Malte Gustafsson – McKeen's Hockey

2026 IIHF U18 World Championships – Group B – Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, USA – Team Previews – Players to Watch

Chapin Landvogt — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 16:03:33 +0000

After taking place in the hot state of Texas for the second time in six years, this year’s IIHF U18 Worlds tournament will return to a more traditional hockey market, splitting venues between the Slovakian capital of Bratislava and the oh so hockey crazy town of Trencin. It is in the former that Group B action will take place, although you have to wonder if tournament organizers aren’t missing out on an opportunity here seeing as how Group B once again features Czechia, the border of which is but a half hour drive away from Trencin. All the better for the other four teams as the Czechs may not have as much of a home team advantage as anticipated.

We do expect Group B action to provide its fair share of skills and thrills, much to the delight of the swarm of NHL scouts that’ll be watching from above. In addition to what could be a chief attendance driver in Czechia, the group features reigning silver medalist Sweden, which will be keen on washing away the memories of the 7-0 gold medal game thrashing at the hands of Team Canada, and bronze medalist USA, which itself was just one goal away from making the gold medal game last spring. Rounding out things will be Germany, which bowed out in a tight 3-2 loss to Slovakia in last year’s quarterfinals as well as newbie Denmark, which will do all it can to avoid the relegation fate its U20 brethren experienced at this past winter’s WJC. At least the northern neighbor to Germany won’t have to wait until a possible relegation round appearance to get its shot at program vengeance.

Interestingly, the group is exactly the same as last spring, save for Denmark, which ultimately replaces Switzerland after the alpine hockey nation was somewhat surprisingly sent packing by Norway in a game that required a shootout. Not a pleasant way to exit the top division. Sweden is once again expected to contend for gold, even if there are some surprising roster omissions, with Viggo Björck’s absence greatly saddening to no less than the scouting community. Likewise, Team USA should be hard to keep out of a top two spot in the group, especially with the USNTDP welcoming a few very capable additions from the outside. Like Sweden, and maybe even more so, the Czech squad is heading into action sans several players felt to be among the finest the nation could have put on the ice this spring, highly touted 2026 draft eligible Adam Novotny chief among them.

Germany and Denmark are bringing along the best they have to offer, and both programs have “retaining the class” as their chief goal. One will do so by the end of the preliminary round. Considering that the driving forces behind Germany’s team this year are 2009-born players, the federation has plenty of incentive to retain the class for what could be a very promising 2027 tournament.

Here’s what to expect from each of the Group B contestants from April 22nd through May 2nd.

FRISCO, TEXAS - APRIL 24: Czechia’s Simon Katolicky #14 looks on during warmup prior to Preliminary Round - Group B action against Germany at 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship at Comerica Center on April 24, 2025 in Frisco, Texas, USA. (Photo by Micheline Veluvolu/IIHF)

Czechia

We’ve gotten used to Czech teams at both the U20 and U18 levels being a regular contender at tournaments in recent years and last spring in Texas was no different, even if a medal wasn’t in play. The Czechs bowed out to Canada in the quarterfinals, but that 3-2 Canadian victory required overtime and proved to be a far cry from Canada’s 7-0 whipping of Sweden in the gold medal game. Essentially, the Czechs were the biggest stone on Canada’s gold medal path.

As competitive as Czechia has been as a team and program, Czech players have become a fairly scarce first round topic at the NHL draft, with only 5 having been selected in the first round since 2022. And that’s after none were taken in Round 1 of either the 2021 or 2020 drafts. An almost mindboggling fact. For this summer’s draft, the top Czech name of interest is without a doubt that of Peterborough Petes forward Adam Novotny. Despite being eligible for the worlds, he is not nominated. We’re also staring at the notable absence of center Filip Novak and OHL forward Simon Belohorsky as well as OHL RHD Ben Reisnecker, all of whom were noticeable contributors at last summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Still, coach Tomajko’s team will feature a strength in net, with two CHL goaltenders coming off strong seasons for their club teams. Jan Larys and Marek Sklenicka are so efficient that a preliminary round platoon at the tournament is thoroughly possible. How much help they’ll get from their rather pedestrian blueline is a question worth asking, even if we’re very excited about seeing 6-foot-3 16-year-old Matyas Michalek strut his stuff. Up front, we expect the forward group to sorely miss Novotny’s skill and ability to take control of play. Now that burden will fall on several different shoulders, most of which have spent their winters in Czechia’s U20 circuit. Simon Katolicky and 2027 super prospect Petr Tomek will have to lead the charge.

All that said, we’d be surprised if the Czechs end up anywhere but third in Group B action. The team can surely upset Sweden or USA, but both may be asking too much. Likewise, Germany has been known to give the Czechs headaches, so they certainly can’t take a day off against their neighbor to the west. Once the quarterfinals begin, anything is possible, especially with solid goaltending.

Players to watch

Dominik Byrtus – D

An underager who was born in the USA, Byrtus is coming off almost an entire season of pro play in the Czech Republic, even if the majority of it was in the country’s second pro division (2 points in 22 games). Turning 17 one day before tournament begins, Byrtus has been turning heads as a two-way defenseman with a strong understanding of the game and a high level of coachability. At the nation’s U20 level, his play belied his age as he collected four goals, 19 points, and a +21 rating over 33 games, a better performance than many of his blueline colleagues on this team. You can expect him to have a top six role in the bag seeing as how he was one of the top scoring defenseman with the program all winter long (6 points in 15 games).

Vojtech Hora - D

A defensive defenseman with strong game-reading skills and a willingness to adeptly block shots and passes, the 6-foot-4, 187-pound defender is coming in with a full year of Finnish U20 league play under his belt. He plays a safe game in all three zones and clearly understands the KISS principle while not fooling around with the puck whenever he has the opportunity to just make the safe play. This could be of golden value for the Czechs who’ll hope he can be leaned on in most all-important situations. He’s one of the few players here who has represented the Czech Republic all winter long. Even if his numbers in the U20 league and internationally were very pedestrian, he wrapped up the season with nine points in nine U18 league playoff games.

Simon Katolicky - F

With Novotny out of the picture, 6-foot-4, 194-pound Katolicky will be looked at as a go-to piece up front. All of 17 right on up until after the draft, Katolicky came into the season looking like one of the hottest prospects his country had to offer. Alas, an injury cost him a month of play between November and December, and his stats in Finland’s U20 league never popped. He also failed to make Czechia’s WJC squad, perhaps primarily due to the injury and uncertainty of his condition, but between his absence there, no Hlinka Gretzky Cup action, and a mere 23 points in 42 games this winter, we’re wondering just how effective he is as a scorer, especially when he’s a go-to guy. What’s clear is that this tournament could have a heavy impact not only on where he’s selected, but whether he’s drafted whatsoever.

Jan Larys - G

The 6-foot-3 goaltender is coming off a 26-10-2 performance for Drummondville of the QMJHL. His 2.86 GAA and .908 save percentage are top values in the Q. His 1-4 record as part of the team’s first round ousting will be seen as little more than a steppingstone along the way. What’s clear is that he’s heading to Bratislava as one of the top goaltending options in the tournament and no matter how he’s made use of, Larys could easily contend for the top goaltending honors here. With the firepower up front looking limited, both he and Marek Sklenica look like the key decision makers for this Czech team, especially once the playoffs roll around.

Marek Sklenicka - G

Having spent the entire season as the 1a for the Seattle Thunderbirds, Sklenicka is - along with Larys - one of the most accomplished goaltenders in this tournament. Very athletic and quick in net despite his 6-foot-4 frame, Sklenicka brings everything necessary to go for gold here in Bratislava. We don’t know how much he’ll play, if he’ll be the starter, or if coach Tomajko will platoon his goaltenders, but Sklenicka would be the starter for a number of the teams in this tournament. Like with Larys, his performance could easily be decisive.

Petr Tomek - F

You want excitement? Here’s the Czech forward to watch closely. Although of a slighter build, to put it nicely, Tomek is 17 and a 2027 draft eligible. He’s also coming off a full season of top league pro play in Czechia, where he displayed youthful exuberance all season long while collecting 16 goals and 29 points over 64 games, nine of which came in 13 playoff games. In other words, he’s been all the rage back home. Now coach Tomajko will have to hope he’s ready to perhaps be Czechia’s top offensive weapon at this tournament. It would have been nice to see him getting more help from some of the established talents left off the roster, but we can’t wait to see what he’ll be able to do here, one way or another.

Matej Tomanek - C

For the first time in years, we won’t be seeing and talking about Adam Benak in this rubric. Tomanek is about the same size as Benak and as fate would have it, he’s as close to a go-to playmaker as the Czechs will have with Novotny and Novak out of the picture. Basically, the top 17-year-old in Czechia’s U20 league, Tomanek went 19-29-48 in 47 total games for his Plzen club and has shown well in international friendlies, even if usually in a lower line capacity. Now, he should be a cog on the power play.

Jakub Vanecek - D

Having just wrapped up the season with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL, the 6-foot-2, 194-pound Vanecek has all the makings of being Czechia’s powerplay quarterback at this tournament. Playing for a team that lacked offense, Vanecek nonetheless pumped in 14 goals and 35 points this season and is viewed as a very likely top 75 pick this summer. For the Czech Republic, we’re expecting him to wear a letter and take on many of the most important assignments. He can be a cool customer but isn’t without his defensive weaknesses.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - DECEMBER 26: Denmark's Martinus Uggerhoj Schioldan #28 steps onto the ice for the first period against Finland during Preliminary Round - Group B action at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship at 3M Arena at Mariucci on December 26, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. (Photo by Tim Austen/IIHF)

Denmark

The winter and spring of the 24-25 season were absolutely magical for the Danske Ishockey Union, seeing not only their U20 and U18 teams gain promotion from their respective D1B groupings but their women’s team moved up as well and the Men’s WC team, which hosted a magical leg of the spring tournament, brought things to a new height with a 1-0 quarterfinal win over a stacked Team Canada.

Alas, not all stories continue to lead to happy endings and after the U20 squad was promptly relegated at this past WJC, Coach Flemming Green now has a huge task at hand to keep Denmark among the world’s elite, something being made difficult by the fact that most of last spring’s dominating players have aged out, most prominently NHL draft pick Max Klyvo.

That’s nothing new for a contestant like Denmark, which will look to archrival Norway for a bit of inspiration in the matter, knowing fully well that it may just have to face Norway in the relegation round to achieve its goal of class retention. As usual, Denmark’s team will lean heavily on a mix of players playing abroad, mostly in Sweden, and those back home who at least got a lick of pro experience this past season in one of the nation’s two top divisions. The team is lacking any notable stars though, something that its closest competitors like Germany and Norway will be icing.

Emil Saaby Jakobsen - D

Already as an underager, Saaby Jakobsen was a key defensemen for the Danes while gaining promotion. He’s a slick puckhandler who can hop on horse to push the play forward. Impressive, considering he’s already 6-foot-3. He’s been in Sweden for the past two seasons and got into two pro contests for an ambitious club in the nation’s 3rd circuit but was primarily more than adequate with five goals and 21 points in 32 U20 league games, strong stats for a 17-year-old. Interestingly, he killed it in the U18 circuit with 15(!) goals and 23 points in just 15 games. He’ll be Denmark’s go-to blueliner and is probably the most interesting player on the team from a scouting perspective. A candidate to be North American juniors next winter.

James Bigum Johansen - D

He’s 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds. He has a righty shot. He’s now got an entire season of pro play in Denmark under his belt, splitting duties between the top league (25 games) and the nation’s second tier (14 games). In between, he played 16 U18 league games, scoring 12 goals and 20 points along the way. The most fascinating part of all this is that it has taken place as a 16-year-old. Indeed, Bigum Johansen will first turn 17 during the tournament and we’re going to find out if his impressive feats to date are simply a result of lower levels of play or if there’s something truly special here that requires higher level attention. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Andreas Klove Morgensen - F

He’s 5-foot-11 and little more than a spit in the bucket at 160 pounds but Klove Morgensen has spent this winter being Denmark’s most noticeable forward internationally (7 points in 5 games) and had a fascinating club season in his native Denmark. In addition to 24 goals in 22 U18 games, he played the entire second pro league season and went 21-24-45 in 30 games, which are unusually good number for a 17-year-old. He then concluded the season with six games in the top league, where he’ll surely be next season if he remains in Denmark. We’ll now get to see what all that means while facing the big boys in his age group.

Martinus Schioldan - W

Likely to be the biggest minute-muncher up front, the 6-foot-1, 194-pound Schioldan is coming off his second full season of play in Swedish juniors, having suited up for 32 U20 league games for HV71 and another 17 at the U18 level. Not much of a scorer in either, Schioldan has been molding himself into an amicable two-way player with complimentary player qualities. We saw him at the WJC, where he had a middle six role and collected two assists along the way. In light of all this, he’ll be expected to carry a lot of the weight for this club, being one of the few returnees from the team that gained promotion last spring. His biggest impact may be as a wrecking ball up front.

FRISCO, TEXAS - APRIL 27: Germany's Darian Rolsing #4 looks on from the bench during Preliminary Round - Group B action against Switzerland at the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship at Comerica Center on April 27, 2025 in Frisco, Texas, USA. (Photo by Micheline Veluvolu/IIHF)

Germany

As much as we like teams who are here to win everything, we can appreciate when a federation is realistic and lets it be known that maintaining the class is the goal at hand, and anything above and beyond that is a cherry on top. For first-time coach Andreas Becherer, achieving that goal is his first major hurdle in his tenure with this team.

Germany achieved that goal last spring while featuring players such as Carlos Händel, David Lewandowski, and Maxim Schäfer, all of whom were drafted last summer, and their waterbug dynamo Dustin Willhöft (Saskatoon Blades). Alas, these go-to players have moved on to being keys to the nation’s U20 team and now the bulk of the responsibility is being passed along to a small group of underagers, with 16-year-old Max Calce (formerly Max Penkin) being chief among them. He’s not only someone to build on moving forward but is a returnee from last spring and already the biggest name Germany will be presenting. Had he not sustained an injury last December, he’d have been at the WJC in Minnesota as well. A veteran of 14 DEL games, he’s the most important player for Germany since, well, Tim Stützle. Yes, you read right.

As usual, the team will be showing up with a bunch of players the general fan will understand as no-names, the bulk of which have done little more than play in Germany’s top U20 league, which pales in comparison to those of most of the hockey world’s powers. Nonetheless, one defenseman will be coming straight over from the WHL, three players are heading down from Nordic country junior circuits, and four others are joining from Salzburg’s famed RB Juniors club, including two of the three goalies. Furthermore, three of the key players for this team are defensemen who are eligible for this summer’s draft while arguably the four most important forwards are first eligible in 2027. Two underage defensemen could also easily be among the top players for Germany, with 6-foot-2, 207-pound Liron Pellizzari having already suited up for seven DEL games.

To avoid beating around the bush, we can say the first game of the tournament will be little more than a warm-up match against Sweden. Not much is expected and Becherer can concentrate on systems and messages. But Game 2 will be against newbie Denmark, and this is by far the most vital game of the tournament. Win that and class retention is all but assured. A loss there will change the entire outlook, giving the games against the Czech Republic and USA a whole new meaning. Germany is not going to want to have to deal with that.

Beat Denmark and then the rest of the preliminary round is simply about preparing for the playoffs. That’s the driver’s seat Germany will be aiming for. Showing up in the relegation round would likely mean facing off against Norway or Latvia, and that hasn’t gone well for Germany in tournaments past.

Players to watch

Bastian Bauer - G

Germany is taking three internationally raw goaltenders to the worlds. Not a one of the three stood in goal for even five of the U18 team’s friendlies this winter and two of them are with the RB juniors program in Salzburg, neither of whom played with the men’s team there in the AlpsHL. Niclas Wolters was the starter for Berlin’s U20 outfit and played more this season than his colleagues, so he should be looking at the starter’s job. But 6-foot-2 Bastian Bauer, who only turned 17 one month ago, must be mentioned here because he’s coming off a season where he went 14-1 for the Red Bull program’s U18 team, following that up with a 5-0 record in the playoffs. His 0.80 GAA and .960 save percentage in the regular season are not something you see every day. It would be something if all that was the mark of a player who could turn heads at this tournament.

Nikita Bloch - F

An underager who just turned 17 three weeks ago, Bloch is one of the players who most impressed us this past season, especially considering how much his play and progress came out of the blue. To be clear, we enjoy the RB Juniors project going on in Salzburg because of how well players 16-21 years of age are able to play against lower tier pro men. They have many hurdles to climb, and Bloch got into 33 games, putting up three goals and seven points while mastering that. He exhibited no fear in his approach and put a dastardly solid wrist shot on regular display, most often playing on a line with other U19 players. That he was called up into the pro team was well-earned considering he had 17 goals in 18 U20 league games - as a 16-year-old. Now he’ll be a go-to offensive player here who is shaping up to be one to follow for the 2027 draft.

Max Calce - F

After gaining “exceptional status” to play in Germany’s top U20 league (DNL) as a 15-year-old in 24-25, Calce certainly took the bigger step this past season by not only making a 14-game debut with the Adler Mannheim of the DEL but scoring his first two pro goals in the process. It sounds pretty good - if not plain historic - for the 180-pounder who won’t be 17 until June, but this season has been otherwise a mix of bland, unfortunate, and surprising. He only got into 26 DNL junior games and his 33 points were good, but nothing particularly special. A game misconduct in the DNL championship series saw him miss the final game of the team’s sweep and meant he had just one point in three-game final series. His injury around the holidays cost him WJC participation and he (and his younger brother Danny) changed their name from Penkin to Calce a few months ago, the name of his DNL coach. Now Max is expected to be the ne plus ultra leader of this U18 team, which would mean he’ll certainly be expected to top the three points he had in Texas last spring. Alas, he’s entering the tournament having only played 10 contests whatsoever in 2026. What form will he be in?

Tobias Krämer - D

Fresh off a DNL championship with Mannheim (6-19-25 in 46 games), Krämer is pretty much our favorite prospect out of Germany this season. And he arrived out of basically nowhere to boot. Originally from the Czech Republic, his eligibility to play for Germany didn’t even become an IIHF certainty until about midseason, but it couldn’t have come at a better time for the DEB. He spent this past winter as one of the top overall junior defensemen in the country and combines snarl, uncompromising physical play, strong mobility, and an increasingly accurate and powerful shot, all in a 6-foot-6, 209-pound body. Watching him in Germany’s U20 is like being a kid in a candy shop, because there’s so little opponents can do to slow him down or get past him. Now comes the real test as aside from seven friendlies, this is the first time we really get to see what he can do against the creme-de-la-creme of his age group. There should be some initial issues with pace, but if he ultimately brings it, he could go from suspiciously impressive find to a hot topic for the scouting community in no time flat. The size/tools package is just too enticing. Bonus: he’s a righty shot to boot!

Darian Rolsing - D

At the conclusion of last season, we saw 6-foot-6 RHD Darian Rolsing looking like Germany’s top prospect for this year’s draft. He had not only spent the better part of two seasons playing Finnish juniors but entered the U18 Worlds in Texas as the #7 defenseman only to wind up as the team’s #3 by the time the playoffs rolled around. We knew he’d get USHL and maybe CHL attention and that took place, thus he spent this season gaining valuable experience for Wenatchee of the WHL. A defensive defenseman through and through, it’s been a season of learning, but one where he was in the line-up right from the get-go. Now he’ll be Germany’s de facto top pairing blueliner, out there for all major defensive duties. There are others here who can move with the puck, so his role will be clear. Whether he’s drafted or not this summer is looking uncertain. It’d have to be an outstanding tournament for him to sneak into a later round at this point but there’s pro potential here for down the road.

Jonas Schwarz - W

Get ready for a player who can jump out at you for all the right - or wrong - reasons. He’s a bit of a thoroughbred who needs to be reeled in at times and whether it’s snarky bite or an unchecked attitude, one can’t claim he’s emotionless, to put it nicely. What we can say is that he has some fantastic tools. Both his skating and stickhandling are things we don’t see coming out of Germany often, and he applies his hips in an excellent fashion in both maintaining balance and gaining better positioning. He knows where his colleagues are out on the ice as well. And like several others here, he’s first eligible for the 2027 draft. We suspect he’ll get a look on the line with Calce after putting up 58 points in 47 games for Lukko’s U18 squad, with another nine points in 13 U20 games when called upon. The program almost brought him along to Texas last spring but expect him to be getting top six minutes and responsibility as long as he stays focused.

Viggo Björck of Sweden celebrates after winning the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship final game between Sweden and Czech Republic on January 5, 2026 in Saint Paul.
Photo: Joel Marklund / BILDBYRÅN

Sweden

So close, and yet so far. Once again. Sweden has some silver medals to flash in recent years, but that gold medal back in 2022 is beginning to feel like it was a really long time ago. Fortunately, the team has as good a shot at gold this spring as anybody, save for maybe Canada. And therein lies the problem, because the groupings at this tournament are mighty similar to last year and chances are, any path to gold will likely require the Tre Kronor to face off against a squad it got whooped by 7-0 a year ago (had we mentioned that already?).

Making things even more challenging is the fact megastar Viggo Björck, an SHL player who already helped carry Team Sweden to gold at this winter’s WJC, will not be along for the ride. Yep, some crazy stuff, seeing as how it all has to do with his own decision to continue playing for Djurgarden’s U20 team in the J20 league playoffs. Apparently, that’s a problem, although everyone is holding out hope that fences will be mended in time for him to head on down before too long. If not, a great deal of responsibility spreads onto a number of other shoulders and chances are, most of these players spent all season thinking their go-to cog would be with them in Bratislava. Time to think in different constellations, just in case.

The good news is that there are a good number of shoulders here for that responsibility to be spread upon. Goaltending has something to prove, but the nation is bringing no less than two of its best U20 goaltenders down with them and all three nominees are coming off a full winter of action. The blueline features its usual mixture of draft candidates and those still hoping to become ones. Up front, the Swedes will be featuring one of the best groups at the tournament and all the scouts will be in the house to see the big names like Alexander Command and Marcus Nordmark as well as the more mysterious talents such as Wiggo Sörensson and Vilgot Liden.

One thing is for sure: defenseman Malte Gustafsson has the wares and a prime opportunity to be the tournament’s top defenseman. For him, his performance here could be the difference between being selected inside or outside of the top 10 this summer.

Players to watch

Adam Andersson - C

If you fancy lunch pail players who are just good at everything and can play the game any way it comes, even if their stats don’t jump out at you, then Andersson is the Swedish forward you’re going to want to keep your eye on here. As well-rounded as it comes at this age, Andersson will likely be out there for PK duty and any time the going gets rough. He’s got the mind and hands to move the puck, and when it’s time to sprint, he’ll be getting from point A to B faster than most.

Viggo Björck - C/W

We’re holding out hope that the aforementioned discrepancies between Björck and the federation will take care of themselves by next week. He’s clearly the star of the team, was already a key component of the gold-medal-winning WJC team and is slotted to be a top 15 pick this summer. In fact, if he were six inches taller, he’d likely be a top three pick. Everything he does is that of a winner and it’s been that way for two years now. By the end of the season, he was taking a regular shift in the SHL. Should he show up in Trencin, there’s really going to be little opposition defenses can do to prevent him from heavily impacting every game. He’d have to be an odds-on favorite to lead the tournament in scoring. But will we see him there?

Alexander Command - F

Clearly inspired by the English language meaning of his last name, Command likes to take just that when playing, accustomed to having the puck on his stick and creating danger as both a shooter and playmaker. As wonderful as his season was, and coming from the same organization as Leo Carlsson, Command will be representing his country for the first time at a major tournament, and despite six scoreless SHL appearances, we can only really point towards his 12 points in 13 international U18 friendlies this winter as a sign of what to expect from him in Slovakia. Expect him to be a top six center who’ll look to use this tournament to solidify a spot in the latter half of the first round this summer.

Elton Hermansson - W

The 6-foot-1 winger is coming into this tournament as one of the most pro-mature players we’ll see. He’s coming off an entire season of HockeyAllsvenskan play with MoDo, a big name in the Swedish hockey world, where he put up 12 goals and 22 points while getting a good bit of playoff experience, recently bowing out in Game 7 of the semi-finals. He can play a rough ‘n tumble game and has absolute sniping abilities. Furthermore, his play against his peers in Slovakia could go a long way in deciding just how high he’s drafted this summer. We’ll be curious to see how he makes the transition from being the little fella in a veteran locker room to a go-to contributor with leadership expectations. We don’t think it’ll be a problem.

Malte Gustafsson - D

Pokechecks, use of space, reads, mobility, timing, an understanding of not only where the game is, but where it’s going… Yep, the hockey world didn’t really see it coming, but Gustafsson wowed this winter with his innate hockey sense and simple ability to play in all three zones against professional athletes. Already 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, he makes a surprisingly coordinated impression, even if quite lanky, but he can handle the rough stuff and always takes the body when the situation demands it. He got into 31 SHL games this year and even if the production to date has never really seen any popping at any level, he’s a defensemen’s defenseman who can do a bit of everything and has the natural abilities to indicate there’s far more to come down the line. For now, Sweden will be happy with him just doing his thing until the end of April because it’s hard to imagine that all too many opponents at this tournament will be able to do anything but fail against his wingspan and overall shutdown skills.

Bosse Meijer - F

Meijer is for this year’s Team Sweden what Viggo Björck was for last year’s. He’s perhaps one of the top two Swedes for the 2027 draft and we’re now going to get a glimpse of that promising future, because as soon as the hockey world found out that Björck would not be joining the national team (we’re still in shock), Meijer’s immediate importance to this team skyrocketed. Of similar size to Björck, and having just turned 17 in December, Meijer spent the whole season in Sweden’s U20 circuit, ultimately contributing 23 goals and 62 points over 44 games, including 25 points in 13 playoff games. He was an offensive beast. He’s so far along that perennial contender Frölunda gave him a two-game SHL introduction. He’s got the goods to be a top six contributor at this tournament.

Marcus Nordmark - F

It’s a veritable given that the Djurgarden organization will be producing 1-2 first round talents just about every summer now. It certainly has felt like that in recent years and together with Björck, Nordmark is expected to keep that trend going. We’re also expecting him to become a full-time SHL player next year that we saw the Eklunds and Frondells be this year, even if his draft year star hasn’t been quite as bright as those of the aforementioned organizational teammates. Alas, the 6-foot-2 winger who got into eight SHL games this season was the U20 team’s scorer du jour with 38 points in 25 games and has since been killing it in the playoffs with 23 points in 11 games. He can move, he can run a power play, he can dish it, and he understands the generating offense off the rush. Sweden is bound to lean heavily on him up front in this tournament.

Ole Palme - D

Probably the one Swedish player on this list you may not have heard of yet, Palme has many of the tools you want a depth defenseman in your organization to have. He’s 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, and has solid four-way mobility. He was very noticeable at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer with his three points and +5 rating. He parlayed that into steady and improving performances for the Växjö organization at primarily the U20 level (6 goals, 22 points in 25 games), but especially for the U18 squad (3-14-17 in 15 games), crowned by a 5-game stint in the SHL. He turned 18 two months ago and is right where you want him in his development. He should be an essential component of any success this Swedish team enjoys, especially when it comes to ensuring solid, teamwide puck management.

Wiggo Sörensson - F

Sörensson is one of the biggest mysteries at the tournament. This will be the opportunity to really see just what this young man has to offer and if it compares with those of his age group who have been playing in a more competitive environment. That’s because Sörensson played for a program off the beaten path and blew away the competition, both at the U20 level (56 points in 13 games) and with the 4th division men’s team (48 points in 37 games). By the time he was loaned out to the formidable Växjö organization, he added 12 points in 7 U18 games and scored a goal in his one U20 appearance. For all intents and purposes, he looks uniquely talented with a great deal of creativity and a strong understanding of generating offense. Having turned 18 not even a week ago, this will be the highest level he’s played at this year.

Wyatt Cullen. Photo by Rena Laverty, USA Hockey

USA

The years in which the US entered this tournament as the clear-cut favorite for gold are felt to be a thing of the past, even if those days weren’t all that long ago. Already last spring in Texas, there was concern that the team might have trouble playing for a medal. It ended up playing a fine tournament and going home with bronze, having lost the semi-final to Sweden by a tight score of 4-3 beforehand. But with the tides of junior hockey having changed so heavily thanks to the newfound NCAA eligibility for CHL players, the USNTDP no longer has recruiting power for a US player market it once dominated.

This winter has shown us already what that heavy shift in recruiting dynamics can mean as there were some less than spectacular games along the way and a lack of star power. It immediately cost them a topflight forward in J.P. Hurlbert, who took his act to the WHL. More will choose that route moving forward. This tournament will also not see OHL 97-point performer Nikita Klepov, who was fantastic for the US at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, as his camp seems to be wanting to leave the door open for him to one day represent Russia in international play.

Nonetheless, the US is coming to Slovakia with a good 10-13 players expected to be drafted this summer and several more who are hot topics for the 2027 NHL draft. There’s plenty of depth and opportunity for a number of skaters to be heroes over the next few weeks. We’d even go so far as to say we’re not homing in specifically on names like Danny Beuker, Mikey Berchild, Sammy Nelson, or Victor Plante to be the top guys to keep an eye on, but any one of them could end up being a difference maker.

Also, of advantage for Team USA is that the preliminary round will look a lot like it did last year, just this time Switzerland is out and Denmark is in. Considering the Danes often present a team much like Norway’s, and the US toppled the Norwegians 10-0 in a recent test game, we see little stopping the US from finishing top three in the group and more likely among the top two. The key tests will be the initial match-up against a Czech team that might draw what’ll more or less be a hometown crowd and then the third match-up against a loaded Swedish side. The US beat Sweden 6-3 in the preliminary round last year, but the Swedes obviously got their revenge in the playoffs.

As opposed to last year, the program doesn’t have to be too worried about goaltending and the attack features a number of options, even if we find ourselves wondering who will be this year’s L.J. Mooney. There are some really big boys in the forward attack and that should be an advantage when the going gets tough or in general against teams with physical limitations.

What we don’t know is how solid the blueline will prove itself to be. It’s anything but star-studded but has come through as a suffocating unit at various junctures of the season, even at times when few goals were produced up front. Our concern here is when it may come down to one important game in the quarterfinals, the day when four teams are sent home packing. We’d have to think it’d behoove this team to not have to face, for example, Slovakia in Bratislava for such a decisive outing. On paper though, this team should be playing for a medal.

Players to Watch

Wyatt Cullen - C

The son of former NHLer and Stanley Cup winner Matt Cullen, Wyatt is a prospect currently very much on the rise. Setbacks in the fall and December kept him to a modest start into the season, but he’s been moving up the charts through the back half of the campaign and comes into this tournament as one of the players with the most to gain from a draft position perspective. In Slovakia, he’ll be a key contributor on the powerplay and in generating the kind of offensive opportunities that keep opponents guessing all game long. A future Golden Gopher, we see Cullen serving the role for this team at this tournament that players such as Jack Hughes, Logan Cooley, and James Hagens have for The Program in the past without wanting to lean too far out the window in making any direct comparisons. This is the level of relevance he should have for this team nonetheless.

Jamie Glance - W

With a September 23rd birthday, Glance just misses the cut for this year’s draft and is first eligible in 2027. However, with 33 goals and 72 points in 80 games this winter, he’s one of this squad’s absolute go-to guys and will now participate in the only U18 Worlds he’s still eligible for. Neither particularly large nor overly speedy, Glance displays a wonderful understanding of creating offense off the rush and finding ways to present himself for a pass, which is a good thing as his one-timer is among his most proficient weapons. There’s tenacity here too. Capable of making the sneaky slick pass, Glance can go under the radar for periods at a time before making a decisive play. A gamer and someone who can be the hero in overtime, we expect Glance to be in the thick of any success the team will have.

Diego Gutierrez - D

A righty shot defenseman with impressive size (6-foot-2, 187 pounds), Gutierrez hails from McAllen, Texas, and is coming in as a 16-year-old underager. A fairly hot topic for the 2027 draft at this point, we’ve liked that Gutierrez has shown a knack for making the sweet pass here and there and can break out the puck, sometimes by threading the puck over several zones. He’s still raw and has shown growing pains against bigger competition this winter, but there’s an opportunity at this tournament for him to surpass other defensemen on the totem pole and add considerable experience for the future, as he could be the program’s #1 defenseman next season.

Levi Harper - D

Certainly not the biggest defenseman in the world at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, Harper is coming in from the Saginaw Spirit and is your classic righty shot power play quarterback who is used to playing and gelling with star forwards. As such, he’s exactly what the doctor ordered for a team that never saw anyone within the program step up to the plate in this capacity this season. Smart with the puck and capable of unloading various forms of shots that forwards can make good use of in front of the net, Harper had 12 goals and 57 points in 68 OHL contests. The slick passer won’t turn 18 until October, meaning he’s first eligible for the 2027 draft. At this tournament, we’re expecting him to already be the US’ ne plus ultra on the blueline for all major offensive duties. Defensively, he’s very much a work in progress, so we’re looking at a true specialist weapon who could be a huge difference maker.

Brady Knowling - G

Already a member of the WJC squad this past winter, Knowling is thought of as one of the top three North American goaltenders in this draft, if not the best. That has much more to do with his athleticism, anticipation, strong east-west crease movements, and lightning quick reflexes, all packaged in a 6-foot-5, 200-pound frame. Alas, you wouldn’t know how highly touted he is by looking at stats alone, as the technical numbers against older competition do little to explain how he’s accumulated a 20-15-1 record. But now is the time where all that takes a back seat. Truth is, Knowling could easily will this team to a medal of some sort and has as good a shot at doing that as any goaltender in this tournament. He’ll face some pressure from the stronger teams, so we’ll get to see what he’s really capable of with the chips on the line.

Carter Meyer - F

Another underager draftwise, Meyer turned 17 just a week before the tournament but was already the program’s top scorer in the USHL leg of their season, putting up 37 points in 42 games. Son of former NHL defenseman Freddy Meyer, Carter has been the key offensive driver for the program’s U17 team and, in total, has suited up for 109 games this winter - an attest to his fitness and perseverance. The owner of a deadly wrist shot, he can control a power play from the right faceoff circle and sticks out as a deadly playmaker around and from behind the net. Considering some bigger names and outside additions may mean he takes a lower line assignment, just that may free him up to be quite the weapon against weaker competition.

Casey Mutryn - F

The one-year younger brother of San Jose Sharks prospect Teddy Mutryn, the Boston College commit came into the season as one of the most anticipated US players in the draft. He’s still expected to be one of the first 15 names off the board on Day 2, but this season has had its fair share of ups and downs. A righty shot with some moves and swagger, Casey is an absolute handful along the boards and in the slot. There’s plenty of bite to his game and he’s no stranger to the penalty box, as his 113 PMs this winter attest. Nonetheless, his 53 points in 80 games this winter have left viewers wanting more. All in all, we have little doubt that he’ll make his mark in pro hockey as a power forward with intangibles, but we’re really hoping he’ll use this tournament to give teams a good reason to perhaps select him at the tail end of the first round. We’re certain that some opponents here are going to have their hands full with him.

Brooks Rogowski - C

Rogowski won’t be 18 until several days before this summer’s NHL draft, but the 6-foot-6, 230-pound center is already an absolute truck of physical specimen. Joining the US from the Oshawa Generals, Rogowski was held to just 46 contests this season (42 points) as he missed a good month of play between early November and the holidays but left little doubt this season about his ability to move, dish the puck, and crash the net. That means he’s going to be able to add exactly what this spring’s Team USA is really in need of in Slovakia, coming in as perhaps the tournament’s biggest player. A Michigan State commit as of the 27-28 season, we’re thinking he’ll be adding a very difficult element for opponents to face and perhaps a powerplay presence that’ll give this team a major advantage. Like others on Team USA, this tournament could do a good bit in fortifying a spot as a first round draft pick.

Luke Schairer - D

In a year where the USNTDP has fewer draft eligible defenseman of note than usual, Schairer continues to look like the best of the bunch. His 27 points in 80 games were definitely nothing to write home about, especially considering he has played the point on the power play, but the offensive side of his game not only has room to grow, it’s a plus when we take the combination of mobility and size (6-foot-3 200 pounds) into account. He lacks a full level of smoothness in his turns, but he competes and rarely gives up on a play. There are times he can suffocate the opposition along the boards, and he makes strong use of his long reach. Coming into the season, there might have been more expectations of him, but this tournament will be one last prime opportunity to show what he can chip in for a successful team and is one to build on in the future.

2026 NHL DRAFT: TOP 32 PRIOR TO THE 2026 IIHF U18 MEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Brock Otten — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 18:03:12 +0000

Caleb Malhotra

It’s time for the McKeen’s Hockey scouting team to update their rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft. Many junior leagues around the globe are in the thick of the playoffs and we have the IIHF U18’s upcoming. This top 100 will serve as our final ranking before our Draft Guide release, which expands us to a top 300.

Gavin McKenna is holding firm on his first overall ranking on our board thanks to some adjustments and strong play post world juniors with Penn State. We’re hoping that he gets the nod to represent Canada at the IIHF World Championships, which would be a terrific measuring stick for him.

Pushing up our list are Brantford Bulldogs center Caleb Malhotra and Swedish defender Malte Gustafsson. Malhotra has shown terrific progression over the course of the OHL season and has been outstanding through the first two rounds of the OHL playoffs. Meanwhile Gustafsson has shown remarkable poise across various levels in Sweden and offers great athletic tools and two-way upside.

Other significant “risers” from our previous list include Quebec forward Maddox Dagenais, North Bay center Ryder Cali, Moncton defender Tommy Bleyl, Slovak defender Adam Goljer, and Russian netminder Dmitri Borichev. All have played significantly well in the second half of their respective seasons and have pushed up our boards due to the upside that they possess. Dagenais brings elite athletic tools and a heavy shot to the table and has shown considerable improvement in the second half from a consistency perspective. Cali is one of the draft’s youngest players and has found confidence in his on-puck play, causing us to re-evaluate his upside. Bleyl is one of the draft’s most dynamic offensive defenders and his strong play has given us no choice but to adjust our ranking of him accordingly. Goljer is an athletic two-way defender who has played well against men in the Slovak pro league this year, but he’s shown offensive upside when playing against his peers. Borichev is the draft’s netminding crown jewel with a great frame, elite athleticism, and improving technical abilities.

Fresh off the release of our annual three part look at the top “re-entry” candidates available, several have made the cut in our top 100. Edmonton defender Ethan MacKenzie, Prince Albert netminder Michal Orsulak, Czech defender Tomas Galvas, Victoria defender Timofei Runtso, Chicoutimi forward Liam Lefebvre, and Sioux Falls defender Matthew Grimes. You can find more info about each player in the aforementioned three-part series.

We’re very excited to see what the end of the season has in store and how that impacts our final ranking. As usual, you can expect our annual draft guide to be released in early June.

RK	PLAYER	POS	TEAM	HT/WT	DOB	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
1	Gavin McKenna	LW	Penn State (NCAA)	5-11/170	20-Dec-07	35	15	36	51	36
2	Ivar Stenberg	LW	Frolunda (SHL)	5-11/185	30-Sep-07	43	11	22	33	6
3	Chase Reid	D	Soo Greyhounds (OHL)	6-2/185	30-Dec-07	45	18	30	48	30
4	Caleb Malhotra	C	Brantford (OHL)	6-0/170	2-Jun-08	67	29	55	84	51
5	Carson Carels	D	Prince George (WHL)	6-2/195	23-Jun-08	58	20	53	73	66
6	Keaton Verhoeff	D	North Dakota (NCAA)	6-4/210	19-Jun-08	36	6	14	20	29
7	Alberts Smits	D	Jukurit (Fin-Liiga)	6-3/205	2-Dec-07	38	6	7	13	20
8	Viggo Bjorck	C	Djurgardens (SHL)	5-9/175	12-Mar-08	42	6	9	15	12
9	Malte Gustafsson	D	HV 71 (SHL)	6-4/200	11-Jun-08	27	0	3	3	4
10	Daxon Rudolph	D	Prince Albert (WHL)	6-2/205	6-Mar-08	68	28	50	78	75
11	Oscar Hemming	LW	Boston College (NCAA)	6-4/195	13-Aug-08	19	1	7	8	18
12	Tynan Lawrence	C	Boston University (NCAA)	6-0/185	3-Aug-08	18	2	5	7	2
13	Ethan Belchetz	LW	Windsor (OHL)	6-5/225	30-Mar-08	57	34	25	59	45
14	Adam Novotny	LW	Peterborough (OHL)	6-1/205	13-Nov-07	58	34	31	65	22
15	Elton Hermansson	RW	MoDo Hockey (Allsvenskan)	6-1/180	5-Feb-08	38	11	10	21	22
16	Maddox Dagenais	C	Quebec (QMJHL)	6-3/195	27-Mar-08	62	30	32	62	31
17	Oliver Suvanto	C	Tappara (Fin-Liiga)	6-3/210	3-Sep-08	48	2	9	11	16
18	Ryan Lin	D	Vancouver (WHL)	5-11/175	18-Apr-08	53	14	43	57	35
19	Wyatt Cullen	LW	USN U18 (USDP)	5-11/175	8-Sep-08	34	12	22	34	37
20	Xavier Villeneuve	D	Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)	5-11/160	29-Sep-07	37	6	32	38	35
21	Nikita Klepov	RW	Saginaw (OHL)	6-0/180	27-Jun-08	67	37	60	97	43
22	Ilia Morozov	C	Miami (NCAA)	6-3/195	3-Aug-08	36	8	12	20	27
23	Alexander Command	C	Orebro (Swe J20)	6-1/185	16-Jun-08	30	17	27	44	61
24	Mathis Preston	RW	Spo-Van (WHL)	5-11/175	21-Jul-08	46	18	26	44	34
25	Tommy Bleyl	D	Moncton (QMJHL)	6-0/160	1-Dec-07	63	13	68	81	33
26	JP Hurlbert	LW	Kamloops (WHL)	6-0/185	11-Apr-08	68	42	55	97	45
27	Juho Piiparinen	D	Tappara (Fin-Liiga)	6-2/200	10-Aug-08	29	0	3	3	8
28	Adam Goljer	D	HK Dukla Trencin (Slovakia)	6-3/195	7-Jun-08	43	4	7	11	40
29	Jaxon Cover	LW	London (OHL)	6-2/175	13-Feb-08	67	20	32	52	48
30	Gleb Pugachyov	C	Chaika Nizhny Novgorod (MHL)	6-3/200	25-Mar-08	33	10	14	24	36
31	Ryder Cali	C	North Bay (OHL)	6-1/210	6-Sep-08	47	16	20	36	24
32	Dmitri Borichev	G	Loko-76 Yaroslavl (MHL)	6-3/200	19-Jun-08	24	12	8	2.25	0.929

2026 NHL DRAFT: TOP 100 PRIOR TO THE 2026 IIHF U18 MEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Brock Otten — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 17:58:39 +0000

Caleb Malhotra

We’re very excited to see what the end of the season has in store and how that impacts our final ranking. As usual, you can expect our annual draft guide to be released in early June.

RK	PLAYER	POS	TEAM	HT/WT	DOB	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
1	Gavin McKenna	LW	Penn State (NCAA)	5-11/170	20-Dec-07	35	15	36	51	36
2	Ivar Stenberg	LW	Frolunda (SHL)	5-11/185	30-Sep-07	43	11	22	33	6
3	Chase Reid	D	Soo Greyhounds (OHL)	6-2/185	30-Dec-07	45	18	30	48	30
4	Caleb Malhotra	C	Brantford (OHL)	6-0/170	2-Jun-08	67	29	55	84	51
5	Carson Carels	D	Prince George (WHL)	6-2/195	23-Jun-08	58	20	53	73	66
6	Keaton Verhoeff	D	North Dakota (NCAA)	6-4/210	19-Jun-08	36	6	14	20	29
7	Alberts Smits	D	Jukurit (Fin-Liiga)	6-3/205	2-Dec-07	38	6	7	13	20
8	Viggo Bjorck	C	Djurgardens (SHL)	5-9/175	12-Mar-08	42	6	9	15	12
9	Malte Gustafsson	D	HV 71 (SHL)	6-4/200	11-Jun-08	27	0	3	3	4
10	Daxon Rudolph	D	Prince Albert (WHL)	6-2/205	6-Mar-08	68	28	50	78	75
11	Oscar Hemming	LW	Boston College (NCAA)	6-4/195	13-Aug-08	19	1	7	8	18
12	Tynan Lawrence	C	Boston University (NCAA)	6-0/185	3-Aug-08	18	2	5	7	2
13	Ethan Belchetz	LW	Windsor (OHL)	6-5/225	30-Mar-08	57	34	25	59	45
14	Adam Novotny	LW	Peterborough (OHL)	6-1/205	13-Nov-07	58	34	31	65	22
15	Elton Hermansson	RW	MoDo Hockey (Allsvenskan)	6-1/180	5-Feb-08	38	11	10	21	22
16	Maddox Dagenais	C	Quebec (QMJHL)	6-3/195	27-Mar-08	62	30	32	62	31
17	Oliver Suvanto	C	Tappara (Fin-Liiga)	6-3/210	3-Sep-08	48	2	9	11	16
18	Ryan Lin	D	Vancouver (WHL)	5-11/175	18-Apr-08	53	14	43	57	35
19	Wyatt Cullen	LW	USN U18 (USDP)	5-11/175	8-Sep-08	34	12	22	34	37
20	Xavier Villeneuve	D	Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)	5-11/160	29-Sep-07	37	6	32	38	35
21	Nikita Klepov	RW	Saginaw (OHL)	6-0/180	27-Jun-08	67	37	60	97	43
22	Ilia Morozov	C	Miami (NCAA)	6-3/195	3-Aug-08	36	8	12	20	27
23	Alexander Command	C	Orebro (Swe J20)	6-1/185	16-Jun-08	30	17	27	44	61
24	Mathis Preston	RW	Spo-Van (WHL)	5-11/175	21-Jul-08	46	18	26	44	34
25	Tommy Bleyl	D	Moncton (QMJHL)	6-0/160	1-Dec-07	63	13	68	81	33
26	JP Hurlbert	LW	Kamloops (WHL)	6-0/185	11-Apr-08	68	42	55	97	45
27	Juho Piiparinen	D	Tappara (Fin-Liiga)	6-2/200	10-Aug-08	29	0	3	3	8
28	Adam Goljer	D	HK Dukla Trencin (Slovakia)	6-3/195	7-Jun-08	43	4	7	11	40
29	Jaxon Cover	LW	London (OHL)	6-2/175	13-Feb-08	67	20	32	52	48
30	Gleb Pugachyov	C	Chaika Nizhny Novgorod (MHL)	6-3/200	25-Mar-08	33	10	14	24	36
31	Ryder Cali	C	North Bay (OHL)	6-1/210	6-Sep-08	47	16	20	36	24
32	Dmitri Borichev	G	Loko-76 Yaroslavl (MHL)	6-3/200	19-Jun-08	24	12	8	2.25	0.929
33	Jack Hextall	C	Youngstown (USHL)	6-0/190	23-Mar-08	59	20	38	58	28
34	William Hakansson	D	Lulea (SHL)	6-4/205	8-Oct-07	22	0	2	2	8
35	Marcus Nordmark	LW	Djurgardens (Swe J20)	6-1/180	4-May-08	25	14	24	38	48
36	Tobias Trejbal	G	Youngstown (USHL)	6-4/190	9-Nov-07	42	30	9	2.12	0.916
37	Brooks Rogowski	C	Oshawa (OHL)	6-6/225	28-Jun-08	46	15	27	42	17
38	Ben MacBeath	D	Calgary (WHL)	6-2/185	4-Mar-08	67	7	44	51	16
39	Alexander Bilecki	D	Kitchener (OHL)	6-1/180	9-May-08	66	9	20	29	43
40	Egor Shilov	C	Victoriaville (QMJHL)	6-1/180	30-Apr-08	63	32	50	82	29
41	Niklas Aaram Olsen	RW	Orebro (Swe J20)	6-0/185	19-Apr-08	29	20	20	40	22
42	Tomas Chrenko	C	HK Nitra (Slovakia)	5-11/170	2-Nov-07	44	9	22	31	10
43	Samu Alalauri	D	Pelicans (Fin-U20)	6-2/200	31-May-08	40	6	19	25	4
44	Jakub Vanecek	D	Tri-City (WHL)	6-1/190	25-Feb-08	59	14	21	35	20
45	Thomas Vandenberg	C	Ottawa (OHL)	6-0/180	8-Sep-08	59	25	25	50	20
46	Liam Ruck	RW	Medicine Hat (WHL)	6-0/175	21-Feb-08	68	45	59	104	36
47	Alessandro Di Iorio	RW	Sarnia (OHL)	6-0/190	17-Mar-08	45	12	19	31	16
48	Adam Andersson	C	Leksands (Swe J20)	6-3/200	2-Jul-08	30	3	14	17	24
49	Ryan Roobroeck	C	Niagara (OHL)	6-3/215	25-Sep-07	49	30	28	58	26
50	Pierce Mbuyi	LW	Owen Sound (OHL)	5-10/160	17-Apr-08	68	32	43	75	85
51	Ethan MacKenzie	D	Edmonton (WHL)	6-0/170	2-Sep-06	59	22	36	58	42
52	Filip Ruzicka	G	Brandon (WHL)	6-7/230	24-Mar-08	42	26	14	3.19	0.906
53	Maksim Sokolovskii	D	London (OHL)	6-8/235	12-Jul-08	44	2	6	8	49
54	Markus Ruck	C	Medicine Hat (WHL)	5-11/170	21-Feb-08	68	21	87	108	28
55	Simas Ignatavicius	C	Geneva-Servette (Sui-NL)	6-3/195	22-Oct-07	52	7	6	13	43
56	Beckham Edwards	C	Sarnia (OHL)	6-1/180	6-Jan-08	64	19	26	45	14
57	Giorgos Pantelas	D	Brandon (WHL)	6-2/215	24-Apr-08	68	6	31	37	50
58	Charlie Morrison	D	Quebec (QMJHL)	6-3/195	12-Oct-07	41	4	9	13	58
59	Adam Nemec	LW	Sudbury (OHL)	6-1/175	18-Oct-07	31	14	21	35	15
60	Tobias Tvrznik	G	Wenatchee (WHL)	6-4/180	29-Jul-07	39	16	18	3.1	0.913
61	Casey Mutryn	RW	USN U18 (USDP)	6-3/200	5-Jul-08	55	14	23	37	87
62	Michal Orsulak	G	Prince Albert (WHL)	6-4/225	26-Aug-07	36	28	4	2.22	0.907
63	Axel Elofsson	D	Orebro (Swe J20)	5-10/165	3-Jun-08	32	9	32	41	20
64	Nikita Scherbakov	D	Toros Neftekamsk (VHL)	6-5/190	23-Oct-07	35	4	6	10	24
65	Jonas Lagerberg Hoen	RW	Leksands (Swe J20)	6-2/175	24-Oct-07	9	9	7	16	33
66	Landon Nycz	D	Massachusetts (NCAA)	6-2/200	4-Oct-07	35	1	2	3	2
67	Adam Valentini	LW	Michigan (NCAA)	5-11/185	11-Apr-08	40	11	16	27	46
68	Viktor Fyodorov	C	Torpedo-Gorky NN (VHL)	5-10/175	21-Feb-08	32	2	6	8	8
69	Mans Gudmundsson	D	Farjestads (Swe J20)	6-2/170	9-Jun-08	35	1	24	25	10
70	Casper Juustovaara Karlsson	LW	Lulea (SHL)	5-9/170	25-Oct-07	31	4	2	6	6
71	Tomas Galvas	D	Bili Tygri Liberec (Czechia)	5-10/155	11-Feb-06	32	8	16	24	10
72	Jonah Sivertson	RW	Prince Albert (WHL)	6-3/195	27-Aug-08	66	24	29	53	41
73	Landon Amrhein	LW	Calgary (WHL)	6-4/190	6-Apr-08	64	10	21	31	12
74	Timofei Runtso	D	Victoria (WHL)	6-2/185	6-Jul-07	68	11	33	44	28
75	Liam Lefebvre	C	Rim-Chi (QMJHL)	6-3/205	15-May-07	59	32	27	59	86
76	Vladimir Dravecky	D	Brantford (OHL)	6-0/185	19-Dec-07	58	9	19	28	24
77	Beckett Hamilton	RW	Red Deer (WHL)	5-11/175	28-Mar-08	67	24	38	62	14
78	Wiggo Sorensson	C	Boro/Vetlanda HC (Swe Division 2)	5-11/180	15-Apr-08	29	20	18	38	14
79	Jakub Frolo	C	Ilves (Fin-U20)	6-1/195	5-Dec-07	37	10	30	40	103
80	Landon Hafele	C	Green Bay (USHL)	6-0/185	18-Sep-07	52	15	27	42	69
81	Brady Knowling	G	USN U18 (USDP)	6-5/200	9-Mar-08	28	12	10	3.73	0.88
82	Zach Olsen	RW	Saskatoon (WHL)	6-1/200	16-Mar-08	57	18	16	34	79
83	Matthew Grimes	D	Sioux Falls (USHL)	6-1/185	19-May-07	60	9	26	35	54
84	Chase Harrington	LW	Spokane (WHL)	6-0/195	30-Oct-07	61	28	29	57	105
85	Jakub Floris	D	Lukko (Fin-U20)	6-3/190	19-Feb-08	38	10	8	18	10
86	Noel Pakarinen	LW	Kiekko-Espoo (Fin-U20)	6-2/200	9-Jul-08	31	13	17	30	30
87	Malcom Gastrin	C	MoDo Hockey (Swe J20)	6-0/155	19-Aug-08	24	9	16	25	8
88	Nils Bartholdsson	RW	Rogle (Swe J20)	5-10/175	25-Apr-08	32	23	19	42	20
89	Elisei Ryabkin	D	MHK Dynamo Moskva (MHL)	6-1/180	8-Jul-08	48	3	16	19	25
90	Spencer Bowes	C	Ottawa (OHL)	6-0/175	19-Sep-07	67	23	19	42	28
91	Victor Plante	LW	USN U18 (USDP)	5-9/165	10-Mar-08	50	19	21	40	65
92	Vertti Svensk	D	SaiPa (Fin-U20)	6-0/165	9-Nov-07	33	3	28	31	80
93	Jean-Cristoph Lemieux	C	Wsr-Sby (OHL)	6-0/185	19-Jun-08	56	20	23	43	28
94	Vilho Vanhatalo	RW	Tappara (Fin-U20)	6-4/195	18-Jan-08	38	10	9	19	43
95	Brian McFadden	D	Thayer Academy (USHS-MA)	6-5/180	8-Jan-08	29	2	15	17
96	Lars Steiner	RW	Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)	5-10/175	12-Nov-07	44	30	25	55	44
97	Luke Schairer	D	USN U18 (USDP)	6-3/195	30-Jan-08	55	1	16	17	67
98	KJ Sauer	C	Andover High (USHS-MN)	6-3/200	24-Oct-07	15	8	17	25	42
99	Filip Novak	LW	Sparta Praha (Czechia U20)	6-1/195	7-Mar-08	28	11	24	35	60
100	Rian Chudzinski	RW	Moncton (QMJHL)	6-1/190	30-Dec-07	54	21	17	38	71
HM	Joe Erickson	C	Blake School (USHS-MN)	6-4/200	21-Apr-08	28	32	32	64	4
HM	Alan Shaikhlislamov	RW	Tolpar Ufa (MHL)	6-1/185	4-Sep-08	31	18	17	35	15
HM	Dmitri Kubantsev	RW	Vernon (BCHL)	6-1/195	28-May-08	47	15	38	53	52
HM	Yaroslav Fedoseyev	D	Chelmet Chelyabinsk (VHL)	6-1/180	5-Nov-07	25	1	5	6	25
HM	Cole Zurawski	RW	Owen Sound (OHL)	6-1/190	6-Feb-08	63	24	22	46	34
HM	Yegor Rybkin	G	Chaika Nizhny Novgorod (MHL)	6-7/205	3-Dec-07	11	5	2	2.56	0.915
HM	Zach Lansard	RW	Regina (WHL)	6-0/175	29-Jul-08	68	24	32	56	33
HM	Harrison Boettiger	G	Kelowna (WHL)	6-2/190	11-Dec-07	41	25	10	2.83	0.911
HM	Luka Arkko	LW	Pelicans (Fin-U20)	6-3/210	14-Jan-08	42	11	14	25	10
HM	Evan Jardine	LW	Youngstown (USHL)	6-0/180	23-Oct-07	53	27	34	61	70
HM	Cole Tuminaro	D	Chicago (USHL)	6-3/220	24-Jan-07	54	5	11	16	148
HM	Romain L'Italien	C	Cape Breton (QMJHL)	6-1/195	7-Apr-08	52	17	30	47	33
HM	Xavier Wendt	G	Tri-City (WHL)	6-1/165	24-Jan-08	43	18	20	3.25	0.905
HM	Caelan Joudrey	C	Wenatchee (WHL)	6-4/180	17-Jan-08	67	19	10	29	56
HM	Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen	D	Michigan (NCAA)	6-0/180	18-Dec-06	40	4	14	18	20

2026 NHL DRAFT – MID-SEASON RANKING – TOP 64 with Honourable Mentions – Closing gap between top prospects

Brock Otten — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 18:59:16 +0000

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 4: Sweden's Ivar Stenberg #15 looks on during a stoppage in play against Finland during Semifinal Round action at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship at Grand Casino Arena on January 4, 2026 in St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. (Photo by Micheline Veluvolu/IIHF)

With the World Juniors firmly in the rear-view mirror and many “junior” leagues past the halfway point of their seasons, it is time to update and expand the McKeen’s Hockey 2026 draft rankings. This time around we are bringing you a top 64, in addition to several honourable mentions.

While many in the industry seem to be wavering on the concept of Gavin McKenna being the top player available, he remains at the top of our list. We understand the apprehensiveness, but we also believe that McKenna still possesses the highest upside of any player available this year; plus, his performance in the NCAA has ticked up post WJC’s. However, we also believe that the gap is razor thin at this point between McKenna and several of the players we have ranked behind him. In particular, Ivar Stenberg received a fair amount of support from our team to be ranked ahead of McKenna.

While the race for first overall will be fascinating as June approaches, the debate over the top defenseman available will rage even more intensely. Verhoeff remains ranked first in this grouping, but there are arguments to be made that any of Reid, Smits, or Carels could be or should be the top defenseman selected. One thing is for certain; it is a good year to be drafting in the top five if your organization needs a quality young defender.

Caleb Malhotra, Oscar Hemming, Alexander Command, Wyatt Cullen, and Maddox Dagenais are among our highest climbers compared to the previous ranking. Malhotra suddenly finds himself competing for an OHL scoring title, showing tremendous improvement as an offensive play driver over the course of the last few months. The Oscar Hemming saga finally reached a conclusion after he joined Boston College at the end of December. While the offensive production has been only mediocre, his impact on the ice has been incredibly impressive as a freshman power forward; it’s cliche but he’s passing the eye test on a consistent basis. Command has been terrific for both Sweden internationally and in the J20 league, and he plays a competitive and fast paced game from the center position. Wyatt Cullen hasn’t played a lot this year, but when he has, he’s been outstanding for the NTDP. Lastly, Dagenais is finally putting everything together for the Quebec Remparts, as the former first overall pick in the QMJHL draft is becoming more confident in being able to utilize his physical gifts.

Our largest “fallers” were Xavier Villeneuve, Mathis Preston, Ryan Roobroeck, and Beckham Edwards. While we respect Villeneuve’s offensive upside as one of the draft’s most dynamic playmakers, we also wonder how much his game has truly grown in the last calendar year as one of this draft’s oldest first time eligible players. The offensive production just hasn’t been at an elite level the last few months. Can a trade to Vancouver (WHL) help Mathis Preston find more consistency and urgency in his game? Roobroeck’s offensive production has definitely improved over the last few months, but like Villeneuve, we wonder how much his game has truly improved this year as a third year junior player. Lastly, Beckham Edwards is a power skating forward with a goal scorer’s touch, but, the offensive consistency has been majorly lacking this year and it brings to light concerns over his projection and ceiling.

What about the goalies? Initially, our team wasn’t enamored with the talent level for the position this year, however, some performances over the last few months have helped to change our mind. We have three goaltenders ranked inside of our top 64, with Tobias Trejbal of Youngstown (USHL) sitting at the top of that list. Trejbal has been outstanding in the USHL this year and the UMass commit has the size and athleticism combination to make him a potential NHL starting netminder.

You can expect our next update towards the end of March as we expand to a top 100 ranking.

RANK	PLAYER	POS	TEAM	HT/WT	DOB	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
1	Gavin McKenna	LW	Penn State (NCAA)	5-11/170	12/20/2007	22	10	19	29	19
2	Ivar Stenberg	LW	Frolunda (SHL)	5-11/185	9/30/2007	29	7	21	28	6
3	Keaton Verhoeff	D	North Dakota (NCAA)	6-4/210	6/19/2008	22	6	11	17	23
4	Chase Reid	D	Soo Greyhounds (OHL)	6-2/185	12/30/2007	39	18	27	45	30
5	Alberts Smits	D	Jukurit (Fin-Liiga)	6-3/205	12/2/2007	34	6	7	13	12
6	Carson Carels	D	Prince George (WHL)	6-2/195	6/23/2008	37	12	28	40	42
7	Tynan Lawrence	C	Muskegon (USHL)	6-0/185	8/3/2008	13	10	7	17	6
8	Viggo Bjorck	C	Djurgardens (SHL)	5-9/175	3/12/2008	29	4	4	8	10
9	Caleb Malhotra	C	Brantford (OHL)	6-0/170	6/2/2008	45	23	38	61	37
10	Ethan Belchetz	LW	Windsor (OHL)	6-5/225	3/30/2008	43	29	16	45	35
11	Oscar Hemming	LW	Boston College (NCAA)	6-4/195	8/13/2008	6	0	3	3	8
12	Adam Novotny	LW	Peterborough (OHL)	6-1/205	11/13/2007	37	22	21	43	8
13	Ryan Lin	D	Vancouver (WHL)	5-11/175	4/18/2008	42	11	39	50	33
14	Daxon Rudolph	D	Prince Albert (WHL)	6-2/205	3/6/2008	45	21	33	54	42
15	Oliver Suvanto	C	Tappara (Fin-Liiga)	6-3/210	9/3/2008	34	2	5	7	14
16	Elton Hermansson	RW	MoDo Hockey (Allsvenskan)	6-1/180	2/5/2008	29	9	7	16	14
17	Ilia Morozov	C	Miami (NCAA)	6-3/195	8/3/2008	24	7	7	14	25
18	Xavier Villeneuve	D	Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)	5-11/160	9/29/2007	35	6	30	36	35
19	Malte Gustafsson	D	HV 71 (SHL)	6-4/200	6/11/2008	16	0	3	3	2
20	Juho Piiparinen	D	Tappara (Fin-Liiga)	6-2/200	8/10/2008	28	0	3	3	8
21	Alexander Command	C	Orebro (Swe U20)	6-1/185	6/16/2008	24	13	22	35	30
22	Wyatt Cullen	LW	USN U18 (USDP)	5-11/175	9/8/2008	17	3	11	14	2
23	JP Hurlbert	LW	Kamloops (WHL)	6-0/185	4/11/2008	45	31	41	72	26
24	Nikita Klepov	RW	Saginaw (OHL)	6-0/180	6/27/2008	45	28	32	60	27
25	Mathis Preston	RW	Spokane (WHL)	5-11/175	7/21/2008	36	14	18	32	32
26	Jaxon Cover	LW	London (OHL)	6-2/175	2/13/2008	45	14	20	34	40
27	William Hakansson	D	Lulea (SHL)	6-4/205	10/8/2007	22	0	2	2	8
28	Giorgos Pantelas	D	Brandon (WHL)	6-2/215	4/24/2008	45	2	18	20	30
29	Brooks Rogowski	C	Oshawa (OHL)	6-6/225	6/28/2008	31	7	18	25	10
30	Maddox Dagenais	C	Quebec (QMJHL)	6-3/195	3/27/2008	43	20	17	37	23
31	Tomas Chrenko	C	HK Nitra (Slovakia)	5-11/170	11/2/2007	33	6	16	22	6
32	Marcus Nordmark	LW	Djurgardens (Swe U20)	6-1/180	5/4/2008	21	10	20	30	42
33	Egor Shilov	C	Victoriaville (QMJHL)	6-1/180	4/30/2008	42	22	37	59	23
34	Ryan Roobroeck	C	Niagara (OHL)	6-3/215	9/25/2007	45	27	26	53	26
35	Jakub Vanecek	D	Tri-City (WHL)	6-1/190	2/25/2008	36	10	15	25	16
36	Pierce Mbuyi	LW	Owen Sound (OHL)	5-10/160	4/17/2008	45	23	27	50	65
37	Jack Hextall	C	Youngstown (USHL)	6-0/190	3/23/2008	38	12	25	37	22
38	Thomas Vandenberg	C	Ottawa (OHL)	6-0/180	9/8/2008	37	17	17	34	14
39	Vladimir Dravecky	D	Brantford (OHL)	6-0/185	12/19/2007	37	7	16	23	20
40	Alessandro Di Iorio	RW	Sarnia (OHL)	6-0/190	3/17/2008	28	10	9	19	8
41	Vilho Vanhatalo	RW	Tappara (Fin-U20)	6-4/195	1/18/2008	29	10	8	18	14
42	Ryder Cali	C	North Bay (OHL)	6-1/210	9/6/2008	24	11	5	16	4
43	Tommy Bleyl	D	Moncton (QMJHL)	6-0/160	12/1/2007	42	7	44	51	22
44	Tobias Trejbal	G	Youngstown (USHL)	6-4/190	11/9/2007	27	20	5	2.04	0.924
45	Charlie Morrison	D	Quebec (QMJHL)	6-3/195	10/12/2007	24	2	4	6	23
46	Oscar Holmertz	C	Linkopings (Swe U20)	6-0/190	3/21/2008	25	7	14	21	2
47	Nikita Scherbakov	D	Salavat Yulayev Ufa (KHL)	6-5/190	10/23/2007	7	0	0	0	4
48	Victor Plante	LW	USN U18 (USDP)	5-9/165	3/10/2008	34	16	13	29	55
49	Adam Goljer	D	HK Dukla Trencin (Slovakia)	6-3/195	6/7/2008	33	4	6	10	26
50	Luke Schairer	D	USN U18 (USDP)	6-3/195	1/30/2008	36	0	9	9	55
51	Niklas Aaram-Olsen	RW	Orebro (Swe U20)	6-0/185	4/19/2008	22	17	15	32	12
52	Gleb Pugachyov	C	Chaika Nizhny Novgorod (MHL)	6-3/200	3/25/2008	27	8	13	21	20
53	Simas Ignatavicius	C	Geneva-Servette (Sui-NL)	6-3/195	10/22/2007	44	5	6	11	41
54	Lars Steiner	RW	Rouyn Noranda (QMJHL)	5-10/175	11/12/2007	24	12	12	24	26
55	Dmitri Borichev	G	Loko-76 Yaroslavl (MHL)	6-3/200	6/19/2008	17	8	6	1.79	0.942
56	Adam Andersson	C	Leksands (Swe U20)	6-3/200	7/2/2008	23	2	13	15	22
57	Alexander Bilecki	D	Kitchener (OHL)	6-1/180	5/9/2008	44	7	15	22	24
58	Axel Elofsson	D	Orebro (Swe U20)	5-10/165	6/3/2008	26	7	24	31	18
59	Xavier Wendt	G	Tri-City (WHL)	6-1/165	1/24/2008	28	17	9	2.42	0.929
60	Adam Valentini	LW	Michigan (NCAA)	5-11/185	4/11/2008	24	6	13	19	40
61	Beckham Edwards	C	Sarnia (OHL)	6-1/180	1/6/2008	45	14	17	31	14
62	Samu Alalauri	D	Pelicans (Fin-U20)	6-2/200	5/31/2008	32	6	17	23	4
63	Ben MacBeath	D	Calgary (WHL)	6-2/185	3/4/2008	43	6	27	33	12
64	Liam Ruck	RW	Medicine Hat (WHL)	6-0/175	2/21/2008	46	27	37	64	26
HM	Simon Katolicky	LW	Tappara (Fin-U20)	6-4/195	7/24/2008	24	5	9	14	16
HM	Timofei Runtso	D	Victoria (WHL)	6-2/185	7/6/2007	45	7	26	33	22
HM	Layne Gallacher	C	Brantford (OHL)	6-1/180	2/16/2008	21	5	7	12	2
HM	Landon Amrhein	LW	Calgary (WHL)	6-4/190	4/6/2008	39	7	16	23	6
HM	Filip Ruzicka	G	Brandon (WHL)	6-7/230	3/24/2008	27	19	7	2.97	0.908
HM	Wiggo Sorensson	C	Boro/Vetlanda (Swe Div 2)	5-11/180	4/15/2008	24	13	16	29	2
HM	Viktor Fyodorov	C	Torpedo-Gorky NN (VHL)	5-10/175	2/21/2008	27	2	5	7	6
HM	Landon Nycz	D	Massachusetts (NCAA)	6-2/200	10/4/2007	24	1	1	2	0
HM	Brady Knowling	G	USN U18 (USDP)	6-5/200	3/9/2008	17	6	8	3.60	0.880
HM	Casey Mutryn	RW	USN U18 (USDP)	6-3/200	7/5/2008	36	7	18	25	32
HM	Tobias Tvrznik	G	Wenatchee (WHL)	6-4/180	7/29/2007	31	13	15	2.89	0.919
HM	Jonas Lagerberg Hoen	RW	Leksands (Swe U20)	6-2/175	10/24/2007	9	9	7	16	33
HM	Olivers Murnieks	C	Saint John (QMJHL)	6-1/190	7/31/2008	29	6	12	18	14
HM	Colin Fitzgerald	C	Pbo-Soo (OHL)	6-2/210	4/1/2008	44	13	12	25	48
HM	Adam Nemec	LW	Sudbury (OHL)	6-1/175	10/18/2007	8	4	6	10	0
HM	Chase Harrington	LW	Spokane (WHL)	6-0/195	10/30/2007	44	17	23	40	73

2026 NHL DRAFT – MID-SEASON RANKING – TOP 32 – Closing gap between top prospects

Brock Otten — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 18:56:46 +0000

You can expect our next update towards the end of March as we expand to a top 100 ranking.

RANK	PLAYER	POS	TEAM	HT/WT	DOB	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
1	Gavin McKenna	LW	Penn State (NCAA)	5-11/170	12/20/2007	22	10	19	29	19
2	Ivar Stenberg	LW	Frolunda (SHL)	5-11/185	9/30/2007	29	7	21	28	6
3	Keaton Verhoeff	D	North Dakota (NCAA)	6-4/210	6/19/2008	22	6	11	17	23
4	Chase Reid	D	Soo Greyhounds (OHL)	6-2/185	12/30/2007	39	18	27	45	30
5	Alberts Smits	D	Jukurit (Fin-Liiga)	6-3/205	12/2/2007	34	6	7	13	12
6	Carson Carels	D	Prince George (WHL)	6-2/195	6/23/2008	37	12	28	40	42
7	Tynan Lawrence	C	Muskegon (USHL)	6-0/185	8/3/2008	13	10	7	17	6
8	Viggo Bjorck	C	Djurgardens (SHL)	5-9/175	3/12/2008	29	4	4	8	10
9	Caleb Malhotra	C	Brantford (OHL)	6-0/170	6/2/2008	45	23	38	61	37
10	Ethan Belchetz	LW	Windsor (OHL)	6-5/225	3/30/2008	43	29	16	45	35
11	Oscar Hemming	LW	Boston College (NCAA)	6-4/195	8/13/2008	6	0	3	3	8
12	Adam Novotny	LW	Peterborough (OHL)	6-1/205	11/13/2007	37	22	21	43	8
13	Ryan Lin	D	Vancouver (WHL)	5-11/175	4/18/2008	42	11	39	50	33
14	Daxon Rudolph	D	Prince Albert (WHL)	6-2/205	3/6/2008	45	21	33	54	42
15	Oliver Suvanto	C	Tappara (Fin-Liiga)	6-3/210	9/3/2008	34	2	5	7	14
16	Elton Hermansson	RW	MoDo Hockey (Allsvenskan)	6-1/180	2/5/2008	29	9	7	16	14
17	Ilia Morozov	C	Miami (NCAA)	6-3/195	8/3/2008	24	7	7	14	25
18	Xavier Villeneuve	D	Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)	5-11/160	9/29/2007	35	6	30	36	35
19	Malte Gustafsson	D	HV 71 (SHL)	6-4/200	6/11/2008	16	0	3	3	2
20	Juho Piiparinen	D	Tappara (Fin-Liiga)	6-2/200	8/10/2008	28	0	3	3	8
21	Alexander Command	C	Orebro (Swe U20)	6-1/185	6/16/2008	24	13	22	35	30
22	Wyatt Cullen	LW	USN U18 (USDP)	5-11/175	9/8/2008	17	3	11	14	2
23	JP Hurlbert	LW	Kamloops (WHL)	6-0/185	4/11/2008	45	31	41	72	26
24	Nikita Klepov	RW	Saginaw (OHL)	6-0/180	6/27/2008	45	28	32	60	27
25	Mathis Preston	RW	Spokane (WHL)	5-11/175	7/21/2008	36	14	18	32	32
26	Jaxon Cover	LW	London (OHL)	6-2/175	2/13/2008	45	14	20	34	40
27	William Hakansson	D	Lulea (SHL)	6-4/205	10/8/2007	22	0	2	2	8
28	Giorgos Pantelas	D	Brandon (WHL)	6-2/215	4/24/2008	45	2	18	20	30
29	Brooks Rogowski	C	Oshawa (OHL)	6-6/225	6/28/2008	31	7	18	25	10
30	Maddox Dagenais	C	Quebec (QMJHL)	6-3/195	3/27/2008	43	20	17	37	23
31	Tomas Chrenko	C	HK Nitra (Slovakia)	5-11/170	11/2/2007	33	6	16	22	6
32	Marcus Nordmark	LW	Djurgardens (Swe U20)	6-1/180	5/4/2008	21	10	20	30	42

2026 NHL DRAFT: PRE-WJC TOP 32 DRAFT RANKINGS

Brock Otten — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 20:38:40 +0000

KANATA, ONTARIO - JANUARY 2: Canada's Gavin McKenna #9 shoots the puck during warm-up prior to Quarterfinal Round action against Czechia at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship at Canadian Tire Centre on January 2, 2025 in Kanata, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Andr Ringuette/IIHF)

It is time for the first ranking of the season for McKeen’s Hockey; this is our preliminary Top 32 with a few honorable mentions.

Gavin McKenna occupies the top spot after a strong start with Penn State. He’s the top scoring freshman in the NCAA, with his creativity and skill translating rather seamlessly to the college level thus far. That said, we’d be lying if we didn’t have concerns over the lack of development in his overall game, in combination with his smaller frame. Does that leave the door open for someone later this season to emerge as a first overall candidate?

The way we see it, the next grouping has a tier of four players, all who could be equally as effective as pros in comparison to McKenna. Keaton Verhoeff has had an equally strong start in the NCAA, producing offensively for North Dakota and playing big minutes on the back end. Ivar Stenberg has been producing at a clip historically similar to other Swedish stars in the SHL. Ethan Belchetz is a potential unicorn with a size and skill package that all NHL teams crave. Lastly Tynan Lawrence is an intelligent and mature two-way center who projects as an NHL captain who can play in any situation. All four are drastically different players, but who have separated themselves from the pack in a second tier close behind McKenna.

Six intriguing defenders are part of the next grouping, all positioning themselves to be in contention to be the second-best defender behind Verhoeff. Xavier Villeneuve, Chase Reid, Daxon Rudolph, and Ryan Lin are all offensive standouts with varying levels of defensive ability. While Albert Smits and Carson Carels are more two-way defenders who project as minute eaters. Smits, in particular, is quickly becoming a staff favourite at McKeen’s. The Latvian defender’s rapid progression into a Liiga (Finland) standout has him rocketing up draft boards.

Another interesting name worth discussing is Oscar Hemming, who has yet to play this season due to a contract dispute with his Finnish club. His transfer to the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL was blocked. His signing with the BCHL was voided thanks to IIHF suspension threats. He is now apparently looking at other options like the NCAA as he awaits closure involving his court case in Finland over the dispute. Hemming was outstanding as a power winger at the summer’s Hlinka/Gretzky, so it’s a real shame that his development has been halted. Hopefully he can get back on the ice soon. As of now, we felt his upside was too significant to leave off this list despite the unique circumstances.

You can expect our next list after the World Junior Championships, where we will expand our ranking to a Top 64.

RANK	PLAYER	POS	TEAM	HT/WT	DOB	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
1	Gavin McKenna	LW	Penn State (NCAA)	5-11/170	20-Dec-07	14	4	11	15	4
2	Keaton Verhoeff	D	North Dakota (NCAA)	6-4/210	19-Jun-08	12	4	4	8	4
3	Ivar Stenberg	LW	Frolunda (SHL)	5-11/185	30-Sep-07	19	4	11	15	0
4	Ethan Belchetz	LW	Windsor (OHL)	6-5/225	30-Mar-08	21	16	11	27	20
5	Tynan Lawrence	C	Muskegon (USHL)	6-0/185	3-Aug-08	2	1	1	2	4
6	Xavier Villeneuve	D	Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)	5-11/160	29-Sep-07	21	5	20	25	25
7	Chase Reid	D	Soo Greyhounds (OHL)	6-2/185	30-Dec-07	24	9	18	27	20
8	Alberts Smits	D	Jukurit (Fin-Liiga)	6-3/205	2-Dec-07	21	6	5	11	10
9	Mathis Preston	RW	Spokane (WHL)	5-11/175	21-Jul-08	19	8	9	17	16
10	Daxon Rudolph	D	Prince Albert (WHL)	6-2/205	6-Mar-08	20	6	10	16	16
11	Ryan Lin	D	Vancouver (WHL)	5-11/175	18-Apr-08	21	3	21	24	14
12	Viggo Bjorck	C	Djurgardens (SHL)	5-9/175	12-Mar-08	17	2	4	6	4
13	Elton Hermansson	RW	MoDo Hockey (Allsvenskan)	6-1/180	5-Feb-08	10	4	3	7	10
14	Carson Carels	D	Prince George (WHL)	6-2/195	23-Jun-08	21	5	16	21	18
15	Ryan Roobroeck	C	Niagara (OHL)	6-3/215	25-Sep-07	20	11	10	21	10
16	Adam Novotny	LW	Peterborough (OHL)	6-1/205	13-Nov-07	21	11	10	21	4
17	Oliver Suvanto	C	Tappara (Fin-Liiga)	6-3/210	3-Sep-08	22	2	3	5	10
18	Nikita Klepov	RW	Saginaw (OHL)	6-0/180	27-Jun-08	22	14	18	32	12
19	Malte Gustafsson	D	HV 71 (Swe J20)	6-4/200	11-Jun-08	13	3	6	9	12
20	Giorgos Pantelas	D	Brandon (WHL)	6-2/215	24-Apr-08	20	2	13	15	18
21	Brooks Rogowski	C	Oshawa (OHL)	6-6/225	28-Jun-08	19	5	10	15	6
22	Caleb Malhotra	C	Brantford (OHL)	6-0/170	2-Jun-08	21	8	17	25	16
23	William Hakansson	D	Lulea (SHL)	6-4/205	8-Oct-07	20	0	2	2	8
24	JP Hurlbert	LW	Kamloops (WHL)	6-0/185	11-Apr-08	23	16	24	40	10
25	Juho Piiparinen	D	Tappara (Fin-Liiga)	6-2/200	10-Aug-08	18	0	2	2	4
26	Egor Shilov	C	Victoriaville (QMJHL)	6-1/180	30-Apr-08	21	11	20	31	12
27	Oscar Hemming	LW	Sherwood Park (AJHL)	6-4/195	13-Aug-08	-	-	-	-	-
28	Ilia Morozov	C	Miami (NCAA)	6-3/195	3-Aug-08	10	6	5	11	21
29	Beckham Edwards	C	Sarnia (OHL)	6-1/180	6-Jan-08	21	9	10	19	8
30	Jack Hextall	C	Youngstown (USHL)	6-0/190	23-Mar-08	19	6	9	15	8
31	Marcus Nordmark	LW	Djurgardens (Swe J20)	6-1/180	4-May-08	14	7	16	23	36
32	Tomas Chrenko	C	HK Nitra (Slovakia)	5-11/170	2-Nov-07	19	3	10	13	2
HM	Adam Valentini	LW	Michigan (NCAA)	5-11/185	11-Apr-08	14	4	9	13	14
HM	Luke Schairer	D	USN U18 (USDP)	6-3/195	30-Jan-08	20	0	5	5	39
HM	Jaxon Cover	LW	London (OHL)	6-2/175	13-Feb-08	20	5	11	16	16
HM	Olivers Murnieks	C	Saint John (QMJHL)	6-1/190	31-Jul-08	18	2	9	11	10
HM	Alexander Command	C	Orebro (Swe J20)	6-1/185	16-Jun-08	14	11	11	22	12
HM	Vilho Vanhatalo	RW	Tappara (Fin-U20)	6-4/195	18-Jan-08	19	9	6	15	6
HM	Yaroslav Fedoseyev	D	Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL)	6-1/180	5-Nov-07	6	1	0	1	2

2026 NHL Draft: McKeen’s Early Season Favourites – SWEDEN – Ivar Stenberg, Elton Hermansson, Jonas Lagerberg Hoen, Viggo Björck, Nils Bartholdsson, Axel Elofsson, Malte Gustafsson

Felix Robbins, Simon Johansson, Viktor Åhlund — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 20:47:04 +0000

Frölundas Ivar Stenberg
Photo: Michael Erichsen / BILDBYRÅN /

Time for another series at McKeen’s from our scouting staff. The 2026 NHL Draft season is well under way, and our scouts have been busy soaking in the action around the globe. Analyzing early season play can be difficult, perhaps even a bit of a ruse. Hot starts aren’t always sustainable, and cold starts are not always indicative. However, players can still catch our attention in positive ways and that’s what this series intends to highlight.

This is SWEDEN

Felix Robbins - Regional Swedish Scout

Ivar Stenberg
Left Wing - Frölunda HC (SHL)

6-foot-0, 181 pounds, Shoots: L

Without a doubt, Stenberg enters the season as one of the most highly anticipated Swedish prospects of his generation and a consensus lottery pick for the 2026 NHL draft. In spite of that pressure on his shoulders and sheltered minutes, Stenberg has delivered a knockout performance so far this season tallying 2 goals and 7 assists in just 11 SHL games. He’s only playing 13-15 minutes per game, but Frölunda has been consistent in their belief that slow and steady wins the development race. At some point, with his level of play, Stenberg will force their hand.

Stenberg is one of the most purely skilled players in this draft class, behind only Gavin McKenna. His puck handling and hockey IQ make him a constant playmaking threat in the offensive zone. He is patient and deceptive with the puck on his stick and rarely wastes his puck touches. His vision and timing are elite and his passing ideas are so darn smart. His small area skill helps him protect pucks along the wall and even let him make plays to the slot from that position. His shot is a laser as well. The offensive package is a dream. What’s more is his approach to creating offence is so process oriented and consistent that there’s no fear of his scoring not translating.

Stenberg’s ability to play through contact and his strong body positioning puts to rest any concerns of him being “soft”. His work rate on the forecheck and away from the puck is perfectly adequate. He may be a stick-first defender rather than take the body, but that stick is accurate and well-timed. His board play and physical resilience is getting better with every game and should not be any cause for concern in the future. He needs to fill out, of course, but what teenager doesn’t?

A fair criticism of Stenberg is that he doesn’t currently have the footspeed of a truly elite offensive winger. His skating is fine in general, but he lacks escape speed and relies on quick passes to connect plays in transition rather than carrying it himself. He’s surviving fine in the SHL, but he’ll need to add some quickness and explosiveness to his step to reach his ceiling in the NHL. Another thing is that he’s got a very early birthday so his development runway is a little shorter. However, that’s a moot point for a player as advanced as Stenberg. He is already a high-level player in the SHL scoring at a record-breaking pace and could be a top line offensive winger in the NHL.

VIDEO

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/1-Stenberg-lovely-pass-tons-of-space-for-intended-target-1.mp4

A beautiful cross-ice pass by Stenberg (#41 Red) to a trailing teammate with a world of space in front of him. Stenberg’s deception from his hip pocket has the whole opposing team turned towards him thinking he’ll shoot, only for him to pass it at the last second.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-Stenberg-nice-shot-1.mp4

Stenberg (#41) gets hit with a great pass and makes no mistake. Quick release and pinpoint accuracy.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/3-Stenberg-Great-goal-outmuscled-d-man-in-front-of-net-1.mp4

Stenberg (#41 Red) goes to the net and gets rewarded. He just barely outmuscles the defender and gets enough space to tuck home a great feed on the doorstep. Who says he doesn’t compete?

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/4-Stenberg-great-defensive-play-and-transition-carry-1.mp4

Stenberg (#41 White) isn’t really known for his defensive contribution or coast to coast puck carries, but here we see him make a terrific play down low in his own end and skate the puck all the way to the offensive zone. A straight-line approach, sure, and he runs out of room, but encouraging to see him make attempts.

Elton Hermansson

Right Wing – MoDo (HockeyAllsvenskan)

6-foot-1, 181 pounds, Shoots: R

Hermansson put on a show at the Hlinka Gretzky tournament, scoring 11 points in 5 games and looking otherworldly while doing so. He has been a dazzling offensive talent on most scouts’ radars since he was a 14-year-old. He’s consistently played at level well above his age group and put up tons of points while doing so. Despite raising some eyebrows, his offseason move from Orebro to hometown club MoDo falls in line with this pattern. He’s already made his HockeyAllsvenskan debut and put up five points in six games in limited minutes, but he should be getting every opportunity to earn a more prominent role as the season goes on.

If you want creativity and flash, then look no further. There is no greater magician with the puck than Hermansson when he’s on. He can dangle guys out of their jock one on one and freeze the goalie. He can pick apart defensive structures with ease with his tactical passing and deceptive handles. He can pick his spots and absolutely rifle the puck home. He even goes to the net. Sometimes he can try to do too much himself, but Hermansson is the guy you want to get the puck to in the offensive zone because he’ll make plays happen and create offense like it’s nothing. The ceiling is sky high. One could argue lottery pick territory. However, Hermansson comes with some risk.

The catch is that he isn’t the most well-rounded or the most defensively responsible player. Winning the puck back from his team is a work in progress. He’s smart, he can throw his weight around, and he can chip in defensively when he wants to. He just has that Nylander-esque streak of passiveness and low energy away from the puck that can really frustrate.

Playing against men in the HockeyAllsvenskan has taught him some hard lessons about what sort of compete level you need bring (and bring consistently) to be successful at the pro level. He has applied himself much more on the forecheck than he has at the U20 level. The hope is that he’ll mature as he gets more reps. I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen so far but work rate away from the puck is going to be something to keep an eye on.

VIDEO

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/1-Hermansson-bamboozling-USA-defenders-1.mp4

Hermansson (17 Yellow) completely bamboozling three USA defenders and almost scoring. Love the skill-speed combo here.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-Hermansson-Snipe-in-the-pros-1.mp4

Beautiful snipe by Hermansson (17 Red). Below the glove and above the pad, the spot most modern snipers can hit consistently.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/3-Hermansson-frustrating-lack-of-drive-and-two-way-game-commitment-1.mp4

A frustrating sequence to watch, even if you could argue that play wasn’t close enough to Hermansson (67 white) to be his responsibility. It’s more the body language. He looks completely disengaged. All too common, based on my viewings.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/4-Hermansson-another-nice-defensive-play-1.mp4

Hermansson (#71 White) chipping in defensively, taking the puck carrier to the boards and tying up his stick for an easy looking takeaway. Even if it doesn’t look like he’s working that hard, I’ll take more of this please!

Jonas Lagerberg Hoen

Right Wing – Leksands IF U20

6-foot-2, 176 pounds, Shoots: R

Lagerberg Hoen shot the lights out in his draft minus one season, tallying 27 goals and just 3 assists at the U20 level. That made for a very interesting profile heading into his draft season. Is he a one-tricky pony or did he just have weird luck? After a white-hot start to his draft year (9 goals, 16 points in 9 games), it turns out it was weird luck. Lagerberg Hoen is a legitimate play driver and goal scorer extraordinaire. He’s playing 22+ minutes a night and the PP runs through him. At the rate he’s going, it won’t be long before he’s playing some minutes in the SHL.

Like the other two players mentioned in this article, he’s an on-puck dominant winger with high-end offensive tools. What sets him apart from the other two is his impressive skill-speed combo. He’s one of the quickest and most explosive skaters in the region from the 2026 draft class. Naturally, that makes him a strong puck carrier. He reads the ice at a high level which lets him make well timed cuts to open ice for high danger shots. It also lets him push the defenders back on their heels away from the puck in transition, making him a lethal rush attacker.

His shot is among the best in the region as well. It’s a laser that he can locate at will. He can lift the puck in tight. He can put it right over the goalie’s shoulders from the hash marks. The puck is on and off his stick in an instant off the pass. The quality of his shot isn’t the only reason he’s scoring goals, though. Lagerberg Hoen can drives the net and deke the goalie thanks to his quick hands. His control from his edges and strong puck handling ability opens up a ton of space for him. He could stand to use his teammates more, but there’s so much to like about his offensive toolkit. It screams top 6 potential.

The drawbacks are similar to the other prospects mentioned earlier. Lagerberg Hoen doesn’t give you much off puck, at least not consistently. His overall work rate and energy is fine, but he doesn’t take those extra few steps on the forecheck or backcheck to really get on guys and make their life difficult. Nor does he apply his frame all that well in puck battles. He throws his body around and gets his stick in lanes defensively, but he can also be undisciplined. Maturity, both physically and mentally, must happen. However, he’s still an incredibly fun watch and I’m optimistic about his NHL future.

VIDEO

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/1-Lagerberg-Hoen-using-his-speed-to-beat-the-d-outside-and-drives-the-net-goal-1.mp4

Some impressive speed and hands on display here from Lagerberg Hoen (#9 white), going end to end for this rush goal.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-Lagerberg-Hoen-hes-scores-goals-1.mp4

Lagerberg Hoen (#9 blue) doing it all himself. Starting to understand how he scored so many goals and so few assists.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/3-Lagerberg-Hoen-Probably-the-most-effort-I-have-seen-on-the-forecheck-from-him-1.mp4

This is probably the best effort I have seen from Lagerberg Hoen (#9 White) on the forecheck so far this season. Despite his light weight, it’s evident he has some jam to him. He’s got to figure out a way to apply himself like this consistently.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/4-Lagerberg-Hoen-Undisciplined-in-the-offensive-zone-1.mp4

Some of that lack of discipline mentioned earlier. A very needless penalty by Lagerberg Hoen (#9 White) as he commits a stick infraction in the offensive zone killing the play instantly. Typically, his hockey IQ is pretty good, but this was a lowlight.

Simon Johansson - European Video Scout

Viggo Björck

Center / Right wing - Djurgårdens IF

5-foot-10, 172 pounds

The hockey world has been talking about Viggo Björck for quite some time. His last season did not disappoint either, breaking the scoring record at the U20s in Sweden. Viggo is a dynamic offensive forward that possesses one of the greatest hockey IQs of his age group. However, by starting the season off with the newly qualified team to the SHL, Djurgårdens IF, Viggo has displayed other traits that might surprise you if you’ve watched him only from last year.

Viggo has mainly been playing bottom six minutes and his linemates are more of the type of grinders and two-way forwards. Not exactly the perfect environment for a high-end scorer. But Viggo has displayed great off-puck play and has surprisingly adapted himself to being a two-way, energy winger. Being able to adapt to a new role this quickly while simultaneously playing against one of the best men’s leagues in the world just shows you how high of a hockey IQ Viggo possesses. He’s shown great compete, forechecking frenetically, winning puck battles behind the net, and even shown some physicality by throwing his weight around.

Some other traits that have stood out are his skating ability and transition play. Viggo’s got good edgework, being able to make sharp turns and maintain good pressure in his forecheck following the puck carrier. Even though he has pretty good acceleration and top end speed, he has issues at times creating separation speed. Improving his lower body strength should be a priority for him in the coming future. In transition he has been impactful in limited ice time. With his speed it’s difficult to contain him coming through the neutral zone and he has been creating plenty of rush chances this way.

You definitely don’t want Viggo playing 4th line minutes all season long. If you play someone as a fourth liner, you will get a fourth liner. Viggo’s potential has always been suited for a top nine role, where his two-way game can affect play the most. However, playing against men was probably the wisest decision for this season. He has already proven that he can handle the physicality and if he can continue to show well in that department, he’ll remove a lot of doubt from scouts.

VIDEO

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/1-Viggo-Bjork-Skating1-1.mp4

#61 in the clip

Despite needing to work on his lower core strength, he displays good acceleration and decent top end speed to create a chance on his own.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-Viggo-Bjork-Character2-1.mp4

#61 in the clip

Here Viggo shows great compete and frenetic forechecking to eventually win the puck battle and get the puck to the slot.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/3-Viggo-Bjork-Physicality1-1.mp4

#61 in the clip

Viggo lacks size and it’s going to be a main concern when drafting him, but at least he’s willing to use his body to win pucks like in this clip.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/4-Viggo-Bjork-Playdrive1-1.mp4

#61 in the clip

He starts the rush chance by creating speed through the neutral zone, makes a superb pass across the ice by scanning the ice beforehand, which eventually ends up as a goal for Djurgården.

Viktor Åhlund - Swedish Regional Scout

Nils Bartholdsson

Forward - Rögle U20

5-foot-10, 174 pounds

Nils Bartholdsson is a Swedish forward recognized as one of the more promising players from Sweden’s 2008-born class. After watching Bartholdsson live for more than 20 games last season combined with a strong start to 25/26 he earned a spot on my top 3 list of early season favorites.

Bartholdsson has consistently demonstrated strong offensive instincts and possesses the ability for stepping up in decisive moments. His offensive production at the junior level reflects both his scoring touch and his ability to create plays for his teammates.

Bartholdsson’s most notable attributes lie in his hockey sense and composure under pressure. He reads the game well, anticipating both puck movement and defensive gaps. His wrist shot is quick and accurate, allowing him to finish plays from the slot or off the rush. His lethal release has resulted in 6 goals in 9 games so far this season and is Rögle's most efficient weapon on the power play with his one-timer. While not an overly flashy stickhandler, he is effective at maintaining puck control through tight spaces and uses small and smart adjustments to protect possession.

Skating is an area where Bartholdsson shows good potential. His stride is efficient and balanced, though he still has room to add explosiveness in his first few steps. He is still filling out physically and is not among the larger players in this year’s draft group, but he competes hard and isn’t afraid to engage along the boards or in front of the net. He brings a high level of energy every game and has a sharp edge to his game that is difficult to teach. His compete level has been on display since last season and remains strong this season, a key attribute that NHL scouts will highly value.

Defensively Bartholdsson shows responsibility and an understanding of positioning, but consistency remains a work in progress. Continued development in this area will make him a more complete two-way forward.

Overall, Bartholdsson is a skilled and intelligent winger with scoring upside. After watching him live for 20+ games I am confident to say that If he continues to refine his skating and physical game, he could evolve into a top-six forward at the professional level, capable of contributing offensively while maintaining reliable two-way habits. It's just a matter of time before we will witness Bartholdsson making his SHL debut with Rögle BK’s pro team.

VIDEO

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/1-nils_bartholdsson_-_assist4-1.mp4

Bartholdsson weaves through traffic with impressive control, showcasing his agility

and fine stickhandling before setting up his teammate, who buries the puck past

the goalkeeper. An exceptional play from Bartholdsson.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-nils_bartholdsson_-_Onetimer-1.mp4

It would be unfair to label Bartholdsson as Rögle’s most effective power play

weapon, known for his devastating one-timer, without providing evidence,

so here’s the play that says it all.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/3-nils_bartholdsson_-_Defensivework-1.mp4

This sequence highlights Bartholdsson’s defensive awareness and work ethic.

After a turnover on the rush, he shows great determination by skating back, using his body to close off a passing lane, and effectively tying up his opponent’s stick to support his goaltender in making an easy save.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/4-nils_bartholdsson_-_competetoscore-1.mp4

Bartholdsson shows his determination to score and compete. He fires a shot, battles for the loose puck in front of the net, and when it goes to the boards, he keeps fighting to win it back, allowing Rögle to maintain possession and stay on the attack.

Axel Elofsson

Defense - Örebro HK

5-foot-10, 163 pounds

Axel Elofsson is one of the top defensive prospects emerging from Örebro HK.

Born in 2008, the 17-year-old blueliner has already made a name for himself in the U20 series last season with 32 points in 38 games followed up with a strong Hlinka Gretzky tournament this August.

His combination of poise, skating ability, and offensive awareness sets him apart among Swedish defenders in his age group. Elofsson’s game is built around calm decision making and technical skill. He moves the puck efficiently, rarely panicking under pressure, and prefers to find controlled exits or short passes over dumping the puck away.

Elofsson's skating is fluid and balanced, allowing him to join the rush with confidence and still recover defensively. His mobility also makes him effective in transition, both carrying the puck up ice and defending against counterattacks. Offensively, he’s already shown strong production from the blue line this season, 15 points in 9 games so far is highlighting his vision and playmaking skills. Elofsson possesses the ability to quarterback the power play and has been doing so through all my viewings so far this season.

Defensively Elofsson is learning to adjust to the faster pace and physicality of bigger and stronger opponents. While his reads are generally sound, maintaining positioning and managing risk when jumping into plays will be key areas of growth. Like many players his age, he’s still maturing physically and does not have the size of other top prospect defensemen like Malte Gustafsson or William Håkansson. Added strength will help him handle board battles and sustain intensity throughout a full season.

Elofsson's opening of this season has been up to expectations and he has the tools to become a modern two-way defenseman at pro level If he continues to refine his defensive consistency and build on his natural puck sense.

VIDEO

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/1-axel_elofsson_-_Pucktransport-1.mp4

Elofsson showcases his smooth skating and slick puckhandling, carrying the puck from his own end through traffic and nearly finishing off what would’ve been a highlight-reel goal.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-axel_elofsson_-Hittomakeaplay-1.mp4

Elofsson absorbs a hit to make a play in his own end, then supports his team through the neutral zone. After briefly losing the puck, he quickly recovers by cutting off the passing lane, regains control, and calmly carries it back into the defensive zone. With poise, he waits for his teammates to skate to open space before delivering a perfect cross-ice pass.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/3-axel_elofsson_-_3rd_positioninggoal-1.mp4

A great sequence from Elofsson, who actively joins the offensive play.

He leaves his position at the blue line to drive toward the net, then quickly recovers his position, staying available as a passing option. When Örebro re-enters the offensive zone, the puck finds Elofsson, and he delivers a calculated wrist shot through traffic that finds the back of the net.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/4-axel_elofsson_-_Defensivework-1.mp4

Excellent defensive work from Elofsson, who steals the puck and shakes off his opponent with impressive edgework and mobility before making a clean breakout pass. As play transitions forward and his team loses possession, Elofsson reads the situation perfectly, regains puck control in the neutral zone, and follows up with one of his signature cross-ice passes.

Malte Gustafsson

Defense - HV71

6-foot-4, 198 pounds

Malte Gustafsson is a prospect raised in Tingsryds AIF, a small society in Småland, Sweden with a strong hockey culture. He’s one of the top defencemen coming out of Sweden this draft year. As a young player joining the HV71 team, he has displayed an uncommon blend of composure, mobility and offensive ambition for a player his age, something that I already took notice of last season. Despite still developing physically, he frequently shows up in key positions and contributes to his team’s play by joining the rush, making good decisions with the puck, and reading the game effectively, and last but not least, a solid puck carrier in break outs.

What stands out about Gustafsson is his willingness to take calculated risks. He’s not content to simply defend and clear pucks, instead he pushes the pace, looks to move the puck up ice, and is prepared to jump into the attack when the opportunity arises. His offensive numbers reflect that, opening this season with seven points in nine games in the U20 National, that shows that he’s not simply keeping things safe and simple, but also contributing offensively. Gustafsson possesses a good wrist shot and uses it effectively, taking calculated shots from the blue line, often through traffic.

On the defensive side, he shows maturity beyond his age which makes him an asset for any team and someone who can do almost everything on the ice for a player in his category, contributing both in power play and boxplay. He reads situations well, uses his stick and positioning rather than relying solely on physical power even though he has the size to do so. In my opinion, Gustafsson’s the most defensively skilled defenceman coming out of Sweden in this year’s draft class

Moving forward, Gustafsson’s path is still open and filled with possibility. For him the development focus will likely include gaining strength, sharpening his one-on-one defending against faster forwards, and continuing to refine his decision making under pressure. If he keeps progressing, he could become a reliable two-way defenceman at the pro level. Gustafsson is a young blueliner to keep an eye on this season, solid in his defending, productive in offence, and with those traits he’s the kind of player that clubs look for when building for the future.I'm confident that Gustafsson will soon make his debut in the SHL where we will see how his game translates into the pro level stage.

VIDEO

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/1-malte_gustafsson_-Goal-1.mp4

Gustafsson demonstrates his effectiveness and shooting ability on the power play. He controls the puck at the blue line, moves laterally to create space, then steps into an opening and releases a precise wrist shot that finds the back of the net.

This is just one of several power plays where he executes the exact same sequence with the same level of precision.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-malte_gustafsson_-defending-1.mp4

Gustafsson displays strong defensive awareness and composure, maintaining control of the play by adjusting his speed, steering his opponent wide, and using body to recover the puck.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/3-malte_gustafsson_-Defendinghit-1.mp4

Another strong defensive play from Gustafsson, who reads the situation well and adjusts his pace to steer his opponent toward the boards before delivering a clean, well-timed body check, a perfect example of how effectively he uses his size.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/4-malte_gustafsson_-_1st_Dzone-1.mp4

Battling for the puck in the defensive zone, Gustafsson finds himself surrounded by opponents but remains composed. He fakes one way, makes a smooth turn to evade pressure, and delivers a simple, smart pass, showcasing impressive maturity and poise for his age.

2025 HLINKA GRETZKY CUP PREVIEW -GROUP B – United States, Sweden, Slovakia, Germany – Slovakian hosts hope for an improved tournament, while Sweden returns with another strong squad

Linc Zdancewicz, Simon Johansson, Matej Deraj, and Chapin Landvogt — Sat, 09 Aug 2025 16:44:03 +0000

GROUP B

United States

By Linc Zdancewicz

The United States Hockey Program has been dominant at the international stage in recent history. However, this prominence has not carried over to the Hlinka Gretzky Tournament. The Red, White, and Blue haven’t won the tournament since 2003 and only have a bronze medal to their names in the last seven tournaments. Generally, this is due to the U.S. not bringing the best of their top prospects, often not selecting USNTDP players. Opting for lesser-proven prospects to fill out their roster to stand out. Luckily, this season they have an intriguing crop of prospects who will add firepower to their roster that can hopefully see a top three finish this year.

Looking at the rest of the field, the USA will have their work cut out for them. Staring down the barrel of a tough Swedish team in their own Group B and other teams like Czechia, Finland, and the absolutely loaded Canada squad in their way, America could find it difficult to medal. I predict this squad will at least be on the cusp of a bronze this year. Canada and Sweden are giants like most years, but I believe they can remain competitive with Finland and Czechia for that elusive third place finish.

Key Players:

Brooks Rogowski - C - Oshawa Generals (2026)

Bringing by far the most size in this group is Brooks Rogowoski, standing at 6-foot-6. Rogowski started looking like a problem for opposing OHL squads at the end of last year. His size is emphasized by a great skating ability, and solid compete level. Along with those traits, his anticipation was displayed quite well in his back checks and his positioning in the offensive zone for Oshawa this past season. He still needs to fine-tune his stick handling to better take advantage of some of his creativity with the puck, but, overall, Rogowski will most likely prove to be an effective power forward for the Americans in this tournament, who can produce points as well. He is currently committed to Michigan State for 2027-28.

Jack Hextall - C - Youngstown Phantoms (2026)

Moving to yet another Michigan State Commit, Jack Hextall showed off his patented skill and playmaking ability regularly this past season for Youngstown. Though I wouldn’t call his skating outstanding, his edgework allows him to change direction quickly and add serious pressure to opposing defenses. His marvelous stickhandling and playmaking strengths should help him out in the Hlinka Gretzky and in the USHL this upcoming season. Combine all of his strengths with his power play usage, and he can be a very effective performer in this tournament.

Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll - F - Medicine Hat Tigers (2027)

Electricity is personified by Utah-native and assistant captain, Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll. His high energy is evident in every viewing. Though his draft year isn’t until 2027, Gordon-Carroll’s skills and overall game are at an advanced level for a 16-year-old. His creativity with the puck and his skating were crucial aspects in keeping plays alive for Medicine Hat this past season. Gordon-Carroll is going to be a must-watch player in the offensive zone. Defensively, he has all the energy to be an X-factor, stepping up on neutral zone opponents and tilting the ice in his favor. His mix of smart, responsible hockey and confidence with the puck could prove that America’s youngest player is also their most impactful.

Alofa Tunoa Ta’amu - D - Edmonton Oil Kings (2026)

The size of your blueline is becoming more and more important, so it should be no surprise that the son of a former NFL offensive lineman is a physical monster on the back end. Standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing in at 220 pounds, Ta’amu is a hard defenseman to get past on rushes. Showcasing his strengths from his past year in Edmonton in the WHL, he is adept along the wall and especially on retrievals, he will make opposing teams have to work to maintain an offensive zone chance. Even though he is still a very raw prospect, Ta’amu will have every chance to emerge as a solid, reliable defensive defenseman this tournament.

Nikita Klepov - Forward - Saginaw Spirit (2026)

Florida-born Russian American, Nikita Klepov, is an opportunistic forward who should not be left alone in space. While playing in a reduced role for Sioux City last season, he buried 12 goals and should get more ice time with a Saginaw Spirit team that has lost much talent. Klepov should be a great mix of playmaking and goal scoring that should make the U.S.’s forward depth even more potent. Though his skating speed and small frame are not doing him any favors, Klepov makes plays regardless. Overall, Klepov is a sneaky offensive talent, and he’ll score a back-breaking goal when his opponents least expect it.

Blake Zielinski - Forward - Des Moines Buccaneers (2026)

After starting with the New Jersey Avalanche, Blake Zielinski became one of the most valuable players for the Des Moines Buccaneers last season. His combination of relentless compete, solid stick talent, and rocket of a shot makes him a serious offensive weapon for the Americans in this tournament. Some drawbacks that will hurt him are his skating speed and the occasional habit of panicking when pressured. Overall, Zielinski is an intriguing offensive threat to add to any line and will work very hard to keep the offensive momentum on his team’s side.

Will McLaughlin - Defense - Portland Winterhawks (2026)

Another dual citizen on this team is Will McLaughlin, who hails from Canmore, Alberta. McLaughlin showed a ton of skill and two-way prowess in the AJHL with Drumheller last season and should surprise many this upcoming season for the Portland Winterhawks. The Hlinka Gretzky will be the first time that many see how potent a distributor he is from the blueline. Add in his solid skating ability and tendency to join the rush, and you’ll have many more leave this tournament as a fan of his. Though I remain optimistic, the Hlinka-Gretzky will be a proving ground of sorts for McLaughlin, so keep your expectations tempered.

Sweden

By Simon Johansson

Last year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup for team Sweden looked great, with players like Sascha Boumedienne, Jakob Ihs-Wozniak, Milton Gästrin, and Eric Nilson all going pretty high in the 2025 Draft. This year’s no different. While the top end talent like Ivar Stenberg and Viggo Björck will not be attending, there’s still plenty of talent to be excited about. The backend is still a bit weak just like last year, though guys like Axel Elofsson and Malte Gustafsson have the upside to be able to crack into the first round. But you also have forwards like Elton Hermansson and Marcus Nordmark that bring exciting offensive tools, who should be able to get plenty of ice time in the top six. You even have Bosse Meijer participating who is a high-end prospect for the 2027 draft that, despite his young age, should still be able to make a stamp on this year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Key Players:

Axel Elofsson Photo: Andreas Sandström / BILDBYRÅN

Axel Elofsson - Defense - Örebro HK U20 (2026)

Most likely the defenseman with the highest offensive upside for a Swedish born player this draft, Axel Elofsson has a ton of similarities to Axel Sandin-Pelikka. Almost being point per game, Elofsson brings plus tools in skating and offense creation. He uses his crossovers well to evade forecheckers and thanks to his edgework he’s also able to open up lanes by dancing on the blueline. Size is going to be his biggest concern but already growing an inch from last year there is hope that he could add that size and remove the doubts from NHL teams.

Malte Gustafsson - Defense - HV71 U20 (2026)

Malte Gustafsson has plenty of tangible toolsets that would make NHL teams foam at the mouth. His 6-foot-4 frame, skating ability, hockey IQ, and offensive skill are hugely impactful traits in today’s modern NHL. He compares to Sascha Boumedienne when it comes to the tools, but Gustafsson is also very raw, so it is hard to say what kind of ceiling he has. As a June birthday as well, he will most likely stay with his U20 team in HV71 and continue honing his craft.

Nils Bartholdsson - Forward - Rögle BK U20 (2026)

The small energy forward Nils Bartholdsson will be looking to make an impact at the Hlinka to raise his stock. Almost clipping a point per game with his Rögle U20 and possessing a high motor type of game, he should be a very intriguing prospect. Despite his smaller size, he’s still strong on his skates and utilizes his low center of gravity well. However, the NHL is leaning towards a taller preference and even though Bartholdsson has first round talent, he’ll really have to sell his game to NHL scouts if he wants to get there.

Elton Hermansson - Wing - MoDo Hockey U20 (2026)

Coming into this year’s draft, Elton Hermansson has one of the best shots of any Swedish prospect. Maybe not the same caliber as Anton Frondell but Hermansson’s wristshot is a definite threat. Scoring 17 goals and 19 assists, he can also be a dual threat on the ice. He’ll drive play and will find his teammates in scoring areas thanks to his great vision, recognizing their open space and making accurate passes. Hermansson will be switching clubs this season from Örebro to MoDo, back to where he grew up and will get into a more comfortable environment.

Oscar Holmertz - Center - Linköping HC U20 (2026)

One of the better defensive prospects in this tournament for team Sweden, despite being a forward, is Oscar Holmertz. Besides producing at a good pace with his Linköping U20, he possesses a mature, good two-way game at a very young age. How translatable his offense is going to be is a question, but there’s no doubt about what you will get from him in his own end. He’s responsible at center, plays a supporting role to his defensemen and is positionally sound. If Oscar continues his offensive production, he could end up as one of the better two-way prospects for the 2026 Draft.

Bosse Meijer - Center - Frölunda HC U20 (2027)

A personal favourite of mine in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup is Bosse Meijer, the next Gabriel Landeskog. Tenacious forechecker, defensively sound, and a good overall offensive game, Meijer is one of the few players that was invited to the team but not eligible for this year’s draft. He’s a center at heart but since the size might be an issue at only 5-foot-10 he might need to make the switch to wing. Though physicality is not an issue for him as despite him being younger and smaller than most of his opponents he rarely gets knocked off the puck and is not afraid to lay the body.

Marcus Nordmark - Wing - Djurgårdens IF U20 (2026)

Marcus Nordmark is a big winger that has the potential to be a future dual threat, power forward at the NHL level. He has solid vision to find open passing lanes, pushes the play towards the middle of the ice, and fancies wrist shots from those spots. His skating is below average, but thanks to his good hockey IQ, it may not be an issue in the future. In all likelihood Nordmark will be spending his time with the junior club and will try to be one of the leading scorers for his team.

Slovakia

By Matej Deraj

The tournament returns to Slovakia after two years, and the home team is aiming for a stronger result. The last time it was held in Trenčín, things didn’t go well for Martin Dendis’s squad. Slovakia lost all its games, even the final placement match against Germany, and finished in last place. This time, they’re hoping for a more successful run.

Last year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup was an improvement. Slovakia almost pulled off an upset against Sweden in the opening game, falling 4-3 in overtime. They followed up with a 3–2 OT win over Switzerland and put up a respectable fight against Canada, despite a 5-1 loss. In the placement game, Slovakia defeated Germany 5–2 and finished in fifth place.

A similar result seems like a reasonable goal for this year’s Slovak team. They’ll benefit from home-ice advantage and the support from the stands, which should give them a moral boost. The first group stage match against the United States will determine their tournament. If Slovakia manages to win, they’ll have a solid chance to reach the semifinals. The last time Slovakia advanced to the final four was in 2021, when the juggernaut of a team led by Juraj Slafkovský, Šimon Nemec and Dalibor Dvorský took silver.

This year’s squad appears stronger than the 2023 team, which relied on underagers. On the other hand, the 2008 age group mostly lacks the experience from international U18 tournaments and many players will meet this level of pace for the first time, which will be a true challenge for Team Slovakia.

Goaltender Samuel Hrenák is expected to be a reliable No. 1 option. He’s a legit prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft and part of Slovakia’s promising new wave of goalies. Defenseman Adam Goljer (2026) brings poise and experience, while forward Timothy Kazda (2027) adds offensive skill. Both played at last year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup. The forward group looks solid, including talented prospects like Matej Stankoven, Lucian Bernát, Michal Plančár, and underager Oliver Ozogány. However, the defensive group looks less mobile and more on the heavier side, which could lead to problems against better-skating opponents. Still, on paper, this Slovak squad has the potential to contend for a semifinal spot.

Key Players:

Timothy Kazda – LW/RW - Chicago Steel (2027)

Kazda has already played at last year's tournament and even scored a goal, which is an unusual feat for a 15-year-old. This year, he´ll be one of the most experienced players and an offensive leader. Kazda is a dynamic offensive forward with great hands, decent size at 6-foot-1 and also some bite to his game. He's a great scorer and fights for every puck. Overall, a very likeable prospect with some translatable traits – an interesting name for the 2027 draft. He´s already made his USHL debut and should spend the next season there.

Adam Goljer - RHD - HK Dukla Trencin (2026)

Goljer is probably the best 2008-born Slovak prospect who's eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft. He´s a calm two-way defenseman who has a lot of traits NHL teams love – he´s already 6-foot-3 and almost 200 pounds, right-handed, and a decent skater with some physicality to his game. He doesn´t stand out with his offensive skills or demolishing hits, but can grow into a reliable shutdown D. He should spend the next season with Trenčín in Slovak top tier league.

Samuel Hrenák – G - Team Slovakia U18/Fargo Force (2026)

Hrenák is the expected Goalie No. 1 for Team Slovakia, he´s already played some games with the U18 National Team and even made his U18 World Juniors debut at the last tournament. He has decent size (6-foot-3), he´s talented, quick and mobile. Still needs to work on his technique but he´s definitely very promising. Should be the backbone of the Slovak team if they want to achieve a successful result. He should follow the same path as Detroit´s third rounder Michal Prádel (2025) – to start the season with the U18 National Team in Slovak second division and then move to the USHL.

Matej Stankoven – C - Brampton Steelheads (2026)

Stankoven, a distant relative of Carolina Hurricanes´ forward Logan Stankoven, should be one of the key offensive creators for Team Slovakia. He's a quick forward with a decent hockey sense who plays a responsible two-way game. He was drafted by the Brampton Steelheads in the CHL Import Draft and is expected to start the season in the OHL. If he can translate his game to the North American ice, he could be on NHL teams´ radars as an intriguing pick for the 2026 draft.

Michal Plančár – LW/RW - SaiPa U20 (2026)

Plančár has already played some games in the Slovak top tier league and managed to score a goal at the age of fifteen, making him one of the youngest players in the league´s history to do so. He´s a typical power forward with a solid frame (6-foot-2, 209 pounds) who loves to finish his checks and destroy the opponents. He's mean and strong but also has legitimate skill and could be a decent draft prospect. He needs to score on a regular basis in the Finnish U20 league to have a shot in the draft but could gain a lot of attention due to his style of play.

Germany

By Chapin Landvogt

Team Germany enters the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup coming off its best U18 Worlds performance of this century. A quarterfinals thriller against Team Slovakia saw the Germans bow out in the quarterfinals by a one-goal margin and the opportunity to push the game to overtime was certainly there. A few of those young men are scheduled to be at the HG Cup but the new wave of players joining them hasn’t enjoyed the same hype as the previous group, which itself saw just three players selected in this past summer’s draft, namely Maxim Schäfer, David Lewandowski, and Carlos Händel, in that order.

New head coach Andreas Becherer will be guiding this team for the first time and with little preparation before the event, the truth is that Germany will likely have major problems achieving anything resembling on-ice success at the eight-team event. Instead, a few players here or there will be making their way into the notebooks of scouts (or not) while Becherer starts an arduous journey to his first time at the helm of the squad for the U18 Worlds next spring. In this first step, we hope to get a feel for what goaltending we’re looking at this winter and if any defensemen not named Rolsing or Pizka can make a positive impression. Up front, we’re expecting little from this group now, but are curious to see if underagers Max Penkin and Jonas Schwarz are already the best of the bunch.

All in all, you’ll not see us surprised if Team Germany manages to score just five or fewer goals at the tournament. It will be an invaluable experience for this group, one way or the other, but leaving any team behind them in the standings will be a big accomplishment in and of itself

Key Players:

Tobias Krestan - RW - HV71 U20 (2026)

A good-sized winger, Krestan has been with the HV71 youth program for ywo years running and checked in with over a PPG pace at the U18 level last season. The son of a Czech forward who enjoyed many years in a scoring role in predominantly Germany’s second league (and who now coaches the RB Juniors U15 squad), Krestan has been showing similar offensive tendencies, even if overall strength is lacking and skating will need to improve. He’s got an uncoordinated look to him, but there’s a nose for the net and some tricky mitts here.

Max Penkin - C - Adler Mannheim (2027)

Already one of the more impressive players for Germany in a limited role at the 2018 Worlds, he is the biggest name on Germany’s prospect front in the near future. No reason to think he won’t already be a go-to player in a top six capacity as he uses this tournament to get ready for Mannheim’s DEL camp. Strong skater and something of a shorthanded specialist.

Aurelius Pizka - LHD - Jokerit U18/U20 (2026)

Aside from Rolsing, Pizka is clearly the most talented defenseman in this year’s group and has been developing with the Täby program for the past two seasons. After this tournament, he should be heading to Finland for his next stop, with play in their Finnish U20 league looking likely. Lacks size but has gumption and smarts.

Darian Rolsing - RHD - Wenatchee Wild (2026)

Before he heads off to join Wenatchee for the upcoming WHL season, Rolsing will take his experience from the U18 Worlds, where the RHD gained more and more ice time, and add it to Germany’s efforts as the 6-foot-6 player who’ll surely have his hands full helping to keep pucks out of the net. This is the start of a big year for the top German prospect for next summer’s draft.

Malte Gustafsson – McKeen's Hockey

2026 IIHF U18 World Championships – Group B – Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, USA – Team Previews – Players to Watch

Players to watch

Dominik Byrtus – D

Vojtech Hora - D

Simon Katolicky - F

Jan Larys - G

Marek Sklenicka - G

Petr Tomek - F

Matej Tomanek - C

Jakub Vanecek - D

Denmark

Emil Saaby Jakobsen - D

James Bigum Johansen - D

Andreas Klove Morgensen - F

Martinus Schioldan - W

Germany

Players to watch

Bastian Bauer - G

Nikita Bloch - F

Max Calce - F

Tobias Krämer - D

Darian Rolsing - D

Jonas Schwarz - W

Sweden

Players to watch

Adam Andersson - C

Viggo Björck - C/W

Alexander Command - F

Elton Hermansson - W

Malte Gustafsson - D

Bosse Meijer - F

Marcus Nordmark - F

Ole Palme - D

Wiggo Sörensson - F

USA

Players to Watch

Wyatt Cullen - C

Jamie Glance - W

Diego Gutierrez - D

Levi Harper - D

Brady Knowling - G

Carter Meyer - F

Casey Mutryn - F

Brooks Rogowski - C

Luke Schairer - D

2026 NHL DRAFT: TOP 32 PRIOR TO THE 2026 IIHF U18 MEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

2026 NHL DRAFT: TOP 100 PRIOR TO THE 2026 IIHF U18 MEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

2026 NHL DRAFT – MID-SEASON RANKING – TOP 64 with Honourable Mentions – Closing gap between top prospects

2026 NHL DRAFT – MID-SEASON RANKING – TOP 32 – Closing gap between top prospects

2026 NHL DRAFT: PRE-WJC TOP 32 DRAFT RANKINGS

2026 NHL Draft: McKeen’s Early Season Favourites – SWEDEN – Ivar Stenberg, Elton Hermansson, Jonas Lagerberg Hoen, Viggo Björck, Nils Bartholdsson, Axel Elofsson, Malte Gustafsson

Felix Robbins - Regional Swedish Scout

Ivar Stenberg Left Wing - Frölunda HC (SHL)

6-foot-0, 181 pounds, Shoots: L

VIDEO

Elton Hermansson

Right Wing – MoDo (HockeyAllsvenskan)

6-foot-1, 181 pounds, Shoots: R

VIDEO

Jonas Lagerberg Hoen

Right Wing – Leksands IF U20

6-foot-2, 176 pounds, Shoots: R

VIDEO

Simon Johansson - European Video Scout

Viggo Björck

Center / Right wing - Djurgårdens IF

5-foot-10, 172 pounds

VIDEO

Viktor Åhlund - Swedish Regional Scout

Nils Bartholdsson

Forward - Rögle U20

5-foot-10, 174 pounds

VIDEO

Axel Elofsson

Defense - Örebro HK

5-foot-10, 163 pounds

VIDEO

Malte Gustafsson

Defense - HV71

Ivar Stenberg
Left Wing - Frölunda HC (SHL)