2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Marcus Nordmark (LW)

Marcus Nordmark is a player I go back and forth on because the skill level is genuinely
sensational, but there are a lot of red flags in his overall game. He has elite hands and is a
high-end passer, one of the most naturally gifted playmakers in this class, able to manipulate
defenders and find seams with ease, and when he does get moving, he has good quickness.
He is a pass-first winger who can slow the game down and create off his vision, often finding
space in the offensive zone despite tending to operate more on the perimeter. That said, the
compete level is a major concern. He does not engage physically, goes into puck battles
softly without much intent to win them, and rarely uses his frame, which leads to him losing a
lot of those situations. His motor is inconsistent and he can look nonchalant both with and
without the puck, at times relying too heavily on his skill and passing ability instead of
continuing to move his feet. Defensively, he is a liability right now, with poor habits like
skating away from puck races and lacking urgency in coverage. There are shifts where he
looks like a top-end offensive talent, and others where he is barely involved. I am still a
believer because the skill is top notch, but it is frustrating to watch at times, and the
inconsistency raises real questions. For me, the projection comes with risk, likely a little past
the mid-first round at this stage, with top-six winger potential if it all clicks, a stylistic profile
closer to a modern-day Jonathan Drouin, but with a ceiling that could resemble Jonathan
Huberdeau in my opinion.