Oscar Hemming – McKeen's Hockey

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: DETAILED SCOUTING REPORT – Oscar Hemming, LW, Boston College (NCAA)

Kyle Pereira — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:36:22 +0000

Oscar Hemming

2026 NHL Draft Eligible

Position: LW, Shoots: L

H/W: 6-foot-4, 198 pounds

Date of Birth: 2008-08-13

Oscar Hemming, the brother of the Dallas Stars first-round draft selection Emil Hemming, was an intriguing prospect out of Finland. But this season, he couldn’t find a team to play for until the second-half of the season, just about. After he played in the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, where he performed very well, he signed with the Kitchener Rangers. Shortly thereafter, his Finnish club, Kiekko-Espoo, blocked the OHL transfer. Hemming pivoted and signed with Sherwood Park in the BCHL. But this time, the IIHF threatened to ban Hemming for three years of international play. So, once again, Hemming pivoted. He sped up his academics in order to enroll with Boston College, finally finding a home for the hockey season.

Hemming is a heavy shooter who has sneaky good skill on the puck. But it’s his big 6-foot, 4-inch frame paired with his deceivingly good puck skill that makes him such an intriguing talent. He’s got a good motor on him, along with a physical streak. Getting paired with Dean Letourneau, who BC has helped massively in his development, is a formidable duo in college hockey. While the point-total hasn't been the most eye-opening, he has been impressive already, despite being 17 years old and missing half of his season. Which is important to remember, as that long break from hockey made an impact on parts of his game, and him being a part of that BC organization will surely be a great spot for him to work out those kinks in his game.

With the skill set he has shone thus far, he projects as a potential second line power forward, with enough talent to work his way into a first line role in the right environment. With his limited production and time missed at the beginning of this season, he will almost certainly run it back in Boston College next season. But, after next year, there’s a shot there he could earn an NHL spot, depending on which team calls his name on draft day.

Skating

Hemming isn’t the best skater. That’s not entirely surprising, considering his frame. To his credit, his skating is very smooth and he can catch defenders by surprise at times. But he isn’t a burner and it takes him an extra step to reach his top speed. His edges need more work, as he can lose speed when turning or changing directions with the play. It also impacts his first few strides, as it takes him some time to build up speed. As he is given more time to adjust to the NCAA level, especially in an organization that has helped Letourneau develop his skating a lot, these issues should round itself out.

It’s also fair to wonder just how much of an impact that long layoff between teams had on his game. At the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, he displayed better mobility. In particular, he used his edges far more efficiently to build up speed through crossovers, reaching his top speed faster. The NCAA is a faster paced game on a smaller sized rink, which has an impact too. But the time off between teams did still show up in his ability to move.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SKATING-1-Hemming-Skating.mp4

In the clip above, Hemming (#9 in white) had jumped up into the play on a dump in, going right into the low slot area. When the pass intended for him skipped past his stick, he struggled to turn back the other way and back check effectively. He lost ground due to the poor turn and acceleration, getting beaten up ice. When a BC defender denied the entry attempt and the puck was sent to the boards, Hemming was the closest to it by a wide margin. However, a player who wasn’t even in the frame when the play was initially broken up managed to get to the puck at the same time as Hemming.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SKATING-1-Hemming-Skating.mp4

In this clip, Hemming (#9 in white) shows off what he can do as a skater when given space to build up speed. After a turnover is forced by a teammate in the defensive end, he skates into the puck, scoops it up, and skates hard up ice. He doesn’t burn the defenders, but he closes in on them very quickly, then drives the net with speed. He actually got to his spot on the backdoor ahead of the defender who tracked him, but his teammate elected to shoot on the play.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SKATING-2-Hemming-Skating-.mp4

In this clip, Hemming (#27 in white) displays that aforementioned better movement skills, with his usage of crossovers to build up speed all the way through the neutral zone. His strides were also shorter, with quicker feet, because of his use of crossovers. He drives through the neutral zone, pulling away from back-pressure, albeit light, before hitting the offensive blue line. With the speed he had through the neutral zone, the defenders adjusted their gaps. Hemming, upon hitting the blueline, slowed down, opening up a passing lane, and putting a pass between two sticks. The pass would hit the target, but the pressure around his teammate would disrupt the play. But that was all executed through strong acceleration through crossovers, hitting his top speed, then slowing down to create space for himself to try and make a smart play.

GRADE: 50

Shot

Hemming has a wicked shot that, one could argue, is borderline NHL-ready as it is. It features a ton of power, a quick release, and generally strong accuracy. He can pick corners at times. He can threaten from medium-dangers thanks to his ability to rip shots with power. But it’s his ability to finish in-tight, regardless of the pressure around him. He can roof shots in close, get tips and rebounds, and use his frame to box out opponents in order to get those opportunities with consistency.

Not only does he use his frame effectively in dangerous areas to create those chances in close, but he also displays very strong spatial and positional awareness away from the puck, placing himself in pockets of space to be a passing option. Despite only scoring once with BC, there is much more here than what has been shown.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SHOT-1-Hemming-NCAA-Goal.mp4

In this clip, Hemming (#9 in white) scores his first NCAA goal. He drives the net on the rush, holds off a defender to get in position in the mid-slot. He then shows off his solid hand-eye coordination to get a piece of the shot from the point, then follows the rebound quickly to bury it.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SHOT-2-Hemming-Shot.mp4

In this clip, Hemming (#9 in white) trails the initial rush. As the puck bounces out into the slot, Hemming skates into it and absolutely fires the puck towards the net. It hit the crossbar, denying his chance at a ridiculous goal. The power and release is very evident in this clip, indicative of the potential in his shot, despite the lack of production this season.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SHOT-3-Hemming-Goal-Hlinka.mp4

Hemming (#27 in blue), shows off his off-puck positioning on the Finnish power play opportunity before scoring the go-ahead goal. He positions himself well by sliding up and down the half-wall, keeping himself inside an open passing lane for his teammates. As the puck moves up to the point, he slides up top as an easy outlet. He receives a pass at the top of the circle, corrals it and pulls wide to his forehand, and fires a heavy shot over the blocker of the Czech netminder.

GRADE: 55

Skills

Hemming, despite playing a smart, calculated power game, can be a very deft puck-handler. On the puck, he combines his smarts and his frame to protect the puck. But he can also make slick, finesse moves when needed. He can also flash strong playmaking skills on the puck, whether in space or under pressure. To be able to have a bit of roughness in his game, while also showcasing an ability to play with some finesse, is what GMs are searching for year-in and year-out. Hemming, despite not generating a ton of points thus far at the collegiate level, has those traits.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SKILLS-1-Hemming-Skill-Shot.mp4

In this clip, Hemming (#9 in white) is up in the neutral zone, receiving a pass after his teammate gained the offensive zone. As he catches the pass, the opposing defender pinches up to deny the entry. However, Hemming makes a quick play to evade the pokecheck, pulling the puck quickly to his backhand and turning away from the defender. He then drives to the slot and, as he loads up for a shot, avoids another defensive stick check with a toe drag release.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SKILLS-2-Hemming-skill-net-drive.mp4

In this clip, Hemming (#27 in blue) receives a breakout pass to gain the neutral zone. He builds up speed and cuts wide to the right wall. As he hits the blue line, he cuts back inside towards the middle, skating at the defender. As the defender looks to close the gap and take away the drive towards the middle, Hemming pulls the puck back on his forehand, then pushes it through his own legs, stepping back to the perimeter. That quick move allowed him to get around the defender's outside shoulder. He would then use his frame to box out the defender from recovering and preventing a scoring chance. He then takes another step towards the goal before firing the puck on net. The shot was stopped, but it created a bit of chaos that nearly wound up being a goal.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SKILLS-3-Hemming-Tip-Goal.mp4

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SKILLS-4-Hemming-goal-in-tight.mp4

Hemming (#27 in blue, in the two above clips), scored both goals in tight to the net, showcasing his skill in the dangerous areas of the ice. In the first clip, he initially helps work the puck out of chaos following the faceoff, then drives to the net. Once at the net front, he uses his frame to box out the opposing defender. The puck goes across the point, and Hemming quickly turns and moves into a better spot. As he shifts over, he gets his stick on the point shot, deflecting it over the goaltender, despite being draped in pressure, showcasing his hand-eye skill. In the second clip, Hemming wins a short-area race to the loose puck, and helps work it up the wall, eventually getting to the point. As the puck moves up, Hemming again goes right to the net. He nearly gets another deflection on the point shot, but it goes by the traffic and the goaltender makes the save. Then, despite the chaos in front, Hemming finds the rebound, settles it, and rips it past the glove and just inside the post. This displays his poise and ability to find pucks amidst chaos to generate chances such as that one.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SKILLS-5-Hemming-Quick-Pass.mp4

In this clip, Hemming (#9 in white) positions himself well to be an easy outlet option. As the puck moves up to the point, he shifts his positioning to remain an easy outlet. When he gets the pass, he is met almost immediately by pressure. But he felt the pressure coming, and he turned away from the opposing defender, spinning away from that pressure and sending a backhand pass accurately to a teammate at the top of the circle. While it didn’t lead to a scoring chance, those moments of quick decision-making are evident in his game, with this being a solid example of him feeling pressure and reacting quickly to evade pressure and get the puck in a better spot.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SKILLS-6-Hemming-Two-PTTS-Near-Deflection.mp4

In this clip, Hemming (#9 in red) works to the boards as the puck is cycled around behind the opposition's net. He gets there first, and as he’s met by a defender, he deflects the puck into a dangerous area. It isn’t the cleanest play, but it got into a spot where a teammate wound up being the first one to it in a dangerous area. His teammate then tapped it back to Hemming coming out of the corner, just below the goal line. He collects the pass and almost immediately plays it into the middle for another teammate, who has an excellent look at the net-front. While his teammate didn’t capitalize, he regained possession and sent it up to the point. As the puck was worked to the point, Hemming parks himself at the doorstep, sneaking into a dangerous area with no defender on him. He narrowly missed the deflection off the point shot. That’s two scoring chances, which both could have gone into the back of the net had the bounces been only marginally better.

GRADE: 57.5

Smarts

Hemming is an incredibly intelligent player. As mentioned, in passing, Hemming flashes strong playmaking at times. The reason behind his playmaking goes beyond just raw puck skills. He is able to read the ice well, with the ability to make plays both in space and under pressure. Even in situations where pressure is closing in and he has to make a split second choice, he generally chooses well. He keeps the puck moving in a positive direction, not forcing too many passes if there’s not much reason to do so.

Additionally, away from the puck, he takes excellent routes to the net. He times up his net drives very well with the play. When looking to get open away from the puck, he can find soft pockets of space to keep himself in passing lanes. In other words, he moves well away from the puck, keeping himself available as a passing option consistently for teammates.

As for his defensive capabilities and smarts, he helps support down low, but isn’t a big stand out. He can play a bit conservatively, trying to read and react, as opposed to a tight, constant pressure. Adding a bit more there, without costing his mostly strong positional awareness, would help his defensive game.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SMARTS-1-Hemming-visionpass.mp4

In this clip, Hemming (#9 in white) digs the puck out of a scrum off the offensive zone draw and plays it to the point. He sets up along the boards as a simple outlet option if the defender needed one, then pushed down low when his teammate zipped a pass point-to-point. When the point man sent the puck wide, Hemming tracked the puck off the back wall, skated into it and one-toucheed it into the slot. His teammate got an excellent look, but just couldn’t find the back of the net. A very quick and dangerous pass, thanks to his smarts and off-puck play to be in the right spot and know what to do with the puck immediately.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SMARTS-2-Hemming-lane-to-slot-chance.mp4

In this clip, Hemming (#9 in white) works the puck up to the point along the right wall. As his teammate at the point plays the puck to the left point, Hemming times up an excellent route to the slot, where he slowly circled, then glided into the mid-slot area. The puck finds him, thanks to him being in the right spot at the right time. He makes a very solid play with his feet to gather possession, kicking it up to his blade, and getting a good look from the slot.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SMARTS-3-Hemming-IQ-Movement.mp4

In this clip, Hemming (#27 in blue) is positioned at net front while his teammates work from the right corner and around behind the opposition's net. As the puck comes around the net, Hemming moves into a soft spot in coverage, making himself open in a dangerous spot. The pass never comes, and his teammate skates out from the corner. Hemming adjusts, and uses his bigger frame to box out the opposing defender, leveraging himself to still be an option. As his teammate circles back down low, Hemming pops off the battle in front, presenting himself as a passing option once again in a dangerous spot. This time, the pass arrives, and he’s able to generate a strong scoring chance, which got stopped by the goaltender. But it was his movement and ability to leverage his size that gave him that shot on net.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SMARTS-4-Hemming-DZ.mp4

In this clip, Hemming (#9 in red) is seen back checking. As the opposition dumps the puck into the zone, the puck gets rimmed around the boards. Hemming skates across the zone to apply pressure to the point man, who spins the puck down the boards. He then remains on that side, supporting his team low and helping to keep the puck to the outside by positioning himself in the faceoff dot. This clip also shows his conservative nature, as he sat at the dot to clog the middle, while his teammate was battling along the boards one-on-one. He didn’t make a move to support that battle tighter or get involved as an additional body in the battle. As his teammate wins, he is tight to the puck carrier as an easy tap pass. His teammate opts for a chip out instead, leading to a line change. But he didn’t cheat up ice at all, displaying patience and maintaining support for his teammates in his own end.

GRADE: 57.5

Physicality/Compete

Hemming plays with a strong motor and, with his size, can be physically imposing. While his physicality isn’t the most consistent from game to game, it’s still a part of his game. He tries to read and react, taking good angels and pressuring opponents into mistakes as opposed to throwing his weight around. That limits how many times he takes himself out of plays for the sake of making hits, which is a general positive. However, it’s still a part of his game that would be better for him to utilize a bit more.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PHYSICAL-1-Hemming-hit.mp4

In this clip, Hemming (#9 in white) tracks the opposition's breakout from the neutral zone. As the puck is played up the wall, Hemming throws his weight into the puck carrier, disrupting the breakout. It wasn't the biggest hit, but it was effective.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PHYSICAL-2-Hemming-Battle-Smarts.mp4

In this clip, Hemming (#9 in red) reads the play well as the opposition was denied an entry. He takes a very smart angle to close down an opponent along the wall, then uses his bigger frame to squeeze him out of the play and pick-pocket his opponent, before getting a rush up ice. He fired a low shot, looking for a tip by his teammate driving the back-door, but just missed.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PHYSICAL-3-Hemming-Hits.mp4

In these clips, Hemming (#9 in red) laid three total hits in his game against UConn (March 20th). All three hits were of Hemming closing in on opponents in the neutral zone and finishing his hits along the wall. Each had varying degrees of impact, which is consistent in his game. He doesn’t throw these huge hits, being a menace on the ice, in the way that Kashawn Aitcheson would. But he closes in and forces his opponents to move the puck quickly before the impact. Some hits can lead to his opponent sprawling, but that isn’t his game. Adding a bit more of a mean streak, and adding this element of his game more consistently, would go far for him and his career.

GRADE: 60

OFP: 55.5

A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.

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

2025 HLINKA GRETZKY CUP PREVIEW -GROUP A – Canada, Finland, Czechia, Switzerland – Canadians chase fourth consecutive title gold medal

Brock Otten, Jeremy Rivet, Marek Novotny and Chapin Landvogt — Sat, 09 Aug 2025 15:08:10 +0000

GROUP A

Canada

By Brock Otten

Team Canada is hunting down its fourth straight Hlinka/Gretzky Cup gold medal, an event that they have largely dominated since its inception. Their odds of achieving the four-peat are fairly high too, given the strength of this year’s roster.

The defensive unit may just be the strongest group Canada has ever assembled for this event; scoring on Team Canada this year is going to be a huge challenge. Three of the team’s main defenders were key cogs for Canada in their U18 victory last May: Keaton Verhoeff, Ryan Lin, and Carson Carels. Daxon Rudolph was also there but played sparingly. After finding international success as underage players, this unit now tackles their own age group, which of course should be easier for them. Additionally, now that group also adds potential star Landon Dupont. It might not be fair.

Up front, the team will be incredibly balanced. They’ll have size, skill, and speed. Only Alessandro Di Iorio was a key member of that aforementioned U18 gold, so he’ll be leaned on heavily for his leadership. Outside that, expect Tynan Lawrence, Ethan Belchetz, and Mathis Preston to be the team’s key offensive figures and leaders.

Playing in Group A this year with Finland, Czechia, and Switzerland, Canada should be able to find success in the preliminary round. The team’s biggest threat to the four-peat is likely Sweden this year and they’ll be in Group B.

Key Players:

Keaton Verhoeff - Defense - University of North Dakota (2026)

Verhoeff made headlines this offseason by leaving the Victoria Royals of the WHL to play his draft year with UND of the NCAA. The big defender is the complete package; size, mobility, and two-way ability. Right now he’s the heavy favourite to go second behind Gavin McKenna in 2026 and with good reason. He should be one of the best defenders at this event and will captain this Canadian team.

Ryan Lin - Defense - Vancouver Giants (2026)

An unsung hero for Canada at the most recent U18’s, Lin was also a member of the CHL’s all-rookie team last year. He’s a high IQ puck mover who makes up for a lack of “physical tools” by being a strong critical thinker.

Carson Carels - Defense - Prince George Cougars (2026)

The third prominent member of that U18 defensive unit, Carels is a strong skating, two-way defender who, like Lin, is known for making heady plays with the puck. Interesting to note that of Canada’s top defenders at this event, Carels is the lone left-handed shot. He’s going to be playing a ton.

Landon Dupont - Defense - Everett Silvertips (2027)

The reigning CHL Rookie of the Year and top candidate for first overall in the 2027 NHL Draft, Dupont will have a ton of eyes on him at this event as an underager. But the offensive wizard should be up to the challenge after a strong performance at last year’s U17’s, where he captured silver with Canada Red.

Tynan Lawrence - Center - Muskegon Lumberjacks (2026)

There was some thought (or perhaps wishful thinking on the part of Chicoutimi) that Lawrence would leave the USHL this year for the QMJHL, but the Boston University commit has stayed loyal to Muskegon. He helped the Lumberjacks capture a Clark Cup title last year and was the playoff MVP. He should be the top center on this team, with his strong two-way play on full display.

Ethan Belchetz - Wing - Windsor Spitfires (2026)

The massive winger is going to be a load for opposing defenses to handle at this tournament given his skill and power game. He had a great U17’s last year for Canada White, helping them capture the gold. Expect him to be a force on the powerplay working down low.

Mathis Preston - Wing - Spokane Chiefs (2026)

A dynamic goal scorer, Preston led the U17’s in goal scoring last year, helping Canada White capture gold. To go with his excellent release and scoring instincts, Preston is also a dynamic skater and skilled handler, which allows him to consistently attack downhill.

Alessandro Di Iorio - Center/Wing - Sarnia Sting (2026)

The lone forward from the gold medal winning U18 team, Di Iorio projects as this Canadian team’s swiss army knife. He can play center or the wing. He can play in any situation and could be one of the team’s relied upon penalty killers. The coaching staff is likely to lean heavily on his experience and leadership capabilities, which is part of the reason why he’ll be wearing a letter at the event.

Finland

By Jeremy Rivet

After a disappointing showing in 2024, where they finished seventh following a winless round-robin, Finland will be looking to reset and re-establish their identity at this year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Historically, the Finns have struggled at the Hlinka compared to other international tournaments, with just five total medals in tournament history. That said, they’ve shown flashes of competitiveness in recent years, including a bronze medal in 2022 — their first podium finish in a decade.

The 2025 roster doesn’t feature any projected first-round NHL picks at the moment, but it does include several of the country’s top U18 performers from last season, along with two defensemen who already represented Finland at the U18 World Championships: Juho Piiparinen and Samu Alalauri. This year’s squad leans heavily on structure, competitiveness, and size up front, with several physically mature forwards who can play heavy, north-south hockey.

Finland’s strength lies in its depth. There may not be any generational talents here, but nearly every player has produced at a high level in junior and brings projectable traits. The forward group is headlined by one of Europe’s most dangerous U18 scorers in Oscar Hemming, while the blue line features a mix of puck movers and big-minute defenders.

Expectations should remain modest — this is a balanced but not flashy roster — but if they can tighten up defensively, as Finland teams usually do, and get strong goaltending, the Finns could be a tough out in group play. They’re in a tough group against the likes of Canada and Czechia, but this roster has the tools to surprise.

Key Players:

Oscar Hemming – LW, Kiekko-Espoo, U18 SM-Sarja (2026)

The offensive catalyst for this Finnish group, Hemming dominated the U18 SM-Sarja last season with Kiekko-Espoo, scoring 35 goals and 63 points in just 31 games. He is probably the most likely Finnish player to rise up the draft boards throughout the year. At 6-foot-4, he blends pro-ready size with a goal scorer’s touch and natural instincts around the net. While his skating remains a work in progress, he finds space with smart routes and capitalizes with a quick, deceptive release. He’ll need to prove he can generate against stiffer competition and tighter checking in the U20 this season but expect him to be the go-to option on the power play and in key offensive moments at the Hlinka Gretzky.

Juho Piiparinen – RD, Tappara, U20 SM-Sarja (2026)

Piiparinen brings experience and poise to Finland’s back end. He played top four minutes at the U18 World Championship this past spring and spent most of last season logging steady minutes in the U20 league. A mobile, 6-foot-3 right-shot defender, he’s not flashy but plays a composed game and defends well with his stick and positioning. He’ll likely be leaned on in all situations, particularly on the penalty kill and late-game scenarios. Don’t expect big point totals, but he’s a stabilizer who should log 20+ minutes a night. This season, he is expected to see minutes in the Liiga with Tappara at some point.

Samu Alalauri – RD, Pelicans, U20 SM-Sarja (2026)

Another returning player from the U18 Worlds, Alalauri has the tools to be a quiet standout. At 6-foot-2, he’s a mobile right-shot defender who handles pressure well and moves pucks efficiently. He’s unlikely to rack up points, but he consistently makes the right play and rarely panics under pressure. With Piiparinen, he’ll form one half of Finland’s top shutdown pair and could play 5-on-5, PK, and second PP minutes. A steady, understated presence who should help keep games close. Like Piiparinen, he should see action in the Liiga this season with Pelicans.

Oliver Suvanto – C, Tappara, U18 SM-Sarja (2026)

A skilled and creative center who had 42 points in 42 U18 games last year, Suvanto brings much-needed playmaking to Finland’s lineup. At 6-foot-3, he has the frame to protect pucks and operate down low, but it’s his vision and ability to read plays that make him effective. He’ll likely slot into a top six role and be featured on the power play. If Finland’s offense is going to click beyond Hemming’s finishing, Suvanto’s distribution and puck touches will be a big part of it. After a point per game season last year, Suvanto is ready to see action in the U20 with Tappara this season.

Luka Arkko – LW, Pelicans, U18 SM-Sarja (2026)

A 6-foot-3 power forward with a raw but intriguing toolkit, Arkko brings size, reach, and flashes of skill to Finland’s forward group. He produced 35 points in 38 games at the U18 level last season and added a few more in a late-season stint with Pelicans U20. While his skating still needs refinement, he’s strong on the puck, works along the boards, and can finish in tight. He was the top goal scorer for Finland U17 last season, and his shot is really his biggest strength. This year, he should be able to establish himself at the U20 level with the Pelicans. If he finds chemistry and plays with pace, he could be a valuable piece for Finland.

William Gammals – G, Tappara, U18 SM-Sarja (2026)

Goaltending is always pivotal in short tournaments, and Gammals will have the first crack at the starter’s role. He posted a solid .910 save percentage and 2.69 GAA in 33 games last season and he was the most successful of the goaltenders that played for Finland U17 last season in terms of wins with 5 including 2 shutouts. He’s quick laterally, tracks well through traffic, and battles hard on second chances. While not overly big (6’0”), he plays with structure and confidence. If Finland wants to upset one of the big teams in Group A, Gammals will likely have to steal a game.

Wilmer Kallio – LW, TPS, U20 SM-Sarja (2026)

Kallio quietly put up excellent numbers last year with 35 points in 24 U18 games and added 11 more in 19 games at the U20 level. A slick puck handler with good edgework, he can carry the puck through layers and create offense off the rush. He’ll likely be put in the top 6 and help drive a scoring line. Kallio still needs to add strength, but he’s crafty enough to make a difference against top competition. This season, Kallio will try to build on his success from last year. Of note, Kallio is the son of former Atlanta Thrasher Tomi Kallio.

Czechia

By Marek Novotny

Czechia’s U18 squad is gearing up for a shot at a third straight medal at the prestigious Hlinka Gretzky Cup — and this year, the challenge comes with a home-ice twist. New head coach Jan Tomajko has named his 23-man roster for the tournament, which will be staged for the first time in Brno and neighbouring Trenčín from August 11–16. The group blends proven international experience with promising faces.

The roster includes a mix of eight defenders and thirteen forwards, supported by two goalies—František Poletín (Pelicans Lahti, Finland) and Martin Psohlavec (Karlovy Vary). Among the defenders are standouts Lukáš Kachlíř (Liberec), who already represented at U18 Worlds as a 15-year-old, and Jiří Kamas from Plzeň.

A major blow is the absence of Šimon Katolický, regarded as a top 2026 NHL prospect. An appendix surgery has ruled him out entirely, significantly impacting Czech offensive depth.

The tournament format will see Czechia face Switzerland, Finland, and Canada in consecutive evenings at Brno’s Winning Group Arena, with the goal of advancing to the semifinals and continuing the medal streak achieved under former coach David Čermák. Now, under Tomajko’s guidance and backed by a passionate home crowd, the young Czech squad will aim to turn promise into podium once again.

Key Players:

František Poletín - Goaltender - Pelicans U20 (2026)

The starting goalie for Czechia, Poletín impressed during U18 Worlds with a standout quarterfinal save performance against Canada. Now playing with Pelicans Lahti in Finland, he brings international experience, is poised in pressure situations, and has some solid puck-handling ability. Reliably consistent, experience at U18 Worlds gives him an edge despite his youth.

Lukáš Kachlíř - Defense - Bili Tygri Liberec U20 (2027)

Kachlíř already played at the 2025 U18 Worlds when he was just 15, and he seems super mature for his age when he's on defense. Playing for Liberec, he really helps Czechia move the puck up the ice as a very mobile skater and is great at keeping the right distance from attackers. He does need to get stronger to handle those tough forwards, but he's got a cool head and good defensive instincts that you don't usually see in someone so young.

Jiří Kamas - Defense - Penticton Vees (2026)

Jiří Kamas, a defenseman from Plzeň, who has decided to play overseas in the WHL for the Penticton Vees in the upcoming season, can really move. He's good at getting the puck out of his zone and plays well at both ends of the ice. His skating and how well he keeps attackers in front of him make Czechia's defense better. Even though he didn't play at the U18 Worlds, he's shown he's ready through his play with his club team. He just needs to get stronger and make better decisions in the zone when the pressure's on.

Šimon Bělohorský - Wing - Guelph Storm (2027)

Šimon is a goal-scoring winger, who will be shooting pucks for the Guelph Storm of the OHL in the 2025/26 season. He's got a quick release and knows how to finish plays. Even for his age, he's got great puck control and makes smart moves in the offensive zone. He makes good decisions when the pressure's on, has a good sense of where to be, and is good at creating chances when rushing the net or up close.

Filip Novák - Forward - HC Sparta Praha U20 (2026)

So, this kid starts out in Chomutov—barely a teenager, still rocking ninth grade—already mixing it up with the older kids. Not long after, boom, he’s off to Prague. At thirteen, he’s skating in the U17 Extraliga. Thirteen! He's a great talent who can lead the Czech attack. He's a smart forward with nice puck skills who can make plays and score goals. He has a dynamic two-way game – not only is he a shooter, he is also a play driver.

Michal Hartl - Forward - HC Kometa Brno U20 (2027)

Forward Michal Hartl, born in 2009, is one of the best players in his age group, proving to be a scoring machine and a consistent producer at several levels. One of the youngest players at the Hlinka/Gretzky, Hartl has the ability to execute plays through the neutral zone and put himself on rushes to create opportunities. He can produce, finish, and find open space all at high speed. Combination of those tools makes him a 2027 NHL Draft high-upside prospect.

Switzerland

By Chapin Landvogt

This is Tournament 1 after the disastrous result that was the 2025 U18 Worlds in Texas. It took a relegation round shootout, but Switzerland has been relegated at the hands of Norway and enters the Hlinka Gretzky Cup already preparing for next spring’s D1A U18 Worlds, where there can be no other goal than to gain promotion. Playing against Czechia, Canada, and Finland at the HGC means that Switzerland will, once again, be the heavy underdog. At least there’s no relegation here and even if the team should finish last, there’ll be a final placement game against the last-placed team in the other group to better test their metal.

For head coach Patrick Schöb, this tournament will be of great value in determining where several of his most important players are at for the all-important tournament next spring. Camp included 3 goalies, 10 defensemen, and 14 forwards, but another 15 players are listed as possible call-ups. None of goalies or defensemen were at the U18 Worlds this past spring while the team’s top 3 forwards heading into this tourney were. Peterborough Petes draft pick Yanis Lutz will also look to be one of the go-to players up front.

As has been the case in recent years, only Germany and Slovakia look like squads that the Swiss could leave behind them next week and chances are very good that they’ll meet one of those two in the placement game for 7th overall. But again, this tournament is going to be all about taking a first step towards gaining promotion next spring. For spectators, there will be a few very interesting players to keep tabs on.

Key Players:

Raphael Achermann - Wing - Rimouski Oceanic (2026)

A lefty shot winger headed to Rimouski of the QMJHL for the upcoming season, Achermann is one of the few players on this team who spent the entire 24-25 season in Switzerland’s U21 league entirely as a 16-year-old, putting up 25 points in 43 regular season games. Sneaky on the attack and used to putting up with rough stuff.

Fabrice Bouvard - Center - GCK Lions U20 (2026)

Bringing good size to the table for a forward of his age and ilk, Bouvard stepped all over U17 competition before becoming his U20 team’s sixth best scorer with 23 points in 42 games. A regular contributor for the nation’s U17 and U16 teams in international friendlies, the thought is that he has an outside shot at NL action this winter. A top 6 role at the HGC should be a given.

Jonah Neuenschwander - LW - EHC Biel-Bienne (2027)

Definitely the most interesting player to watch this summer, the 6-foot-3, 182-pound underager (just 16) is a top prospect for the 2027 draft and already brings WJC, U18 Worlds (4 assists in 5 games) and NL (3 assists in 15 games) experience to the table. This will be the first event of his DY-1 season and there’s a ton to be excited about for a player many feel will one day join the likes of Kevin Fiala and Nico Hischier as an offensively impactful Swiss NHL forward. Barring injury, he may represent his country at more international tournaments this season than perhaps any other single player out there.

Vito Thoma - RHD - EHC Kloten U20 (2026)

A smaller mobile defenseman with some jump in his game, Thoma had some impressive play as a puckmover in Switzerland’s U21 league this past season (13 points in 25 games) while his 26 points in 22 games in the nation’s U17 league gave him the top PPG average among defensemen in the league. He did all this as a 16-year-old, who just turned 17 on July 29th.

Clemens Troxler - C/W - Linköping HC U20 (2026)

Troxler is a 2025 U18 Worlds returnee who is set to join the Linköping program in Sweden for the upcoming season. The skilled multipositional forward has shone as a playmaker in Switzerland the past two seasons and was already seventh in scoring on his U21 league team as a 16/17-year-old. Good size and some impressive decision making with the puck makes him intriguing.