2026 NHL Draft Thread

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts:

Jan.31st: In a 4-0 shutout loss to the Saskatoon Blades tonight, RW Jonah Sivertson (6'3",194lbs) was named Third-Star of the Game, despite getting no points, 2 shots, a -1, and only a fighting major against 6'6" behemoth Hunter Laing in his stat-line. That shows how impactful a player he is on the 2nd-best team in the WHL, the Prince Albert Raiders, who were 11th in goals-for in early December, but are in 2nd-place now, with 217 tallies in 47 contests. Sivertson had only 14 points in his first 25 games, but with 22 in his last 20 tilts, he is now up to 16 goals and 36 points in 45 games- which prorates to 52 in 66. Scouts have really taken notice, and he is zooming up draft-boards lately. The Regina-native won't even turn 18 until August 27th, which makes him one of the youngest players available in the upcoming draft, and he is currently #88 for North American Skaters on Central Scouting's Mid-Term List.

Defensive-play was considered to be a "work in progress" for Sivertson last season, but he has improved this area of his game by leaps and bounds, and is even currently tied for 12th in the WHL with a +32. He now looks to be a highly impactful presence in his own-zone, wielding heads-up scanning and awareness, high-end motor and work-ethic, and a knowledge of how to use his size and stick to separate his man from the puck with physicality. He is both detailed, as well as smartly-positioned, and wins puck-battles with his brute strength and intensity. Another area of his game that was said to be a weakness was his quickness and pace, and though he has been working with a skating coach and showing noticeable improvement, he is still average (at best) in the speed department. His upright stance gives him poor balance, and he is not getting enough power out of his stride, or enough agility from his edges. His foot-speed is augmented somewhat by his high-end workrate, and his puck-protection is near-immaculate, but his ability to affect his team's transition is diminished to simple, short dish-offs to teammates in the neutral zone. Improvements must be made in this area, but Sivertson doesn't play a speed-based game anyway right now, preferring to slow the game down in the offensive zone to draw defenders in order to open space to pass into. While his feet are a bit deficient, his brain is not, as he exudes top-level offensive awareness, with solid playmaking vision and creativity to drive the attack, while providing teammates with advantages using his skilled passing. He can thread the needle through traffic, makes deft plays from below the goal-line, and continuously gets pucks to the slot from the wall. As good as he is at play-creation, his best attribute is probably his shot, which is already NHL-caliber in it's power and precision, and carries with it an elite release. A power-forward, he will drop a shoulder to lean into a defender to drive the net, shows a willingness to crash the crease for garbage goals, and seeks out open space in the slot to cause chaos in-front. Mobility issues aside, Sivertson is becoming a standout prospect- showing his value more and more this season, and will most likely be a top-96 draft-pick this summer.