Simas Ignatavicius – 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 – 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: McKeen’s Early Season Favourites – CENTRAL EUROPE – Tomáš Chrenko, Adam Nemec, Adam Goljer, Simas Ignatavicius, Maxim Eliseev, Tobias Krämer, Filip Novak

Matej Deraj, Chapin Landvogt, Simon Johansson — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 21:11:28 +0000

Tomáš Chrenko

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 CENTRAL EUROPE

Matej Deraj – Regional Central European Scout

Tomáš Chrenko

Center/Right Wing – HK Nitra (Slovakia)

5-foot-11, 170 pounds, Shoots: R

Chrenko is probably the highest-touted Slovak prospect for the upcoming draft, having been noted as a potential first round talent. He´s playing in the highest Slovak division with solid production, even playing some minutes on the powerplay. The even strength deployment is not amazing, since he's been playing on the fourth line for essentially the whole season (usually 11 to 14 minutes a game), but the powerplay usage is encouraging.

Chrenko is mostly known for his hockey IQ. He´s smart and creative with the puck, creates a lot of chances for his teammates and controls the pace of the play. He´s able to use his smarts against men in a professional league. Although the production isn´t amazing (approximately a 0.5 point per game), it´s still decent. He´s a confident playmaker with soft hands.

Skating is one of his biggest strengths, he´s quick and agile, smooth on the edges, uses his speed to escape the pressure and create chances. It obviously comes with the bigger ice advantage in Europe – he may not be able to use his feet to gain speed in the neutral zone so much when playing in North America, but he´s agile and elusive, so he has no problem with his movement.

As an offensive forward, Chrenko should work on his defensive effort, and the main concern with him is the lack of size. Even though he does have some bite to his game, he´s an undersized center who ideally profiles as a top-six player, which is not a very popular archetype. He does have the potential to become an important player in the NHL one day, but he´s fighting an uphill battle. Nevertheless, the potential is immense and should be an early round pick.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/1-tomas_chrenko_clip1.mp4

#29 in blue

Chrenko slips past defenders and finds an open space for him, receives a pass and goes to the net. At the last moment, he passes the puck to an open teammate who has no problem scoring. Great selfless play, this is what happens when you give Chrenko so much time and space.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2-tomas_chrenko_clip2.mp4

#29 in white

Chrenko competes hard for the puck, but his smaller frame is not giving him any favors. When his team gains possession, he loses the puck and Nitra faces a 3-on-2 breakaway, but Chrenko is able to match the F3 to even the situation. The clip ends with him getting in the face of an opposing player who boarded one of his teammates, so a very welcoming display of feistiness.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/3-tomas_chrenko_clip3.mp4

#29 in blue

Chrenko can do so much when given open space, but he´s also able to overcome more difficult situations. He quickly gains speed in this clip, makes a nice move to lose the first opponent and enters the zone, then shoots the puck from distance trying to surprise the goalie and even tracks the rebound at the boards.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/4-tomas_chrenko_clip4.mp4

#29 in blue

He stands out due to his hockey IQ and quick thinking. In this clip, he supports the puck-carrying forward, gets the puck and makes a quick turn. He immediately identifies a potential scoring chance and sends the puck to a teammate, who doesn´t bury it.

Adam Nemec

Left Wing – HK Nitra (Slovakia)

6-foot-1, 176 pounds, Shoots: L

Adam Nemec is the younger brother of Devils´ defenseman Šimon Nemec and just like his sibling, he´s also a talented player for Slovakia. Unlike his brother, Adam is a forward, and most likely won´t be the second overall pick. Nevertheless, he´s still an intriguing player. He's playing on HK Nitra´s fourth line along other 2026 prospect Tomáš Chrenko and gets some shorthanded minutes.

Nemec is a smart winger who won´t amaze you on the first sight with his hockey IQ, but he plays a detail-oriented game and does a lot of small things right. He has great space awareness in the offensive zone and gets himself in dangerous areas to score from. He´s more of a shooter than a playmaker and scores even from the net front area, although he's not the biggest player at 6-foot-1 he´s still a bit lanky and will add more muscle in the future.

Nemec has had issues with his skating in the past but continues to improve his movement and now he´s able to play in a faster system, although I still wouldn´t consider his skating as a main asset. His effort level is great, he´s dangerous on the forecheck, finishes his checks and works well in the defensive zone. He plays with enough physicality and intensity, and it will be even better when he adds more muscle to his frame.

There might be some questions about his projection. He´s a versatile player who doesn´t necessarily excel in any area, but competes high, has a decent hockey IQ and can provide a team with enough scoring. I see a middle-six winger able to play on both special teams in Adam Nemec.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/1-adam_nemec_clip1.mp4

#18 in blue

Nemec helps his team to gain the puck with a couple of stick checks and then sprints towards the goal. Suddenly it´s a 2-on-1 breakaway when he absolutely loses the backchecking forward. He receives the pass and is able to put the puck behind the goalie even with his skate. It´s mostly the things he has done before the goal that I appreciate.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2-adam_nemec_clip2.mp4

#21 in blue

I like this goal from Nemec. Nothing overly complicated – he waits for the puck in the right spot and gets it. Quick turn, quick shot and it´s a goal.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/3-adam_nemec_clip3.mp4

#18 in blue

Good stint in the offensive zone. Nemec goes to the net, is able to retrieve the puck and then waits in line to tip the shot from the blue line. Later, he´s again able to retrieve it along the boards and goes to position himself in front of the net. Good movement in the offensive zone.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/4-adam_nemec_clip4.mp4

#18 in blue

Nemec has the potential to be a physical forward but needs to gain a lot of muscle. In this clip, he competes and takes the puck on the forecheck, but even a slight contact along the boards can throw him off.

Adam Goljer

Defenseman – Dukla Trenčín (Slovakia)

6-foot-3, 194 pounds, Shoots: R

Goljer is a prospect who doesn't get the same attention as other top 2026 names from Slovakia - Tomáš Chrenko, Adam Nemec or Tobias Tomík – but he´s an intriguing player with great tools. As a 6-foot-3 right-handed defenseman who plays well with the puck and displays some leadership qualities, he should get a lot of interest from NHL teams. He's playing in Slovak top tier league with Dukla Trenčín, usually skating about 15 minutes a night.

Goljer displays a lot of confidence in his game, especially with the puck on his stick. He´s calm, doesn´t throw pucks away, but tries to create plays and support the offense. A strong player on the breakouts and retrievals. He likes to jump to the rush or create plays while skating from his own zone. Defensively, he works well with his stick and uses his reach. He plays as a typical two-way defenseman.

His size (6-foot-3, 194 pounds) is definitely an advantage, but he´s not an overly physical player – that´s an aspect of his game he can work on, because he definitely has the potential. Goljer competes hard enough, has some bite to his game and wins battles, but adding more physical edge to his game would make him even tougher to play against.

Goljer is not a flashy prospect as aforementioned Chrenko or Nemec, but his profile might be even more intriguing. There have been some defensemen in Slovakia with his size and handiness, but Goljer has far more superior puck skills, skating and smarts to his game. He is a very projectable defenseman and has a lot of tools NHL teams like. He could grow into a reliable bottom-four blueliner with solid two-way skills.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/1-adam_goljer_clip1.mp4

#8 in maroon

Goljer gets to the puck behind his net first, retrieves it and withstands all attempts from the forechecking forward to strip him of the puck. He gains some space and passes to a teammate, then continues to the offensive zone while being supported from the back.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2-adam_goljer_clip2.mp4

#8 in yellow

Goljer displays good awareness and solid puck skills in this clip, he gets the puck, makes a quick turn and sends it to his teammate, and it´s suddenly a 2-on-1 chance. Good thinking on Goljer´s side, simple play which helps to create a potentially dangerous chance.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/3-adam_goljer_clip3.mp4

#22 in white

Goljer uses his reach and long stick well. In this clip, he has the advantage since the opposing forward had no chance to gain speed directly after the draw. Goljer uses his stick and then the size advantage to pin the smaller opponent against the boards.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/4-adam_goljer_clip4.mp4

#22 in white

While I admire Goljer´s confidence and effort to try hold the puck and create something, sometimes, he overcomplicates situations and that can lead to preventable puck losses, just like in this case. Combine it with poor defensive effort and you basically stripped yourself of the puck.

Chapin Landvogt - Central European Regional Scout

Simas Ignatavicius

Center/Wing - Genève-Servette HC (NL)

6-foot-3, 180 pounds

As the season unfolds this fall on the Central European front, there’s no one player we’re more enamored with than Geneva’s recently turned 17-year-old forward Simas Ignatavicius. Yes, as international a place as Switzerland is, even that name is one foreign to the natives, as Ignatavicius hails from Lithuania, granted this is his sixth season playing in Switzerland. In fact, he was actually born in Memphis, Tennessee, but that’s a story for another day.

The most important thing you need to know is that he’s already 6-foot-3 and 198 pounds and has surprisingly made his way onto an NL roster at the age of 16, doing so in a matter that has surely put a smirk on the face of plenty of scouts.

Why is that you might ask?

Put simply, Ignatavicius (#80) has been running around out there throwing his weight all over the place, often with reckless abandon. Case in point, this recent shift in which he charged (yes, that might be grounds for charging in many a league) his way across a great distance at the end of his shift in order to nail an opponent, only to give it to the guy again seconds later.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/1-simas_ignatavicius_-_1st_period_19_42_-_19_54.mp4

Heck, in this scenario, he’s given a breakout pass in transition and moves up the ice looking like a prime take-me-out target only to dump the puck in the opposition zone in the nick of time and then toss his would-be checker. Dandy!

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2-simas_ignatavicius_-_1st_period_13_23_-_13_35.mp4

We’ve also loved that he’s quickly shown himself to be ready to do anything to stick in the line-up. With shot-blocks like these, it’s no wonder he’s been seeing his minutes go from fourth to third line TOIs in recent games.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/3-simas_ignatavicius_-_shot_blocking_-_3rd_period_32_49_-_32_56.mp4

Curiously though, he caught our eyes already last season while playing for the club’s U21 team and at the DIIA U20 Worlds, where, as a 16-year-old, he collected a gaudy six goals and 14 points in five games, wiping out the competition. That tournament alone is a highlight reel of his abilities, but a key is to know that he’s just recently started putting them on display at the NL level, having collected three points in his last four games. They certainly haven’t all been beauties, but this assist came at a vital juncture in the game and was indicative of the plays we’re becoming accustomed to.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/4-simas_ignatavicius_-_3rd_period_24_15_-_24_25.mp4

Already at the junior level last season (#17), he started making a name for himself as a clutch player in overtime. This tally wasn’t his best but we feel it’s a bit indicative of why he’s not only been given the Ovechkin spot on the power play in recent years but also carries the moniker of being more a sniper than anything else, even if he usually has as many assists as goals when all is said and done.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/5-simas_ignatavicius_-_3-on-3_play_-_1st_overtime_3_23_-_3_30.mp4

Maxim Eliseev

Wing - RB Hockey Juniors (AlpsHL)

5-foot-10, 180 pounds

Now, it wasn’t all that many years ago that we were gushing about German forward Julian Lutz as an underager at the Red Bull Academy in Salzburg, playing - and scoring - against men in the AlpsHL. He has since become an early draft pick of the, well, Utah Mammoths organization and is currently plying his trade in the AHL. Since then, we’ve watched a number of other talents there we’ve liked, with particularly Maks Szuber and Vitali Zelenov jumping out at us, both of whom become late round NHL picks (Utah and Buffalo respectively).

Alas, it hasn’t been since Lutz that we were so enamored with an RB Juniors forward than we are now with current overager Maxim Eliseev. Yes, he’s an overager and is a Finnish player of Russian descent. And yes, he’s turning 20 in just a couple of weeks, so he’s apparently been around. But what we’ve been seeing has really caught our attention as the 19-year-old is leading the league in goals (11) and points (20) while just one point behind the league leader in +/- (+11). And the way he’s gone about collecting those points has been more fantastic and authoritative than not. He’s been a highlight reel machine.

The beauty of it is that he played for Finland at the 2023 U18 Worlds in Germany and then proceeded to rack up two nice, but unspectacular U20-league seasons in Finland, coming into this season with just eight games of pro play experience (4 points) in the Mestis, Finland’s second tier pro circuit. We don’t know what he’s done this summer or if there’s just been some magic in that Austrian water, because he’s been playing absolutely electric for weeks now.

Here’s a bit of what we are seeing on a day-in, day-out basis.

Eliseev dangles. He doesn’t just give away the puck; he looks to go as far as he can. And he’s getting away with it more and more.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/1-maxim_eliseev_-_2nd_period_18_40_-_18_52.mp4

As could be seen, in the previous highlight, he doesn’t hesitate to shoot. And as can be seen in his statline, he often hits the net. This kind of thing just looked too doggone easy, and it came off a wicked wrist shot from just about the blueline no less.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2-maxim_eliseev_-_3rd_period_12_16_-_12_26-1.mp4

Making opponents look silly this easily will rightfully have you questioning the quality of league play but this doesn’t detract from his shiftiness and the agility to viably change lanes before wickedly sniping the biscuit.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/3-maxim_eliseev_-_3rd_period_30_35_-_30_45.mp4

Moreover, this one-timer in the slot capped off a recent hattrick but also serves exemplary for a number of his goals this season (and in the preseason). He loves to let it rip as it arrives. It’s his go-to shot, to be honest.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/4-maxim_eliseev_-_3rd_period_9_51_-_10_1.mp4

Naturally, going on 20 and being of just average size, Eliseev will have to keep up this pace all season long to truly put himself into the draft discussion but even in the AlpsHL, it’s completely unusual to have a player this young showing this level of explosive effectiveness. We’re definitely going to be following this story.

Tobias Krämer

Defense - Jungadler Mannheim U20 (DNL U20)

6-foot-6, 210 pounds

As much as we’re looking forward to a very fascinating and perhaps surprisingly strong WJC performance from Germany this winter, we’ve entered the season well aware of Germany serving as a somewhat barren landscape for the 2026 draft. Not only did we see top prospect Darian Rolsing as a bit of a long shot, but he’s over in North America with just about every non-drafted prospect of interest, a few overagers included.

But in situations like this, we’re always happy to find a few surprises and after early season showings, a Czech German with the very German name of Tobias Krämer is raising a few eyebrows. He does indeed play for Mannheim’s powerhouse DNL team, and the league is tough to scout as there’s plenty of sloppy and unimpressive ice hockey to be seen there. And although he’s got nine assists in 14 games, that’s rarely ever been anything worth denoting.

However, he’s an RHD and already 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds. And he hits. He’s one of the league’s most physical players and displays not only a very simple game, but a suffocating one at that. Despite throwing his weight around in a manner that has left several opponents lying around on the ice, he’s gotten one two-minute penalty all season. The checks are valid and well-timed.

His game is not perfect - especially gap control - but he (#33) has been showing how he turns even that to his advantage as he is brutally effective at edging out attacking opponents.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/1-tobias_kramer_-_1st_period_21_44_-_21_56.mp4

The force of hits is evident time and time again. Even if - as already mentioned - one could argue about gap control, we are seeing board work like this in each and every game.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2-tobias_kramer_-_2nd_period_6_35_-_6_47.mp4

And when things don’t go his way, he still applies his body to put things in perspective, as seen here where he perhaps tries one move too many but still makes someone pay for it.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/3-tobias_kramer_-_1st_period_19_20_-_19_32.mp4

Thankfully, his physical presence isn’t the only thing he brings to the table. We can’t wait to see what it’ll mean with some play at the pro level, but he does rush the puck and has made his way to the opposition net on his own accord plenty of times in recent years. This is one of many excursions we’ve seen him make.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/4-tobias_kramer_-_shooting_from_the_slot_-_3rd_period_26_54_-_27_1.mp4

Finally, his nine assists haven’t just been pure byproducts. He is being entrusted with minutes at important times and has shown a modicum of playmaking ability, as seen in this overtime assist.

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There are issues to be dealt with and his shots from the point aren’t exactly a strength to date, but Krämer is proving to be an exciting possibility moving forward and we’re happy that he’s got plenty of time this season to keep grabbing our attention.

Simon Johansson - European Video Scout

Filip Novak

Left wing / Center - HC Sparta Praha U20

6-foot-1, 198 pounds

Last season was an injury riddled one for Filip Novak. Only played a total of 21 games between his international, U17 and U20 team. He really impressed in his D-2 in the U17 team but was not able to continue that success into his D-1. This year Filip is looking to dominate the juniors and have even gotten to suit up for a game with HC Sparta Praha men’s team in the highest Czechian league.

Filip is a big, skilled forward that likes to have the puck on his stick. He drives play by skating with the puck along the boards, using his big body to shield himself from incoming forecheckers, getting the puck to his defensemen who can then put shots towards the net. Filip often tries to stay out of the perimeter and likes to drive the middle for better looks. He is moving constantly in his own end to either help dig out pucks with his defensemen or being a passing option for breakouts. When the puck gets out of his own end, Filip will want to build up speed through the neutral zone to then create a lot of rush chances.

Watching some tape of the big winger you’ll notice that he has some finesse with the puck as well. He’ll lure in stick checks only to quickly pull back and get the defenders off balance or combine stickhandling with skating at high speeds, weaving in crossovers evading pressure.

While Filip has been point-per-game at the junior level, there’s also a lot of chances that go to waste. He drives play well as mentioned before but lacks a bit of finishing ability in his goalscoring and playmaking. It’ll be interesting to see if he can stick around in the pros and establish a role there, hopefully in a top 9 line as Filip is definitely more of a scorer than a two-way player. It’s still very early in the season and we have to remember that he missed a lot of time from last year. With more games played this year, there’s a good chance to see a different kind of player compared to where we are right now.

VIDEOS

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/1-Filip-Novak-Playdrive1.mp4

#18 in the clip
Jumps on the puck in the neutral zone to then drive play in the offensive zone, eventually getting the puck to one of his defensemen. Also highlights some nice dangles in getting the puck up high.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2-Filip-Novak-Playdrive2.mp4

#18 in the clip

Another clip of Filip driving play in the offensive zone. After he leaves the puck for a teammate, he immediately tries to find new space, getting the defense moving and opening up passing lanes.

https://www.mckeenshockey.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/3-Filip-Novak-Skating2.mp4

#18 in the clip

Here he makes a good zone entry by combining stickhandling and weaving crossovers.