To wrap up my 2026 NHL Draft coverage, here’s a ranking of the top 15 prospects who passed through this year’s draft, plus four honorable mentions.
These are players I’d either keep an eye on moving forward as re-entry options for 2027, or would consider for development camp invites. Among them are five players from my final top 100 draft board (ranked 74, 95, 97, 99 and 100).
1. Dayne Beuker, C, 5-foot-10.25 (U.S. NTDP)
Beuker, a Denver commit, was a top prospect in minor hockey who chose the NTDP over being a top pick in the WHL. And while he didn’t hold that status in his time at the program, he was still a good player for their ’08 age group, centered their first line into U18 worlds and finished strong. He’s a smart, heady forward who will go to the net or find open space, who finds his linemates when they’re doing that and who blends vision with some hesitation elements, stops and starts and a good, adjustable release. I’d like for him to be a little quicker at his size (he can lose those short races from a standstill in the offensive or defensive zones), but he has a good motor, competes, keeps his feet moving and sees the game well on both sides. I expect him to become a very good college player for the Pioneers, and he profiled as a mid-to-late-round pick for me.
2. Braidy Wassilyn, LW, 5-foot-11 (London Knights)
Wassilyn, a BU commit, started the year with a minor injury, missing the first three weeks of the season with Niagara in the OHL. He played well enough in my viewings after, though, both to start with Niagara and following a trade to London. The No. 4 pick in his OHL draft year, Wassilyn had a respectable season a year ago and was one of the last cuts for Canada’s Hlinka team. He was viewed as a top-two-rounds guy coming into the year. He finished the year with 46 points in 62 games and played to positive results, but struggled against tougher competition in the playoffs. He’s a decent skater who can turn opposing D off the rush. He has a good feel around the ice for where to be and how to use spacing, but will also go to the dirty areas and plays a pesky, competitive game for a 5-foot-11 forward, standing up for himself and playing hard even if the penalty minute totals look small. He’s also stocky. He has a strong one-timer and is a better shooter than his goal totals (which have started to come a little more with the Knights) indicate, though his game tilts toward passing. He has very good stick skills that are lauded by his peers. Though he used to be a center, he played the wing in both Niagara and London and is viewed that way, which makes him a tricky player to project as a sturdy 5-foot-11 guy without high-end production. I’ve thought of Max Domi a little when I’ve watched him, but Domi was more productive at his age.
3. Niko Tournas, RW, 6-foot-2 (Moncton Wildcats)
Tournas, 20, is a late-blooming double overager who led the NAHL in scoring last year and then made the jump to the Q this year. He was one of Moncton’s best forwards for much of the year, too, and finished his rookie season with 49 goals and 92 points in 85 combined regular-season and playoff games, leading the Wildcats in goals. Despite his age, he’s still raw. By all accounts, he’s dedicated to getting better and has the tools, including a hard NHL shot and good size. He didn’t penalty kill for the Wildcats this year, but he played nearly four minutes per game on the power play and scored goals in a lot of different ways (off the flank, rebounds, dekes, catch-and-release, bad angles, backdoor, tips, jam plays, drives). He’s currently committed to the University of New Hampshire for next season but could consider a return to the Q for his final year and then turning pro if the team that drafts him wants him to go that direction. He has to improve his pace and reads/decision-making, but there’s an interesting skill-shot-size combination there, and he clearly still has runway despite his age.
4. Jean Cristoph-Lemieux, LW, 5-foot-11.25 (Sudbury Wolves)
Lemieux is a Hockey Canada favorite who began the year with the Windsor Spitfires before being dealt to the Sudbury Wolves. He’s an average-sized summer birthday with a real identity. He works and plays hard. He has quick and active feet. He’s good on the PK, and his good instincts defensively. He’s physical and plays a pesky style. But he also has some sneaky opportunism to his game offensively and will occasionally try things. A strong finish with Sudbury in a more prominent role in the second half and Team Canada at U18s (where he started on the third line before being elevated to the first line) showed me enough to put him on my board, even if it’s tough to be a bottom-six checker at his size.
5. Max Isaksson, C, 6-foot (Växjö Lakers)
Isaksson is a playmaking two-way forward who wore the “C” for Sweden at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup but played a very limited role in their gold medal run at U18 worlds. He’s not a penalty killer or checker, per se, but he plays a well-rounded game, can be relied upon, knows how to support his linemates offensively and defensively, and can play both center (which is his listing with NHL Central Scouting, and he has played for Sweden) and the wing (which he played in J20 this year). He’s also an agile skater (though I’ve wondered at times about his overall pace) who can build speed and cross over. He also has good hands laterally on D and one-on-one with goalies, regularly beating guys with the puck and navigating through traffic. He has a slick release from mid-range. He made some pretty plays at the J20 level this year inside the offensive zone, rounding corners and attacking into the slot (though the production didn’t quite match the eye test). And he’s a thinker of the game who knows where to be and go, will make the heady right play, and sees the ice well as a passer. I have liked watching him, but I do wonder about his projection.
6. Nikita Ovcharov, LW, 6-foot-1.5 (Quebec Remparts)
Ovcharov is a pro-built winger who registered 50 points in 75 combined regular-season and playoff games as a rookie in the Q with the Remparts this year. He plays the game in straight lines as a complementary give-and-go guy with a decent shot for more natural playmaking linemates. He’s big and strong, he works hard and he’s a willing forechecker. He’ll play the cycle game and win battles, and he skates well downhill and will take pucks to the net. He played the bumper well on the Remparts’ power play. He’s not creative or a natural playmaker per se, but he plays an honest game and will make the plays that he sees (I’ve seen him pick a spot in the net from sharp angles, hit the seam on the power play, round corners, get out in transition). I thought he’d be a late-round pick.
7. Callum Croskery, LHD, 6-foot-0.75 (Soo Greyhounds)
The final cut on D for my top 100, I nearly ranked Croskery, a Boston College commit, in the 90s on my board. His draft year was delayed until November by a preseason wrist injury and then it took him some time to really come into his own as a rookie defenseman following the jump from the USHL with the Chicago Steel to the OHL with in the Soo, but he averaged 19-20 minutes per game to positive two-way results (his analytics were strong throughout) and finished strong both in the OHL playoffs and at U18 Worlds (where he played in Canada’s top four, was reliable, and made a huge play to tie the game at the buzzer of the second period against the Swedes in the semis). He’s very athletic and has a strong, muscular build. He skates well and can transition and move pucks. He defends primarily with his stick but is learning to use his strength more. I think he has more offense and offensive sense than his point totals (23 in 53 games) in the OHL this year indicated, too, and could see him take a big step next year.
8. Landon Amrhein, LW, 6-foot-4.5 (Calgary Hitmen)
One of the final cuts for my board, Amrhein is a big, rangy, athletic player who can handle the puck. He doesn’t play the physical, bullish, powerful game you typically expect out of a player with his size, but he has some feel on the puck and can make plays. That should come as he fills out his frame (which still has room on it) and develops more of an identity, but he’s going to have to do that to find a niche up levels I’d expect because he’s not going to be a skill guy in the pros. It’s nice that he has that foundation of puck skill, though, and I think he skates well enough.
9. Darian Rolsing, RHD, 6-foot-5.25 (Wenatchee Wild)
Rolsing is a long right-shot German defenseman who, after two years in Finland, made the jump to the WHL with Wenatchee this year. It was a learning experience for him, but he finished strong at U18 worlds, where he was named one of Germany’s top three players of the tournament. He’s immediately noticeable on the ice because of the way he moves for his size. He’s lighter on his feet than you expect, with good balance on his inside edges and an ability to fall back onto his heels and transition. He’s still filling out his frame and doesn’t play a particularly physical style for his size, but if he can develop both of those things while maintaining his mobility, he could be interesting. He also handles and moves the puck comfortably, even if his offense is vanilla.
10. Parker Vaughan, RW, 6-foot-1 (North Bay Battalion)
Vaughan caught my attention at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Sarnia in November 2024 when he looked like a pro from a build standpoint at an early age, was strong on pucks and in battles, drove the middle/the net consistently, made some plays, was around the puck, and even tried a Michigan. At the time, though he only had two points in four games, I remember thinking that he had a real path to becoming a bottom-six forward (he profiles as a winger) if he takes steps. He then had a disruptive 16-year-old season in the OHL, which included getting dealt from Barrie to North Bay. This year, he scored 40 points in 68 combined regular-season and playoff games, but finished strong. He also penalty killed. He still has some power elements and pro tools, it’s just about continuing to put it all together. He has begun to do that, but I just couldn’t quite talk myself into putting him in my top 100.
11. Layne Gallacher, C, 6-foot-1.25 (Guelph Storm)
Gallacher registered 30 points in 53 games this year, split between the Bulldogs and the Storm, missing time due to injury between the two. He’s a player scouts have time for and was invited to the Scouting Combine as a result, even though NHL Central Scouting ranked him No. 119 in North America. He’s a strong-bodied, hardworking center who skates well and has grown and begun to fill out over the last couple of years, while still having room for both. He’s not the most physical player, but he’s committed and plays a pro style. He’s also good in the faceoff dot and can PK. He has some secondary skill, too, and I expect him to take a step next year playing for the 2027 Memorial Cup hosts. I believe he was the only player invited to the Combine this year who went unpicked.
12. Michal Jakubec, C, 6-foot-1 (Dukla Trencin)
Jakubec is a summer birthday whose speed caught my eye at U18 worlds. I decided to spend some more time watching him on tape after I got back from the tournament, and I was consistently impressed. He was noticeable with the national team (he started as the 4C at U18s but his role expanded as the tournament went on, and he averaged 17 minutes per game and was good game-to-game). He has quick feet and strength/power in his legs, which is a translatable combination. His numbers at Slovakia’s junior level (33 points in 37 games) don’t leap off the page, but he also held his own in limited usage with Trencin’s historic pro club, chipping in three goals and five points in 20 games while playing to positive defensive results. With his skating and work rate, I felt he deserved a mention here.
13. Axel Brøngel-Larsson, LHD, 6-foot-1 (Frolunda HC)
Brøngel-Larsson is a physical and competitive late-birthday two-way defenseman who made his SHL debut last year and played at U18 worlds and the Hlinka with the draft class in front of him. He plays hard, battles for his ice, has penalty killed for club and country, wore a letter for Frolunda’s J20 team, moves pucks cleanly and flatly and offers a firmness to his game on both sides of the puck. The offense hasn’t come, but I’ve seen him show at least some poise and find his way out of trouble in his own zone when he needs to, or rip what looks like an NHL shot. He may well end up as a third-pairing SHL/AHL D, but his hard-working defensive game could earn him a selection as a potential what-you-see-is-what-you get depth option.
14. Ilya Dolgopolov, LHD, 6-foot-1 (Dynamo St. Petersburg)
Dolgopolov is a late birthday who led Dynamo St. Petersburg’s MHL team in points by a defenseman this year, registering nine goals and 24 points in 56 games and averaging 19 minutes per game for the season and 21 1/2 minutes per game in the playoffs as a go-to guy on both the power play and the penalty kill. He doesn’t have a dynamic quality, but he walks the line well, he keeps his head up, he has good instincts offensively and he puts a ton of pucks on net. And while he’s not particularly physical or hard, he also has good instincts defensively and uses his feet and stick to maintain disruptive gaps. His NHL Central Scouting slotting (No. 106 among international skaters) indicates he’s a fringe guy to get picked, and that checked out in my viewings, but I felt he was worthy of a mention here.
15. Jiri Kamas, RHD, 6-foot-1.25 (Red Deer Rebels)
It was an eventful year for Kamas, who made the jump from Czechia’s junior level to the WHL with Penticton and then was dealt at the deadline to Red Deer. And though the production with the Vees and the Rebels looks similar, he took a big step with the latter in the second half, often playing 25-30 minutes. He also played 21 minutes per game through the first two games of U18s with the Czechs before he got hurt on a high hit behind his net in the third game. He’s sturdy over his feet, defends firmly, can skate and plays an intentional style on both sides of the puck. He has some two-way attributes, and if his finish was any indication, he’s ready to take a step next year.
Honorable mentions
Myles Brosnan, RHD, 6-foot (Dexter Southfield School)
Brosnan, a Harvard commit, dominated the prep school circuit this year (he might have been the best D in it) and played a couple of games apiece with both Sioux City and the NTDP. He’s a pro-built right-shot D who has played a lot of both sides. He’s confident on the breakout and can both beat pressure or make a good first pass. He sees the ice really well and does a good job reading the play, both breaking pucks out and manning the point inside the offensive zone. He plays with sureness. And he defends well, with a good stick and a sturdiness on his feet in contact. He’s a late birthday who lacks higher-level experience, but he looked like a possible late-round pick in my viewings.
Ossi Tukio, LHD, 6-foot-1.75 (Ilves)
Tukio is an October ’07 who captained Ilves’ under-20 team this year, played some games for the under-20 national team and will be in the mix for next year’s World Junior team. He also picked up a point in his Liiga debut, though that it’s his lone game is a talking point for an older player. He plays a well-rounded game, with an active disposition offensively to play in give-and-gos, take space off the line or sneak backdoor (he really loves to slip behind coverage and has great instincts on when to go) and a good stick/positioning defensively. He’s not particularly physical, but he’s smart with how he engages and makes quick reads on offense and defense. He also handles the puck quite comfortably at the line and has an offensive tilt to his game. He’s going to have a long pro career but may top out as an offensively inclined middle-pair AHL/SHL/KHL D type.
Kalder Varga, RW, 5-foot-11 (Red Deer Rebels)
Varga, a Denver commit, had a good Hlinka Gretzky Cup (where he wore an “A”) and, after a slow start with the Memorial Cup hosts and then a trade, finished strong with the Rebels, registering 31 points in 39 games after the move. He’s physical, strong on pucks, competitive and works in and out of stops and starts to protect the puck well. He also has a quick release and scored 23 goals this year with it, and he’s a summer birthday. He’s going to be a strong junior player for the Rebels next year and then should become an effective college player. He’s a fringe draft pick in this class at his size, but I’ve liked watching him play and felt he warranted a mention here.
Lucas Zajic, RW, 5-foot-11 (U.S. NTDP)
Zajic was a story in minor hockey who caught my eye at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Sarnia in November 2024, where he looked like one of the more skilled players in the 2008 age group. He then finished strong at U18 worlds this year. In between, though, he dealt with inconsistency as a sub-6-foot winger who was leapfrogged by others at the program. He’s a Wisconsin commit, but will play in Youngstown next season, where I expect that staff will get the most out of his skill game. He’s a good, light skater. He possesses small-area skill and will play pucks into space or under triangles to himself or streaking teammates. He has a nifty little release and a comfortable one-touch shot. He has developed some scrappiness. He’s a long shot, but I could see him taking some steps over the next few years.
