As we approach the release date of the 2026 McKeen’s Draft Guide, our scouting team has unveiled their final rankings for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. As has been the case the last few years, it is a ranking of the top 300 eligible prospects. Subscribers can see the full listing by linking here.
Here are our top 32 ranking available to all to read.
Gavin McKenna remains at the top, a position that he has held all season long. Our team still feels that he possesses the highest upside of any player available and that he would be the best selection at first overall this year. Upon returning to Penn State after the World Juniors, McKenna really improved his off puck play and physical engagement and this elevated his overall impact. In a best-case scenario, he can be a transformative player for an organization and a potential perennial Art Ross candidate.
While the second position wasn’t completely unanimous, Ivar Stenberg’s performance at the World Championships really helped to solidify his hold and ranking. He’s such an intelligent and well-rounded player. While his offensive upside may not be quite as high as some other players, he has such a high floor as a multi-impact NHL player and that gives him significant value in our eyes.
A pair of OHL players come in at three and four. The Soo’s Chase Reid is a dynamic offensive defender who projects as a powerplay quarterback who can also eat key minutes in other situations. Brantford’s Caleb Malhotra was one of the draft’s most improved players from the start of the year to the end. His improved skating and on puck play helped to re-shape his projection and we see him as the clear top center available in 2026.
The two biggest changes inside of our top ten are Keaton Verhoeff moving down and Wyatt Cullen moving in. While Verhoeff’s projection as a top three two-way defender remains unchanged, we weren’t crazy about how his year ended and we have some concerns regarding his puck management and ability to make decisions under pressure. Cullen finally had a stretch of good health that saw him finish the year on a high note with the NTDP and he has among the highest upside of any forward available this year. There are not many players with his skill level acquirable in 2026.
What this draft may ultimately be remembered for is the amount of talented defenders available. Our top 32 has 12 defenseman listed. It’s a good year for a team to restock their positional depth. Is this the year we finally see the Seattle Kraken use their first rounder on a blueliner?
The most controversial component of our Top 32 is bound to be the inclusion of two goaltenders; Dmitri Borichev and Tobias Trejbal. We view both as potential franchise netminders who can develop into elite starters in the NHL. Meanwhile, we’re fairly lukewarm on many of the players ranked as fringe first rounders and believe that Borichev and Trejbal have greater upside potential. In fact, we like this goaltending class a lot, with eight netminders ranked inside of our Top 100.
Coming soon you can expect the release of our annual draft guide. It contains our top 300 and write ups on every ranked player. It also contains several features, “Best Of” categories, a two round mock draft, top sleepers from our staff, and a glimpse into the 2027 draft.
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | HT/WT | DOB | NATION | TEAM | GP | G(W) | A(L) | PTS(GAA) | PIM(SV%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gavin McKenna | LW | 5-11/170 | 20-Dec-07 | Canada | Penn State (NCAA) | 35 | 15 | 36 | 51 | 36 |
| 2 | Ivar Stenberg | LW | 5-11/185 | 30-Sep-07 | Sweden | Frolunda (SHL) | 43 | 11 | 22 | 33 | 6 |
| 3 | Chase Reid | D | 6-2/195 | 30-Dec-07 | USA | Soo Greyhounds (OHL) | 45 | 18 | 30 | 48 | 30 |
| 4 | Caleb Malhotra | C | 6-2/180 | 2-Jun-08 | Canada | Brantford (OHL) | 67 | 29 | 55 | 84 | 51 |
| 5 | Carson Carels | D | 6-2/195 | 23-Jun-08 | Canada | Prince George (WHL) | 58 | 20 | 53 | 73 | 66 |
| 6 | Alberts Smits | D | 6-3/205 | 2-Dec-07 | Latvia | Jukurit (Fin-Liiga) | 38 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 20 |
| 7 | Viggo Bjorck | C | 5-9/175 | 12-Mar-08 | Sweden | Djurgardens (SHL) | 42 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 12 |
| 8 | Keaton Verhoeff | D | 6-4/210 | 19-Jun-08 | Canada | North Dakota (NCAA) | 36 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 29 |
| 9 | Malte Gustafsson | D | 6-4/200 | 11-Jun-08 | Canada | HV 71 (SHL) | 27 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 10 | Wyatt Cullen | LW | 6-1/175 | 8-Sep-08 | USA | US U18 (NTDP) | 34 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 37 |
| 11 | Daxon Rudolph | D | 6-2/205 | 6-Mar-08 | Canada | Prince Albert (WHL) | 68 | 28 | 50 | 78 | 75 |
| 12 | Ethan Belchetz | LW | 6-5/225 | 30-Mar-08 | Canada | Windsor (OHL) | 57 | 34 | 25 | 59 | 45 |
| 13 | Tynan Lawrence | C | 6-0/185 | 3-Aug-08 | Canada | Boston University (NCAA) | 18 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| 14 | Elton Hermansson | RW | 6-1/180 | 5-Feb-08 | Sweden | MoDo Hockey (Allsvenskan) | 38 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 22 |
| 15 | Oscar Hemming | LW | 6-4/195 | 13-Aug-08 | Finland | Boston College (NCAA) | 19 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 18 |
| 16 | Maddox Dagenais | C | 6-4/195 | 27-Mar-08 | Canada | Quebec (QMJHL) | 62 | 30 | 32 | 62 | 31 |
| 17 | Ryan Lin | D | 5-11/175 | 18-Apr-08 | Canada | Vancouver (WHL) | 53 | 14 | 43 | 57 | 35 |
| 18 | Alexander Command | C | 6-1/185 | 16-Jun-08 | Sweden | Orebro (Swe J20) | 30 | 17 | 27 | 44 | 61 |
| 19 | Oliver Suvanto | C | 6-3/210 | 3-Sep-08 | Finland | Tappara (Fin-Liiga) | 48 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 16 |
| 20 | Nikita Klepov | RW | 6-0/180 | 27-Jun-08 | USA | Saginaw (OHL) | 67 | 37 | 60 | 97 | 43 |
| 21 | Adam Novotny | LW | 6-1/205 | 13-Nov-07 | Czech | Peterborough (OHL) | 58 | 34 | 31 | 65 | 22 |
| 22 | Ilia Morozov | C | 6-3/200 | 3-Aug-08 | Russia | Miami (NCAA) | 36 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 27 |
| 23 | Mathis Preston | RW | 5-11/175 | 21-Jul-08 | Canada | Spo-Van (WHL) | 46 | 18 | 26 | 44 | 34 |
| 24 | JP Hurlbert | LW | 6-0/185 | 11-Apr-08 | USA | Kamloops (WHL) | 68 | 42 | 55 | 97 | 45 |
| 25 | Xavier Villeneuve | D | 5-11/160 | 29-Sep-07 | Canada | Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL) | 37 | 6 | 32 | 38 | 35 |
| 26 | Dmitri Borichev | G | 6-3/200 | 19-Jun-08 | Russia | Loko-76 Yaroslavl (MHL) | 24 | 12 | 8 | 2.25 | 0.929 |
| 27 | Tommy Bleyl | D | 6-0/160 | 1-Dec-07 | Canada | Moncton (QMJHL) | 63 | 13 | 68 | 81 | 33 |
| 28 | Adam Goljer | D | 6-3/195 | 7-Jun-08 | Slovakia | HK Dukla Trencin (Slovakia) | 43 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 40 |
| 29 | Tobias Trejbal | G | 6-4/190 | 9-Nov-07 | Czech | Youngstown (USHL) | 42 | 30 | 9 | 2.12 | 0.916 |
| 30 | Gleb Pugachyov | RW | 6-3/200 | 25-Mar-08 | Russia | Chaika Nizhny Novgorod (MHL) | 33 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 36 |
| 31 | Juho Piiparinen | D | 6-2/200 | 10-Aug-08 | Finland | Tappara (Fin-Liiga) | 29 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| 32 | Jakub Vanecek | D | 6-2/195 | 25-Feb-08 | Czech | Tri-City (WHL) | 59 | 14 | 21 | 35 | 20 |