2026 NHL Draft Thread

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts:

Feb.9th: This one's a player that I like, although Central Scouting saw him as a "W" in their Preliminary Rankings, or a player who will likely be picked in later rounds. San Jose'-born C/RW Jake Gustafson (6'3.75",179lbs) is currently 10th in scoring on the 13th-placed (out of 23 teams) Portland Winterhawks, with 24 points (12 goals) in 52 games, which projects to 32 in 68. He has racked up 47 PIM, which prorates to 61 by the end of the season. The 'Hawks were sellers of sorts before the January 9th trade deadline- dealing three-year vet Tyson Yaremko to Red Deer, and moving their top defenseman, Carter Sotheran, to Edmonton. Gus is #52 for North American Skaters on Central Scouting's Mid-Term List, which I believe is more in-line with where he will be picked in the draft.

Gustafson reminds me a lot of Matthew Gard from last-year's draft (2nd-round, #57 by Philadelphia) in that he's a big, natural center who can play in any situation, but mostly focuses on his rough-and-tumble defensive game. He is obviously a sizable power-forward who exhibits skill and a soft-touch with the puck, and the ability to play both sides of special teams. Gus moves well for a player his size, with a good top-speed, and he is reasonably agile, but must make efforts to improve his first-step and acceleration- his stride is smooth, fluid, and projectable though. He exerts a heavy physical game, and does plenty of damage in front of the net, but he is skilled with the puck, blessed with a high IQ and acute playmaking vision, and makes smart plays under pressure- though his game is relatively simple. There's also a good shot with a sneaky release in his offensive toolkit, and smooth hands to finish in-close, or capitalize on rebounds. Gus is an excellent two-way player to boot, who works as hard on the backcheck as he does on the forecheck, and displays top-notch instincts and awareness in the defensive zone. He can be used as a match-up option to shadow opposing teams' top players, wielding solid details, and winning battles with his brute strength and high-end work-ethic. I see him as a player with a healthy upside, a projectable game, and one who will go much higher than the later rounds. Look for him in the third-round.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts:

Feb.9th: RHC Simas Ignatavicius (6'3",196lbs) is a player who has been turning heads in the scouting world, with some putting him as high as the second-round; I find players who play in Switzerland hard to project, so everything said about him must come with an asterisk. Owen Sound of the OHL holds his rights, so hopefully they can bring him across the pond at some point. Ignatavicius turned 18 in October, but he is already playing in the Swiss National League, which is the top-tier pro league in that country, and he has produced 12 points through 46 games with limited minutes. He has also seen time with Switzerland's SL, which is their second-tier pro-league, putting up a very respectable 4 goals and 6 points in 4 games- which is by far the best ppg (1.50) in that league by a player of his age group. In 2024-25, he put up 50 points in 45 games in the U20 league, which ranks as the 19th-best season for a U-18 player in that league all-time. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but is a citizen of Lithuania. Ignatavicius is #10 for European Skaters in Central Scouting's Mid-Term List.

By all accounts, he's a big power-forward whose skating is one of his best attributes- he can beat attackers with speed, or evade them with his agility on his slick edges. He also possesses well-defined puck-skill- most players his size don't have the ability to bob and weave through traffic the way he can, with slick one-on-one stickhandling tricks, and expert protection skill. Ignativicius can spark his teams' transition with give-and-go sequences, or connective passing, but he can also rush the puck through exit and entry- even against men. Already owning a man-sized frame, he is armed with a physical edge, and is even a bit mean, displaying the propensity to win battles for pucks in the trenches, and the means to control the boards. He is borderline dominant in front of the net, and down-low, with the power to secure pucks by throwing his weight around. There's goal-scoring ability here, and top-tier finishing skill, with soft hands in-tight to make goalies look foolish, and a lethal release; he has no fear of cutting inside, or driving the net, and will park himself in front to clean up garbage. Those who watch him on a regular basis say that since his move to center earlier this season, he has become more of a play-driver, and is leaning towards being a pass-first playmaker with creativity and vision, exerting a soft-touch and plenty of finesse. Ignatavicius is also a reliable 200-ft player who can play in any situation, and of course- he can skate at center or the wing. Sounds good, but we'll see. Look for him in the second-round.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts:

Feb.9th: LD Pavel Denisov's 13 points in 30 games might put him in a 16-way tie for 62nd in scoring by D in Russia's MHL, but his 0.43 ppg is tied for 43rd, and he is in 8th-spot for U-18 blueliners, or 2nd in ppg. His efforts have earned him 12 games in the VHL, Russia's second-tier league, where he has posted 1 single assist. Denisov was given a "W"-rating in Central Scouting's Preliminary Rankings, indicating a possible late-round pick, but is #78 on their list of European Skaters in their Mid-Terms. Denisov is one of the youngest players available in this year's draft-class, sporting a late-August birthday.

If Pavel Denisov had done something to deserve his "W" rating, it might be that he's a bit vanilla; he seems to do everything well, but nothing at an elite level, with no true standout traits. He's 6'2",183lbs, and like most Russians- he's a well-trained puck-handler, and exhibits a smooth and projectable skating stride; he completes his retrievals smoothly, and can weave through the neutral zone with possession to drive transition. He moves quickly and fluidly in all directions, which helps him against the rush in closing gaps swiftly, angling oncoming attackers to the outside, and surfing across laterally to make stops. He isn't the most physical defender though, and prefers to conduct most of his business with sound positioning, keen awareness, and an active, well-timed stick; he will throw the odd bodycheck when necessary, and works hard to win puck-battles. Points (and ice-time) don't come easy for draft-aged players in the pros, but Denisov has actually garnered positive reviews for his ability to keep up with men, and his defensive play. Though he keeps things simple and risk-free in the VHL, he's a dynamic puck-mover in the junior ranks, as well as a capable playmaker and facilitator in the offensive zone who can run the PP. Known primarily for his advanced passing-skill, he displays heads-up vision in his poised first-pass, to his quick feeds in transition, to his deceptive lane-creation when walking the line in the offensive zone. Denisov's playmaking consists mostly of shots on-net in higher levels, but he is much more active and aggressive in MHL play, and often pinches into the play as an extra forward in search of offense. Look for him in later-rounds.

[traptor]

How far could Lawrence tumble?


Its been pretty ugly for him since moving to the NCAA, with 1point in 10 games and a -6.


Do Bjork and/or Malhotra overtake him for forwards off the board? Is Reid solidifying himself as the clear #4 pick?

[Calgary4LIfe]

It is really interesting to look at Simas Ignatavicius' team.


https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/...031562026.html


Calgary's 2nd round pick Markus Granlund leads the team in scoring. Josh Jooris is still playing and is 6th in team scoring.


Other notable former NHL players on the team: Jesse Puljujarvi, Jimmy Vesey, Jan Rutta, Marc-Antoine Pouliout (40 years old now) and Derick Brassard (only one game, so I imagine he is done as he is 38 and hadn't played any professional hockey since the 2022-23 season with Ottawa). There are some other former NHL'ers on the team beyond those names. I always get a bit of a kick seeing a rag-tag group of former NHL'er players (especially Flames) still kicking around in Switzerland.


Back to Ignatavicius, he is the only under 18 player on the roster, and they only have 4 total players under 25, and he is 12th in scoring. Stat-watching is basically useless without seeing how the team is utilizing him at least, but he must be impressive to be playing with this veteran team, and is likely picking up good habits (I would assume). I think I will add him to my list of players to keep an eye on and spend time at least watching some highlights of.

[The Fonz]

Seems pretty evident that Lawrence wasn't ready to play against men?

His development and draft position would have been far better served to stay in the USHL, playing 1st line minutes and #1 PP.

He could very likely slip out of the top 10 now.

[Bingo]

Updated with Cral (Upside) rankings

1 Ivar Stenberg RW 1.80
2 Gavin McKenna LW 1.90

3 Keaton Verhoeff RHD 2.90

4 Chase Reid RHD 4.90
5 Tynan Lawrence C 5.80

6 Alberts Smits LHD 7.10
7 Carson Carels LHD 8.50
8 Ethan Belchetz LW 9.10
9 Viggo Björck C 9.90
10 Caleb Malhotra C 10.70

11 Daxon Rudolph RHD 14.40
12 Oliver Suvanto C 15.00
13 Ryan Lin RHD 15.40
14 Oscar Hemming LW 15.63
15 Adam Novotný LW 16.10
16 E Hermansson RW 16.80
17 X Villeneuve LHD 17.30

18 M Nordmark LW 18.20
19 M Gustafsson LHD 19.89
20 Juho Piiparinen RHD 20.00
21 J.P. Hurlbert LW 21.67
22 Will Håkansson LHD 22.67

23 Mathis Preston RW 24.10
24 Nikita Klepov LW 24.38
25 Ilya Morozov C 24.70

26 Ryan Roobroeck LW 27.33
27 Alex Command C 28.38
28 Tomas Chrenko C 29.50
29 Yegor Shilov C 30.67
30 Mad Dagenais C 31.88
31 Wyatt Cullen C 32.11
32 Jack Hextall C 32.33
33 Liam Ruck RW 32.40
34 N Shcherbakov LHD 33.00
35 S Ignatavicius C 34.00
36 N Aaram-Olsen LW 35.57
37 Tommy Bleyl RHD 36.25
38 B Rogowski C 36.43
39 Adam Goljer D 37.33
40 Pierce Mbuyi LW 38.75

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

It is really interesting to look at Simas Ignatavicius' team.


https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/...031562026.html


Calgary's 2nd round pick Markus Granlund leads the team in scoring. Josh Jooris is still playing and is 6th in team scoring.


Other notable former NHL players on the team: Jesse Puljujarvi, Jimmy Vesey, Jan Rutta, Marc-Antoine Pouliout (40 years old now) and Derick Brassard (only one game, so I imagine he is done as he is 38 and hadn't played any professional hockey since the 2022-23 season with Ottawa). There are some other former NHL'ers on the team beyond those names. I always get a bit of a kick seeing a rag-tag group of former NHL'er players (especially Flames) still kicking around in Switzerland.


Back to Ignatavicius, he is the only under 18 player on the roster, and they only have 4 total players under 25, and he is 12th in scoring. Stat-watching is basically useless without seeing how the team is utilizing him at least, but he must be impressive to be playing with this veteran team, and is likely picking up good habits (I would assume). I think I will add him to my list of players to keep an eye on and spend time at least watching some highlights of.

I’m always very cautious about players from the lower-level European leagues, but this kid has plenty of fans, and might even squeak into the first-round.

I will say this- it seems that more and more players from the Swiss leagues are coming across the pond these days.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

Seems pretty evident that Lawrence wasn't ready to play against men?

His development and draft position would have been far better served to stay in the USHL, playing 1st line minutes and #1 PP.

He could very likely slip out of the top 10 now.

I doubt he slips that far. Centers are too valuable and there aren't many of them in this draft.

[Arsenal14]

Originally Posted by CKPThunder

Thanks again. I was not aware other spots could be locked in after the first lottery. So if the 16th team wins the lottery and moves up to the 6th spot, does that lock in the top 6 spots at that time?

No. In that scenario in the second lottery round if the winning team was something like 9th they would move up to 2nd and the order would be

1. Team 1
2. Team 9
3. Team 2
4. Team 3
5. Team 4
6. Team 16
7. Team 5
etc.

After the first draw Team 1 would be locked into the first pick and Team 16 would be locked in at 6th overall but everything else would still be available to move as needed.

[TimSJ]

Originally Posted by traptor

How far could Lawrence tumble?


Its been pretty ugly for him since moving to the NCAA, with 1point in 10 games and a -6.


Do Bjork and/or Malhotra overtake him for forwards off the board? Is Reid solidifying himself as the clear #4 pick?

He's not scoring for sure but he has been playing well, driving play. Stat line doesn't tell the whole story here I don't think.

The whole BU team hasn't been scoring. Since xmas they have been held to 0 or 1 goal in 5ish games. They have not been good.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Draft Thoughts:

Feb.9th: RHC Simas Ignatavicius (6'3",196lbs) is a player who has been turning heads in the scouting world, with some putting him as high as the second-round; I find players who play in Switzerland hard to project, so everything said about him must come with an asterisk. Owen Sound of the OHL holds his rights, so hopefully they can bring him across the pond at some point. Ignatavicius turned 18 in October, but he is already playing in the Swiss National League, which is the top-tier pro league in that country, and he has produced 12 points through 46 games with limited minutes. He has also seen time with Switzerland's SL, which is their second-tier pro-league, putting up a very respectable 4 goals and 6 points in 4 games- which is by far the best ppg (1.50) in that league by a player of his age group. In 2024-25, he put up 50 points in 45 games in the U20 league, which ranks as the 19th-best season for a U-18 player in that league all-time. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but is a citizen of Lithuania. Ignatavicius is #10 for European Skaters in Central Scouting's Mid-Term List.

By all accounts, he's a big power-forward whose skating is one of his best attributes- he can beat attackers with speed, or evade them with his agility on his slick edges. He also possesses well-defined puck-skill- most players his size don't have the ability to bob and weave through traffic the way he can, with slick one-on-one stickhandling tricks, and expert protection skill. Ignativicius can spark his teams' transition with give-and-go sequences, or connective passing, but he can also rush the puck through exit and entry- even against men. Already owning a man-sized frame, he is armed with a physical edge, and is even a bit mean, displaying the propensity to win battles for pucks in the trenches, and the means to control the boards. He is borderline dominant in front of the net, and down-low, with the power to secure pucks by throwing his weight around. There's goal-scoring ability here, and top-tier finishing skill, with soft hands in-tight to make goalies look foolish, and a lethal release; he has no fear of cutting inside, or driving the net, and will park himself in front to clean up garbage. Those who watch him on a regular basis say that since his move to center earlier this season, he has become more of a play-driver, and is leaning towards being a pass-first playmaker with creativity and vision, exerting a soft-touch and plenty of finesse. Ignatavicius is also a reliable 200-ft player who can play in any situation, and of course- he can skate at center or the wing. Sounds good, but we'll see. Look for him in the second-round.

Sim Vicious.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by D as in David

Sim Vicious.

Didn't he play bass for the Sax Pistils?

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts:

Feb.9th: LW Nikita Gromakov (6'0",165lbs) may have received a "W" from Central Scouting, but could get mid-round consideration based on his skating alone. He is currently 18th in scoring by U-18 players in the MHL, with 9 goals and 22 ppoints in 37 games, and he is ninth in his age group, with a +18. Gromakov is extremely streaky, with only 2 points in the month of December, in contrast to a 7-game streak in September that saw him pile up 12 points. He hasn't played since January 23rd, but has only put up 3 points in 7 games in 2026 so far. Central Scouting has him as #90 on their list of European Skaters in their Mid-Term Rankings.

Gromakov is one of the fastest players available in the 2026 Draft, with the ability to intimidate defenses and push them back with his break-neck pace. He can tilt the ice steeply for his team, with his ability to turn a recovery in the defensive zone to a controlled entry in the other end of the ice with blinding speed. He handles very well too, and can turn defenders inside-out with his arsenal of one-on-one trickery, and brilliant use of deception to manipulate would-be checkers. Gromakov’s hands need to get faster though, in order to be better able to keep up with his feet, as he can sometimes overskate the puck, or mishandle while going full-tilt. Controlling his pace better would give him more passing options as well, although he is showing an understanding of how to use delays and cut-backs to his advantage, rather than just skating into pressure. While he can drive transition effectively, he isn’t much of a creator in the offensive zone, instead acting as more of an off-puck opportunist, who facilitates chances for teammates by funneling pucks to the slot with his high-volume shooting, and nose for the net. He is quite dangerous off the rush though, as he can slash his way through layers of coverage with the puck to attack the net. He has a good shot with a deceptive release, and a goal-scorer's built-in instinct to find open pockets of space in coverage, but his hockey sense and decision-making have come into question due to how disorganized and haphazard he appears on the ice. Gromakov is slightly-built, and isn't a very physical player, but he can play through contact, and doesn't shy away from the greasy areas of the ice; he works hard in puck-battles, but has his troubles handling bigger opponents. His speed helps him to be disruptive and irritating on the forecheck, and the same is true on the backcheck. His game is still quite raw, but he's got some nice tools- look for him in later rounds.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts:

Feb.10th: LD Ilya Dolgopolov (6'2",198lbs) may be older by draft standards, sporting an Oct.18th, 2007 birthday, but he is currently tied for 22nd in scoring by D in the MHL- with 20 points in 41 games. To put that into perspective, D Kurban Limatov (3rd-round, #67 in 2025 by Carolina) had totals of 23 points in 46 MHL games in his draft-season, albeit at a younger age (born in March). For players aged 18-and-under, Dolgopolov is currently 6th in scoring, while Limatov is 4th (23 points in 36 games); 7 of Dolgopolov's points have come in the last 9 games. His efforts have earned him 2 games in the VHL, Russia's second-tier men's league, with no points as of yet. In 2024-25, his D-minus-1 season, Dolgopolov was tied for 3rd in scoring by U-18 defensemen (6 points behind Limatov), with 17 points in 48 games. He was given a "B"-rating by Central Scouting in their Preliminary Rankings at the beginning of the current season, indicating a possible 2nd, or 3rd-round pick, and he is #47 for European Skaters in their Mid-Term List.

Dolgopolov is a solid defenseman through all 200-feet of the ice, but he's not elite in any one category, and perhaps doesn't own any high-end tools. While he's not a burner, he's an excellent skater on fluid mechanics, with quickness in all directions, solid stability and balance, and decent agility on his edges. His handling isn't anything too special, but reliable enough to give him good control when carrying, and he exerts effective puck-management when in-flight; he protects very well when needed as well. A capable minute-muncher with high motor, he plays a relatively simple game in the offensive zone, but activates frequently to get better looks, and to shift opposing defenses in order to open seams for high-danger passes. He stays active on the line, and can get his hard and heavy shot on-net with good frequency, serving as a useful playmaking tool. While his consistency of effort and engagement in his own zone have been heavily criticized, he has shown himself to be a capable shut-down defender who uses his range and active stick to make stops, and owns a high degree of awareness and instinct. He is solid against the rush, and closes gaps quickly, but he isn't as physical as he could be, preferring instead to use smart angling, and well-timed stick-work to do the job. He will finish his checks when necessary, but he doesn't really have a "mean" edge. Dolgopolov gets consistently good grades for his proficiency in making smooth retrievals while shaking off pressure, but his exit-passes under duress are another area of inconsistency in his game. He has been known to commit some egregious errors at times in performance of this task, and will often resort to uncontrolled plays to clear the zone, such as dump-outs and banks off the glass when options are clearly available. Even still, he is considered to be a solid puck-mover, and an asset in transition with pace-pushing capabilities. Look for him in the 3rd, or 4th-round.