DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY

Author: Karson McArthur

  • Jaxon Jacobson (F | 2027 Eligible) – Prospect Report

    Jaxon Jacobson is an offense first centerman. The biggest attribute in his game is his ability to see the ice and take advantage of open space to position himself as either a dangerous passing option or to be the one making the dangerous cross ice pass. He utilizes this ability in multiple different situations. Whether it be on the powerplay, even strength, or a quick transition up ice, Jacobson is constantly looking to utilize any open ice to leverage himself or his teammates as dangerous options. Both his skating and playmaking abilities help support his ability to make use of open ice, having both great agility and speed to chase down loose pucks or maneuver to open ice while being able to make difficult passes through opponents sticks or create more space between himself and his opponents through his solid stick handling.

    Being an offensive minded player, his downfall going into his draft year season for me would be his defensive zone play, consistency, and physical aspects. The quality he needs to improve the most in his game is his effectiveness in his own zone. I found that he would be more worried about the puck and puck carrier when defending his own zone instead of worrying about his own assignment. This led to a couple instances where his assignment got away from him or gained an extra step which led to an opportunity against. To improve this area of his game, I would like him to become more aware of his surroundings, similar to how he does in the offensive zone, and limit open ice using his stick and positioning instead of taking advantage of it like in the offensive zone. Next, I found there were attributes in his game that were fairly inconsistent. Throughout the tournament, there were passes and times where he was backchecking or forechecking where you could see he wasn’t giving it his all. In terms of the passes, they were either weak flutter pucks or completely off target, creating a turnover or led to an icing. Both of those aspects, his skating and passing, when he’s at his best are super strong areas of his game, but when he isn’t there is a stark contrast in those areas of his game. To improve his consistency, I would like to see him this season try to compete at the same speed throughout every situation every time he hits the ice. As for his passing, most of the passes he “failed” on throughout the tournament were due to him not taking an extra second to evaluate the situation, so I’d suggest for him to take that extra second with the puck before making those passes throughout the season to improve his consistency in that area of the game. Lastly, his physical aspects are a noticeably weak area of his game. Similar to almost everyone in the draft this time of year, I would suggest for him to work on his strength and frame throughout the season to develop his size, power, and strength to take that step to the next level after the draft next June.

  • Jonah Neuenschwander (F | 2027 Eligible) – Hlinka Gretzky Cup Report

    Jonah Neuenschwander is impossible to miss when he’s on the ice. Not only does his gigantic frame tower over every other player on the ice, but he constantly involves himself in the play to search for advantages and opportunities for his team. The biggest contribution he brings to his team is his hockey IQ, being able to read and anticipate plays before they even happen to properly position himself as a passing option, to pick off an opponent’s pass, or be the first to a loose puck. His hockey IQ helps him in every aspect of the game to remain one step ahead while bringing a versatile set of skills to capitalize on being that one step ahead. With the puck, he is great at leveraging his IQ and vision to make quick one-touch passes or carry the puck to open ice while evaluating new options. Offensively without the puck, he is great at driving the net for deflections, rebounds, or even as a passing option. Due to his size, his presence in front of the net creates chaos while his opponents try to restrict his ability from making an impact in the slot. Defensively, he is great at containing his opponents to the perimeter, using his stick to try and create turnovers or intercept passes, and is fairly effective at helping his defencemen when the situation calls for it.

    Though I believe that there is an extremely high likelihood that Neuenschwander will be, at the very least, a top ten pick next June, there are still a few aspects of his game I would like to see him improve on over the season to make that an absolute guarantee. First, his skating would be his biggest aspect to improve upon for me. I would like him to develop more length out of his stride, using his long legs to generate more power per stride as opposed to taking many short strides in quick succession like he does now. His top speed and ability to chase down pucks would greatly improve with a longer stride. Similarly, he needs to improve his agility. Though a longer stride wouldn’t directly improve his agility, being able to conserve more energy from taking fewer strides would indirectly affect his agility due to having more energy readily available for when he needs it in those close quarter situations. Secondly, there are times where he loses his poise with the puck and throws it where he believes he has a teammate, when in reality they’re either not ready for the pass or not there entirely. I would like him to improve on his poise over this season, creating a tendency to hold the puck that extra half second to evaluate his options or take a shoulder check to find his teammates before making the play he decides upon. Lastly, I would like to see him develop his physical game some more. He has a huge frame and utilizes it fairly well, but he isn’t the most effective when using it. He doesn’t have any fear engaging in board or netfront battles, but he isn’t strong enough to guarantee winning those battles consistently. Developing some upper body strength would improve this aspect of his game while preparing him to play in the North American style of game in the future.

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Ossi Tukio (LD)

    Ossi Tukio:
    Projection: Second Pair Defence
    Strengths: Skating, Playmaking, Offensive abilities
    Weaknesses: Defensive attributes, Physicality

    Analysis:

    Ossi Tukio is an all-or-nothing offensive defenceman. Whether you like
    it or not, he is constantly involving himself offensively in whatever
    way he can. He has top-tier skating, in terms of both mobility and
    speed, which makes him a dangerous threat in transition with or
    without the puck. He has great vision and passing abilities, creating
    opportunities from nothing with passes through sticks and open lanes
    alike. His puck control and stick handling are pretty good too, but
    there’s room for improvement there. Overall, if there’s an offensive
    defenceman I’d recommend a team take a flier on, it would be Tukio.

    The reason he is such a high-risk, high-reward player is because of his
    defensive abilities. Offensively, he might be one of the best
    defencemen in this draft, essentially acting as a fourth forward while
    he’s on the ice. When his team is without the puck, though, he can
    almost be a liability. I find that he gets caught puck-watching in his
    own zone, looking for an opportunity to create a turnover and
    transition the puck himself, rather than taking his assignment and
    playing defence. He doesn’t have the best body positioning, his
    defensive stick is okay but needs work, and he doesn’t win board
    battles all that often. He also could use his size more to keep
    opponents to the perimeter or just box them out in front of his own
    net.

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Teddy Lechner (RD)

    Teddy Lechner:
    Projection: Bottom 4 Defence
    Strengths: Skating, Poise with the puck, Hockey IQ
    Weaknesses: Physicality, Strength

    Analysis:

    Teddy Lechner is a solid two-way defenceman who excels in every
    situation. Watching his time in Muskegon, you wouldn’t know he spent
    the majority of the season playing in the Minnesota high school
    league. Immediately, you notice how good of a skater he is. He has
    such a fluid stride, a great top speed, and is super agile on his
    edges. He uses his skating as a weapon, threatening to carry the puck
    out of his own zone, join the rush, or pinch in the offensive zone to
    be an extra option down low, knowing he has the speed to get back in
    time if the puck is turned over. With the puck on his stick, he has an
    immense amount of poise and control, taking as much time as possible
    to decide what the best option he has available to him and executing
    accordingly. This stems from his superb hockey IQ, reading and
    anticipating plays before they happen to remain one step ahead of
    everyone else on the ice.

    The biggest worry in his game is his overall strength and physicality.
    When engaging in battles with opponents, it’s clear that he lacks the
    strength needed to be able to control or contain his opponents where
    he wants them to be. He struggles to push others around and force them
    off the puck on his own. Though he lacks the strength currently, he
    still gives and takes checks in order to create plays when needed,
    showing with a little development to grow stronger, he’d be capable of
    playing the physical style needed to excel at the next levels.

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Alexander Sapozhnikov (LD)

    Alexander Sapozhnikov:
    Projection: Bottom 4 Defence
    Strengths: Poise, Stick skills, Size
    Weaknesses: Strength, Mobility, Top speed
    Note: Overager

    Analysis:

    Alexander Sapozhnikov is a huge puck-moving defenceman. He has immense
    poise with the puck on his stick. He never rushes to make a play and
    considers all his options before making the best play available. His
    passing and vision are extremely good, consistently getting his passes
    from tape to tape and finding open players through lanes. He is great
    at using his stick in every situation. He can use it very well to
    disrupt players on the rush, along the boards in puck battles to come
    out on top, or control the puck while he evaluates his options. His
    size is also a huge plus.

    For someone as big as he is, I wish he would be a little harder to
    battle against. He uses body positioning well to put himself in a
    place to come out on top, but if he was slightly stronger he would
    almost never lose a battle against an opponent. His skating is also
    fairly good for someone as large as he is, but his agility and top
    speed could still use some work. He still has some work to do, but he
    could become a very good value pick in the middle rounds.

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Zac Olsen (RW)

    Zac Olsen:
    Projection: Bottom 9 Forward
    Strengths: Skating, Offensive awareness, Poise, Compete
    Weaknesses: Defensive awareness, Discipline

    Analysis:

    There is a tremendous amount of upside in Zac Olsen’s game. He is
    super versatile and brings a level of compete with him to each and
    every shift. The first thing that catches your eye is his speed. He is
    surprisingly quick when he has the puck on his stick or when he’s
    chasing down attackers. He can suddenly explode for a burst of speed
    you don’t think he could have whenever he wants, making him a
    dangerous transition player. I think he has an elite level of
    offensive awareness too. He is constantly reading the play in the
    offensive zone, putting himself in the best position to be a dangerous
    threat, and causing trouble for anyone defending him. Whether it be in
    front of the net, at the circle, or on the goal line, he has an
    offensive skill set to make him dangerous from any position in the
    offensive zone. He is very poised with the puck as well, making use of
    his stick handling and body positioning to protect the puck and make
    the best play as consistently as he can.

    On the other hand, his defensive attributes could use some work,
    primarily his defensive awareness. In his own zone, I think he can get
    caught watching the puck and leaving his assignment open for his
    opponents to use as an option. From what I have seen, he isn’t the
    most willing to block shots and his stick isn’t as active as I would
    like it to be. I also think he struggles with discipline. Though he
    has a super high level of compete, he struggles to remain calm and
    composed when he is frustrated, occasionally taking bad penalties for
    no reason.

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Morgan Anderberg (LW)

    Morgan Anderberg:
    Projection: Middle 6 Winger
    Strengths: Skating, Stick skills, Creativity
    Weaknesses: Physicality, Positional awareness

    Analysis:
    Morgan Anderberg is a very good two-way winger who excels at creating
    turnovers. His most noticeable attribute in his game for me is his
    stick skills both on and off the puck. With the puck, he controls the
    puck super well with good stick handling, deking, and protective body
    positioning. These skills allow him to carry the puck into the zone or
    evade defenders as he searches for opportunities to put his creative
    playmaking skills to work. Off the puck, he excels at stick checking
    opponents while staying on them extremely well, creating pressure on
    his opponents to make a play sooner rather than later. His creativity
    and playmaking stem from his above-average vision and ability to get
    passes to areas he shouldn’t be allowed to get them to. His skating
    in general is also great, having good agility and top speed to keep up
    with the pace of play in the SHL.

    The biggest question mark in his game for me would be his physicality.
    He defaults to using his stick to generate pressure on opponents,
    which isn’t a horrible thing, but when he is forced into using his
    body to check his opponent, it’s very obvious that he’s significantly
    worse at checking opponents this way and he’s not nearly as
    comfortable doing it. Over time developing he would become better and
    more comfortable with it, but as it stands he would struggle to
    translate his current defensive checking abilities to the next level.
    Also, watching his game there are times when he has positional
    lapses, whether that be leaving his assignment early or just not being
    ready for a pass he should have been ready for, I would worry that his
    mind can’t read the game fast enough to keep up with that pace of play
    due to these lapses.

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Brayden Klimpke (LD)

    Brayden Klimpke:
    Projection: Bottom 4 Defence
    Strengths: Skating, Poise, All-around game
    Weaknesses: Strength, Top speed

    Analysis:
    I wouldn’t be surprised if Klimpke becomes an NHL regular once he
    fully develops. His game is already very conservative and professional
    in the way he plays. He has some very smooth skating to keep up with
    attackers and work to open ice in the offensive zone. He is very agile
    with his stride and can skate himself out of trouble in his own zone
    if needed. With the puck, he has plenty of poise, keeping calm while
    weighing his options to make the best play available to him. He has
    great puck control and uses his body to defend the puck or force
    attackers to the outside. Honestly, every aspect of his game is at an
    above-average level for this class.

    The two things he needs to work on the most would be his physicality
    and top speed. Both will come as he spends a few years developing his
    strength, as he is pretty slight for someone his size. As he gets
    stronger, he will more consistently win puck battles along the boards
    and get faster with his fluid stride. The only real worry I’d have is
    what his highest ceiling is, but if he ends up being a bottom 4
    defenceman, that’s still exceptional value for where I have him ranked
    (Early third round).

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Jean-Cristoph Lemieux (C)

    Jean-Cristoph Lemieux:
    Projection: Third Line Center
    Strengths: Ability to drive the net, Hockey IQ, Puck control
    Weaknesses: Lack of elite attributes, Size and strength

    Analysis:
    When it’s all said and done, Jean-Cristoph Lemieux might be the best
    all-around undersized forward in this draft. He has a special ability
    to drive the net and find loose pucks with ease. He has a very good
    hockey IQ to read plays as they develop to be at the right spot at the
    right time. In tight, he is very good at controlling or shooting the
    puck and making quick decisions under pressure as well. He possesses a
    great amount of poise with the puck on his stick too, not rushing or
    throwing the puck away when under pressure as he looks for the best
    play available to him.  He isn’t a liability defensively and does what
    he is meant to do. He uses his body the best he can to maintain or
    recover the puck. In all honesty, JC Lemieux is an overall very good
    early pick.

    His only downsides are that he is a jack of all trades with nothing
    that jumps out as being elite, and his size. Without an elite
    attribute to hone in on and perfect, it’s going to be rather difficult
    for him to fill a meaningful role in the pro game. It also doesn’t
    help that he’s “small” for a centerman, being only six feet and ~187
    pounds; he needs to bulk up and gather some strength if he wants to
    continue playing center effectively at the next level.

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Luke Schairer (RD)

    Luke Schairer:
    Projection: Second Pair Defenceman
    Strengths: Skating, Defensive aspects, Passing
    Weaknesses: Offensive Aspects

    Analysis:
    Don’t be surprised if Luke Schairer’s name gets called much sooner
    than he’s ranked. NHL teams love big, responsible, smooth-skating,
    right-handed defencemen. That’s exactly what Schairer is. He has an
    excellent stride that allows him to keep up with attackers coming down
    on him. His top speed is very good as well, helping him get to loose
    pucks or move the puck up ice quickly. He makes excellent use of his
    body to angle out attackers along the boards or to the corners, as
    well as boxing out in front of his own net. He has some good passing,
    too, making him a manageable option on the power play or in
    transition.

    Schairer really needs to grow his offensive game to make the
    transition to the next level. Apart from his passing, the rest of his
    offensive game leaves a lot to be desired. He’s good at getting pucks
    through towards the net, but doesn’t really have a dangerous shot to
    beat goalies clean. He isn’t the most creative player in the world,
    often just making the open and correct pass over a fancy pass to a
    high danger area. Apart from that, I wouldn’t be shocked to see
    Schairer in the NHL as a shutdown defender with some offensive input
    in the future.