyttenbach, Reschny and Gridin are all ahead of Tij Iginla.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

Flames with 3 inside the top 20, 6 inside the top 60.

And likely to add 2+ more in June.

Love to see it!

Likely to lose 2 by then in Parekh and Gridin, as they should reach the 25 games maximum. Honzek would have been off the list by now if he hadn't been injured. Still lots to be excited about.

[#-3]

Originally Posted by Leeman4Gilmour

4 in the top 20. 8 players in total on that list. It's hard as it's just a screenshot, but I think the Flames have the most representation

I asked AI

Sharks 10
Canadiens 8
Flames 8
Caps 6
Chi/Phi/Uta 5
Bos/Sea/LVK 4

Buf/Col/Dal/Fld/Min/Pit/TBL/Tor/Wpg with only a single player.

edit, I counted SJ x6 & mtl x6, AI sucked at that task.

[Kipper_3434]

Originally Posted by #-3

I asked AI

Sharks 10
Canadiens 8
Flames 8
Caps 6
Chi/Phi/Uta 5
Bos/Sea/LVK 4

Buf/Col/Dal/Fld/Min/Pit/TBL/Tor/Wpg with only a single player.

edit, I counted SJ x6 & mtl x6, AI sucked at that task.

May I ask why?

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Leeman4Gilmour

4 in the top 20. 8 players in total on that list. It's hard as it's just a screenshot, but I think the Flames have the most representation

Yeah....but they aren't rebuilding

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by Samonadreau

Oilers with only 1 @ 91 and Leafs with none lol

And he probably shouldn't be there at all. He's basically the same as the dude the Flames just got from Vegas.

Paul Fischer (Oilers)
18 points in 24 games. 3rd year at Notre Dame. 6 foot 183 lbs.

Adam Wiebe (Flames)
19 points in 28 games. 3rd year at North Dakota. 6'3 and 206 lbs.

Neither prospect should be in the top 100 IMO.

[Geeoff]

Originally Posted by #-3

I asked AI

Sharks 10
Canadiens 8
Flames 8
Caps 6
Chi/Phi/Uta 5
Bos/Sea/LVK 4

Buf/Col/Dal/Fld/Min/Pit/TBL/Tor/Wpg with only a single player.

edit, I counted SJ x6 & mtl x6, AI sucked at that task.

Nice! Let's base our entire economy on a technology that can't even count to 10!

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Geeoff

Nice! Let's base our entire economy on a technology that can't even count to 10!

And it hallucinates all over the place even where numbers are not concerned.

When Bob Pulford died, AI tried to tell me he was Harvey Pulford's grandson. Harvey, for those not older than dirt like me, was probably the greatest athlete in Canada around 1900. He won championships in hockey, lacrosse, football, boxing, paddling and rowing, and was one of the original inductees in the Hockey Hall of Fame. But he was no relation to Bob.

[#-3]

Originally Posted by Kipper_3434

May I ask why?

I was hoping it would be able to count in 10 seconds what would have taken me 20 minutes, AI is usually pretty good at counting things, but bad at pictures, so it counted right, read the text right, but mixed up the team logos. After working on error correction for a minute it came out with this;

Calgary Flames 8
Nashville Predators 7
Chicago Blackhawks 6
Montreal Canadiens 6
San Jose Sharks 6
Boston Bruins 5
Philadelphia Flyers 5
Seattle Kraken 5
Buffalo Sabres 4
Carolina Hurricanes 4
Columbus Blue Jackets 4
New York Islanders 4
St. Louis Blues 4
Utah Hockey Club 4
Washington Capitals 4
Anaheim Ducks 3
Detroit Red Wings 3
New Jersey Devils 3
Vegas Golden Knights 3
Dallas Stars 2
New York Rangers 2
Pittsburgh Penguins 2
Edmonton Oilers 1
Los Angeles Kings 1
Minesota Wild 1
Ottawa Senators 1
Tampa Bay Lightning 1
Vancouver Canucks 1
Colorado Avalanche 0
Florida Panthers 0
Toronto Maple Leafs 0
Winnipeg Jets 0

[Jay Random]

I took the trouble to dump all the names and teams into a spreadsheet, so I could sort the prospects by team. Here's what I found, in case anyone finds it useful:

Ana	53	Roger McQueen
Ana	57	Rodwin Dionicio
Ana	100	Tristan Luneau

Bos	10	James Hagens
Bos	24	Cooper Simpson
Bos	55	Will Zellers
Bos	85	Dean Letourneau
Bos	90	William Moore

Buf	9	Konsta Helenius
Buf	65	Radim Mrtka
Buf	70	Luke Osburn
Buf	73	Brodie Ziemer

Car	19	Bradly Nadeau
Car	40	Felix Unger Sörum
Car	66	Ivan Ryabkin
Car	77	Justin Poirier

CBJ	30	Jérémy Loranger
CBJ	31	Jackson Smith
CBJ	37	Luca Marrelli
CBJ	61	Luca Pinelli

Cgy	4	Zayne Parekh
Cgy	8	Ethan Wyttenbach
Cgy	11	Cole Reschny
Cgy	18	Matvei Gridin
Cgy	45	Henry Mews
Cgy	52	Hunter Brzustewicz
Cgy	59	Cullen Potter
Cgy	71	Samuel Honzek

Chi	14	Anton Frondell
Chi	16	Nick Lardis
Chi	32	Roman Kantserov
Chi	75	Vaclav Nestrasil
Chi	84	Nathan Behm
Chi	94	John Mustard

Dal	47	Cameron Schmidt
Dal	69	Emil Hemming

Det	23	Max Plante
Det	49	Eddie Genborg
Det	86	Michael Brandsegg-Nygård

Edm	91	Paul Fischer

LA	46	Henry Brzustewicz

Min	36	Adam Benák

Mtl	7	Alexander Zharovsky
Mtl	17	Michael Hage
Mtl	25	L. J. Mooney
Mtl	42	Adam Engström
Mtl	87	Bryce Pickford
Mtl	96	Bogdan Konyushkov

NJ	44	Lenni Hämeenaho
NJ	54	Seamus Casey
NJ	81	Chase Cheslock

Nsh	12	Yegor Surin
Nsh	21	Brady Martin
Nsh	22	Cameron Reid
Nsh	33	Alex Huang
Nsh	58	Ryker Lee
Nsh	60	Ryan Ufko
Nsh	93	Teddy Stiga

NYI	20	Kashawn Aitcheson
NYI	64	Victor Eklund
NYI	72	Xavier Veilleux
NYI	83	Cole Eiserman

NYR	62	Liam Greentree
NYR	97	Malcolm Spence

Ott	35	Carter Yakemchuk

Phi	6	Porter Martone
Phi	43	Denver Barkey
Phi	92	Jack Murtagh
Phi	98	Heikki Ruohonen
Phi	99	Jeff Luchanko

Pit	28	Harrison Brunicke
Pit	74	William Horcoff

Sea	13	Jake O'Brien
Sea	50	Tyson Jugnauth
Sea	78	Jagger Firkus
Sea	79	Oskar Fisker Mølgaard
Sea	89	Jakub Fibigr

SJ	2	Michael Misa
SJ	3	Igor Chernyshov
SJ	27	Luca Cagnoni
SJ	34	Quentin Musty
SJ	80	Eric Pohlkamp
SJ	95	Richard Gallant

StL	48	Justin Carbonneau
StL	63	Otto Stenberg
StL	67	Adam Jiricek
StL	68	Matvei Korotky

TB	29	Benjamin Rautiainen

Uta	15	Caleb Desnoyers
Uta	38	Tij Iginla
Uta	41	Dmitri Simashev
Uta	88	Cole Beaudoin

Vcr	51	Braeden Cootes

VGK	26	Trevor Connelly
VGK	39	Mateo Nobert
VGK	76	Lucas Van Vliet

Wsh	1	Cole Hutson
Wsh	5	Ilya Protas
Wsh	56	Andrew Cristall
Wsh	82	Leon Muggli

[Vox]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

I took the trouble to dump all the names and teams into a spreadsheet, so I could sort the prospects by team. Here's what I found, in case anyone finds it useful:

Since we're getting geeky, I assigned points to the players in reverse order (1st is 100 points, 100th is 1 point), and adding them up by team we get:

Cgy	540
Nsh	408
SJ	365
Mtl	332
Chi	291
Wsh	260
CBJ	245
Bos	241
Uta	222
Car	202
Sea	196
Buf	187
Phi	167
NYI	165
VGK	162
StL	158
Det	145
NJ	124
Pit	100
Ana	93
Dal	86
TB	72
Ott	66
Min	65
LA	55
Van	50
NYR	43
Edm	10

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts:

Feb.10th: RD Yaroslav Fedoseyev (6'1",181lbs) may have been given a "C"-rating by Central Scouting, but he wears an "A" for Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk of the MHL as an 18 year-old- though it's important to note that he's a bit older, with a November 7th, 2007 birthday. While he hasn't played a full-slate of games, due to the fact that he's been given so much time in the big leagues, he is still tied for 62nd in scoring by D in the junior circuit with 13 points in 24 games. His ppg of 0.54 stands as the 26th-best mark for defensemen, earning him 16 games in the VHL (4 points), and 6 games in the KHL (1 goal), with scouts saying he hasn't looked out of place in either league, and the scoresheet saying that he's getting fairly good ice-time. Fedoseyev's 17 points over 33 games in 2024-25 was the third-best mark for U-18 defensemen in the MHL, and his 0.52 ppg were tops in that age group. Central Scouting recognized him as #36 on their list of European Skaters in their Mid-Term Rankings.

Fedoseyev is not flashy or dynamic in any way, he doesn't perform any task on the ice at an elite level, and possesses no true standout traits, but does everything well, and can play in any situation. He's a capable minute-muncher, an intelligent puck-mover, and a solid all-around rearguard. Fedoseyev is an excellent skater, and though his mechanics aren't perfect, he achieves good quickness in all directions, and is smooth and agile on his edges. He transitions quickly, can pivot on a dime, sidesteps checks, and completes turns on a tight radius. He moves well backwards and laterally, which gives him proficiency against the rush, and affords him the ability to close gaps quickly, angle attackers to the outside, then layer poke-checks on top of rub-outs along the boards. Fedoseyev is a physical defender who will throw big hits to dislodge pucks, shows strength and vigor in his box-outs, and manhandles opponents when defending his net. He may not be a stalwart as far as his own-zone play, but he is usually well-positioned, shows heightened awareness of his surroundings, and is suitably snarly; his retrievals and breakouts aren’t always perfect either, but he holds value as a puck-mover and transitional driver. While he displays elevated vision and IQ in the junior league, his offensive game is a little dulled-down and muted in higher levels, which is mostly a reflection of his age and inexperience against men. In the pros, he is a bit more supportive, rather than facilitative, but no matter where he plays, he is active, and willing to roam in search of opportunities- albeit, less so in the professional ranks thus far. It's hard to get a good read on where he'll be picked, and what his exact NHL-projection is, but he is most likely going to be a defensively sound, two-way puck-mover in the show, with his vision and smarts guiding the way. Look for him in the 3rd, or 4th-round.

[Snuffleupagus]

Gridin should be the 2nd ranked Flame IMO

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts:

Feb.11th: The top point-producer in Russia's VHL for U-18 players so far this season is LHC Viktor Fyodorov (7 points in 28 games). Likewise, the top point-producer in the KHL for U-18 players so far this season is also LHC Viktor Fyodorov (4 points in 11 games). Like all of his teammates on Chaika Nizhny Novgorod of the MHL, he has failed to reach a point-per-game level, with 2 goals and 9 points in 10 games. Though he has only played 1 MHL game in the last 2 months, he is still tied for 4th in plus/minus on that squad, with a +7. Central Scouting put him as #23 for European Skaters in their Mid-Term List.

The "C"-rated Fyodorov (5'10",176lbs) is very fun to watch, and despite not possessing ideal size, looks tailor-made for the center position in how mature and responsible he is as a defensive player, and how disruptive he is over the entire 200-feet of ice. He seems to rack up steals and takeaways, picks pockets, lifts sticks, and separates man from puck using physicality in the form of hits, but also little bumps, slashes, and shoves- and in all three zones. When a retrieval happens in the defensive zone, it seems to be Fyodorov a lot of the time- his off-puck game is high-end, as is his ability to read the play. Despite his size, or lack thereof, he is fearless in playing in the greasy areas of the ice, and wins battles against larger opponents by outworking them- he wields intensity, aggressiveness, and high-motor. An excellent skater who pushes extreme pace, he explodes out of the blocks, accelerates rapidly, and can flat-out fly at top speed. While I wouldn't call his footspeed "elite", it's certainly approaching that level, and driven by his unrelenting motor. He is light on his feet and remarkably agile, but strong on the puck and well-balanced; he sidesteps checks effortlessly, and can shake off pressure when sprinting through the neutral zone. Fortunately, his hands are also quick, and blend well with his feet; his smooth puckhandling is another of his tools hovering near "elite" status, which gives him uncanny control of the puck in full-flight, and the ability to beat checkers one-on-one with some slick dekes and dangles. Fyodorov is overflowing with IQ, vision, and anticipation- seemingly always a step or two ahead of the action, and always in proper position; he is a play-driver through transition, and also in the offensive zone. Like most young Russians in the pro-leagues however, his game is quite muted in higher levels, and he doesn't show as much flash or creativity when playing against men. Fyodorov gets good zip on his wrister, and he is a highly creative playmaker who generates chances aplenty for his teammates- although he can get too fancy at times, and sometimes holds on to the puck too long. He sees openings that few others can see, and has the passing skill to thread the needle for dangerous chances. Look for him in the 2nd, or 3rd-round. Scouts love his pro-style defensive game, but question his offensive ceiling in the NHL.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts:

Feb.11th: Watch out for "C"-rated LHC Lavr Gashilov (6'2.5",170lbs), I don't think he's getting the proper respect. Though he's one of the oldest first-time draft-eligibles for 2026 (born on September 23rd, 2007), it is no less impressive that he's 4th in MHL scoring, with 14 goals and 55 points in 42 games for Avto Yekaterinburg- which is 12 points more than his nearest teammate. Gashilov has racked up the most assists (41) of any player in the league, an indicator of the level of playmaker he is, and just to quell concerns about his age/points ratio a bit- his 40 points in 43 games in 2024-25 was 4th for U-18 players, and tied for 48th-best all-time by a player of that age group. He is currently #33 for European Skaters in Central Scouting's Mid-Term Rankings.

Gashilov possesses heightened vision, anticipation, and creativity that enables him to thread the needle to teammates in high-danger through the smallest of holes, and the soft-touch passing skill to put the exact amount of weight and velocity needed on his feeds, right to the recipient's wheelhouse. He reads the ice at an advanced level, and understands how to bait pressure in order to open space to pass into, using delays and cut-backs. The problem is that he tends to stop moving his feet when he has the puck in the offensive zone, and does most of his damage at low-pace- which is often the difference between a star KHL player, and an everyday NHLer. The good news is that his high IQ keeps him on the right side of the puck at all times in a perfect defensive position, and he plies a highly projectable off-puck game, with good attention to detail. While he desperately needs to bulk up and get stronger, he uses his ample frame to win battles at a high frequency, and he plays a physical brand of hockey- he has even been known to drop the gloves on occasion. Gashilov skates and handles like a dream, and though he isn't a burner, he moves very well, and employs smooth edges for outstanding maneuverability. His stickhandling is near-elite, giving him the ability to make highlight-reel dekes and dangles through would-be checkers, and weave through traffic with full control of the puck. He also has a fairly heavy shot with a snappy release that he should use more often, with a proficiency in using screens to his advantage, but he needs to improve his accuracy, as he misses his target frequently. Gashilov is also proficient in faceoffs. Most of his game is projectable, and scouts love a play-driving center, but his pace must improve by leaps and bounds. Look for him in the 2nd-round.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts:

Feb.11th: LHC Danil Sysoyev (6'0",170lbs) is the top scorer on a good team in the MHL, Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk, who have fallen in the standings over the last few months, but were once considered a top contender for the Kharlamov Cup. His 34 points in 45 games sits tied for 56th in MHL scoring, and 18th for players 18 years old and under. In Central Scouting's Preliminary Rankings, he was given a "W" as a player to watch for the later rounds, and is #107 for European Skaters in their Mid-Terms.

Sysoyev looks to be a well-rounded, all-situations pivot with a physical edge, who can drive play through transition. He is a hard-working, high-motor player with determination and intensity, who leads by example, and beats bigger players in puck-battles. Like most Russians, his puck-skills are well-developed, and his handling is reliable, which fuels his ability to drive transition through exit and entry- even if he isn't the fastest player on the ice. He also hooks up with teammates through give-and-go sequences, and connective passing while traversing the middle- he is very poised and confident with the puck. Though he owns a decent shot, he leans more into his playmaking, and uses plenty of deception ability, and manipulation tactics- including look-offs, feints, quick changes of pace and direction, and delays to throw checkers off. He is a skilled passer who can thread the needle through small holes in traffic, and can connect with teammates through bodies and sticks, with the prescribed amount of weight and precision. In the defensive zone, and even in the neutral zone, he is a grinder who gets under his opponents' skin by applying unrelenting pressure, and taking away time and space, while dislodging pucks with stiff bodychecks. Sysoyev has more of a bottom-six NHL projection, and has to improve his speed if he hopes to make it across the pond. Look for him in later rounds, if he is chosen.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts:

Feb.11th: Not much was expected from 6'6",209lb rearguard Alexander Sapozhnikov, who earned a "C" rating from Central Scouting- after all, he was languishing in a lower league last season, which was actually his draft-year, and wasn't exactly setting the world on fire. This season to date, he has spent most of his time in the KHL, but has only seen time on the ice in five matches (no points), and has sat for 25 contests. Even when he's in the lineup for his KHL team, he isn't getting the ice-time to make an impact. In the MHL, he has impressed offensively, with 15 points in 18 games, split between Kapitan Stupino and his new team, SKA St.Petersburg, but his game is very raw and inconsistent in most areas-even though he turned 19 in January. Sapozhnikov is #37 for Europeans in Central Scouting's Mid-Term Rankings.

Obviously, Sapozhnikov is blessed with size and suffocating range, and although his mechanics aren't 100% perfect, he displays excellent four-way mobility for a big man, and surprising agility on his edges. His primary weapon is his overwhelming shot that he uncorks prolifically, and uses as a playmaking tool on the PP. Most of what he creates comes from his high-volume of shots that gives goalies problems in making the save, creates havoc around the net, and supplies teammates with a steady flow of second-chance opportunities. His one-timer is an absolute cannon, and his wrister is quite dangerous. Sapozhnikov is active in the offensive zone, walks the line with purpose, and will pinch into the play for better looks- although he seems a bit too static at the top of the zone at times on the PP. He's a fairly good passer, and has flashes of higher-end vision and creativity, but his on-puck game is a bit lacking. He will, however, carry through transition with confidence on occasion, and exudes strong puck-protection and reliable handling when doing so- but he is a bit limited to keeping things safe and simple for the most part. Going the other way, his size and enormous range can cover up mistakes, but he is getting better at tightening up his gaps against the rush, and being more aggressive in-zone to suffocate opponents. Sapozhnikov plays a physical brand of hockey, and can cut off entire sections of ice with his massive wingspan and active stick that he uses to block lanes and stifle passes- and when he pins an opponent to the boards, they're stuck. Upon recovery, he mostly relies on quick, short feeds to exit the zone, while mitigating risk, but flashes the ability to stretch the ice with a longer breakout pass once in awhile. Sapozhnikov is raw, and will undoubtedly be a long-term project, but there are plenty of teams who will take him with a mid-round pick.