DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY

Author: Karson McArthur

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Tommy Bleyl (RD)

    Tommy Bleyl:
    Projection: Top 4 Defenceman
    Strengths: Elite skating, Playmaking, Shooting
    Weaknesses: Physicality, Defensive IQ

    Analysis:
    Tommy Bleyl might be the most under-the-radar defenceman in this
    draft. The main attribute in his game is his elite skating. He has
    elite mobility and shiftiness, which is attributed to his excellent
    edge control and very good top speed. He moves around the ice so
    effortlessly that it allows him to jump up in the rush or maintain his
    gap control against very fast attackers. His playmaking and vision are
    also extremely good. His passes are crisp and always placed on the
    tape of his teammates. He sees the ice very well to find open ice and
    lanes through sticks. His decision-making with the puck is excellent,
    too, consistently making the right play. He also has a very deceptive
    release, making his shot a dangerous tool for him as well.

    Where he needs to improve is in his physicality. He needs to put on a
    little bit of muscle to help improve his net front and along the boards
    battling. He isn’t the best at using his body to separate opponents
    from pucks or box them out in front due to his size. I have found in
    the games I watched him, he sometimes has a lapse defensively, where
    he leaves his assignment open for a little longer than I like, or he
    defends them well with his stick, but then doesn’t take the body out
    of the play as well.

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Ludvig Andersson (RW)

    Ludvig Andersson:
    Projection: Bottom 9 Winger
    Strengths: Hockey IQ, Energy and physicality, Skating
    Weaknesses: Strength, Translation to the next level

    Analysis:
    Ludvig Andersson plays with an incredible amount of heart and skill.
    Even though he is a little smaller in stature, he plays just as well
    as anyone else in every aspect of the game. His most standout
    attribute is his hockey IQ and ability to visualize the game. He
    understands where everyone is on the ice constantly and uses that
    information to elevate his decision-making to make the best play
    available to him. He uses great playmaking and vision in combination
    with his hockey IQ to create opportunities in every area of the ice if
    the puck ever reaches his stick. He is reliable in his own zone due to
    his positioning and active stick, and isn’t afraid to engage in battles
    when needed. That’s honestly the second-best thing in his game, his
    willingness to use his smaller frame to attack his opponents
    relentlessly, like a dog on a bone, creating energy and chaos. You’d
    think that his smaller frame would result in his physical style of
    game being less effective, but it’s because of his small frame that
    his skating is remarkably good, allowing him to chase down opponents
    and hound them with ease.

    My only worry with his game would be his current lack of strength and
    ability to translate his game to the next level as an undersized
    player. If he had even another seven pounds of muscle, his physical
    game would improve dramatically, resulting in hits that would be more
    meaningful and heavy, creating more turnovers or, at the very least
    more pressure on his opponents. Building strength only requires time
    and development, so only time will tell how much this will improve.
    Similarly, once he gets the opportunity to play against stronger
    opposition more consistently, only time will tell how well his game
    will translate to that level.

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Lucas Ambrosio (LD)

    Lucas Ambrosio:
    Projection: Bottom Pair Defence
    Strengths: Defensive attributes, Hockey IQ, Mobility
    Weaknesses: Offensive impact, Straight line speed, Active stick in
    defensive zone

    Analysis:

    Lucas Ambrosio will become an excellent defensive defenceman for
    whichever NHL team drafts him. The biggest thing that stands out in
    his game is how effective he is as a defender. He utilizes his size to
    his advantage, whether that be battling along the boards or in front
    of the net, defending the rush with his extreme reach, or sacrificing
    his body to block shots. His size helps him become a super-effective
    defender in any situation. His hockey IQ is amazing too, reading and
    anticipating plays with ease to disrupt passing lanes or interrupt a
    pass entirely, jumping up on his assignment when needed, and even
    joining the rush or carrying the puck himself out of his own zone when
    necessary. It helps that he is very agile for a guy of his size, using
    good edges and lower-body strength to maneuver around the ice with
    relative ease. His passing is also a strong suit of his, being able to
    break out or find open teammates in the offensive zone with crisp and
    clean passes.

    The biggest flaw in his game for me would be his offensive impact.
    Apart from joining the rush or pinching in the offensive zone when
    appropriate, he doesn’t provide a whole bunch in terms of offence. He
    also needs to work on his straight-line speed, as he’s not the
    quickest at being able to retrieve dumps in pucks or blow by defenders
    if he chooses to rush the puck himself. My only schtick with his
    defensive game is that I wish he used his long reach more often when
    keeping opponents to the perimeter and taking away passing lanes. He
    does it occasionally, but he would be even more effective than he is
    now if he did it constantly.

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Nate Yellowaga (LD)

    Nate Yellowaga:
    Projection: Bottom 4 Defence
    Strengths: Skating, Hockey IQ, Playmaking
    Weaknesses: Positional lapses, Details

    Analysis:

    Nate Yellowaga is a gifted skater who can do a little bit of
    everything. I would put him in the running for the best skater in this
    entire draft class, having super strong edge control, a perfectly
    fluid stride, and great agility and power in his skating. Watching him
    skate around the ice looks like he’s effortlessly flowing around like
    a river, rarely having trouble getting around the ice to loose pucks
    or following the puck carrier around. He has a great hockey IQ to
    complement his skating, reading plays and anticipating where the puck
    is going to go next to stay one step ahead and get into the proper
    position quickly. His IQ also helps with his vision and playmaking,
    being able to make one-touch or no-look passes with ease or finding
    the best play available once he receives the puck. Defensively, he is
    good at containing and applying pressure to his opponents, clogging up
    passing and shooting lanes, and has a willingness to block shots and
    sacrifice his body for his goalie.

    For the most part, my only concern with Yellowaga’s game is his
    details. Because I find him to be super well rounded and able to do a
    little bit of everything, the best way for him to improve his game for
    me would be ironing out the kinks and focusing on the details. He
    could become a more consistent outlet passer when breaking out of his
    own zone, develop some more strength to win board and net front
    battles more consistently, and work on his quick decision making as
    there are some instances where he makes a poor choice that leads to an
    opportunity against. Those are just several examples, but pretty much
    every detail in his game could be worked on to some extent. The other
    big flaw would be the occasional positional lapse he has. He has a
    strange tendency to sometimes just completely ignore his assignment in
    his own zone or attempt to join the rush before his team even has
    control of the puck. Why this occurs, I’m not too certain, but it’s a
    noticeable flaw that needs to be improved upon for sure.

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Thomas Rousseau (RW)

    Thomas Rousseau:
    Projection: Bottom 9 Forward
    Strengths: Hockey IQ, Puck control, Versatility
    Weaknesses: Strength, Size, Patience

    Analysis:

    Thomas Rousseau is an incredibly versatile undersized forward. In
    every situation of the game, his immense amount of hockey IQ allows
    him to be an effective player on the ice. At five on five, he is
    excellent at supporting his teammates along the wall, being an option
    for an easy breakout pass, and controls his opponents’ options with an
    active stick and continuous head on a swivel, dissecting their options
    and the best way he can eliminate the most dangerous one. Offensively, he
    is very good at making quick one-touch passes in transition, being a
    hard-checking F1 or supportive F2, and finding the open ice to be an
    option for a pass, deflection, or rebound. On the power play, he is
    good at gaining the opponent’s blueline while being effective with his
    hockey IQ and vision, playing either the bumper or flank. On the
    penalty kill, he again leverages his defensive attributes along with
    his strong faceoff prowess to be a reliable PKer.

    His flaws are unfortunately out of his control for the most part. The
    main thing is his size, being able to remain a super versatile forward
    in the next level won’t be the easiest thing to do because of his
    height. He also lacks a significant amount of muscle, but it will just
    take a few seasons and summers of developing to overcome that. The
    easiest thing he can develop in his game is a little more patience
    with the puck. There are times that he touches the puck as soon as he
    gets it, whereas if he waited just a second or two longer there would
    have been a better, more dangerous option available to him. In all
    honesty, he is very capable of becoming a very good NHL player, he
    just requires time to develop his body to the level needed to become
    that player.

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Oscar Holmertz (C)

    Oscar Holmertz:
    Projection: Middle 6 Forward
    Strengths: Stick skills, Foot speed and fluidity, Versatility and reliability
    Weaknesses: Physicality, Release

    Analysis:
    Oscar Holmertz might be the most underrated player in this entire
    class. In my viewings of him, he has been nothing short of dominant.
    He has very impressive stick skills, blocking passing lanes, lifting
    sticks to steal pucks, or knocking down cross-ice passes. If he
    creates a turnover, he has incredible speed and edge work to make it
    up ice in a hurry. His fluid stride is something you cannot teach. He
    is so good in every zone of the ice that he plays in every situation
    and is capable of taking faceoffs. His vision is extraordinary, too,
    making passes that shouldn’t be possible and staying one step ahead of
    the play constantly. He is so smart and patient, sometimes it can look
    like he’s not getting involved just to have the puck appear on his
    stick.

    My faults with his game are that he isn’t nearly as physical as I wish
    he were. If he wants to have an easier time transitioning to the NA
    game, he needs to develop a bit of physicality in his game. I’m also
    not that fond of his release, not that it’s inherently bad, I just
    think it’s very telegraphed and not snappy enough to deceive more
    talented goalies.

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Tomas Chrenko (C)

    Tomas Chrenko:
    Projection: Middle 6 Center
    Strengths: Sneaky release, Compete, Offensively versatile
    Weaknesses: Size, Lack of handles

    Analysis:
    Tomas Chrenko is a competitive, disciplined, scoring centerman.
    Chrenko is one of the hardest-working players in this draft. He never
    takes a shift off, always puts in effort supporting his teammates in
    his own end or on back checks, and makes an effort to create turnovers
    with his defensive stick. For all the work he puts in, he gets
    rewarded by nearly never taking a bad penalty and is constantly
    noticeably impacting the game. On top of his competitiveness and
    discipline, he can be very dangerous in the offensive zone. He has a
    very sneaky release that he can fire through traffic or beat goalies
    one-on-one clean. If he gets enough space in tight, he has fast hands
    to make quick moves around goalies. Although he’s not the most
    creative playmaker, he is great at finding open ice and taking
    advantage with his agility and foot speed.

    His biggest weaknesses, like most other skilled forwards, are because
    of his size. He’s on the smaller side, especially in terms of
    centermen, which could be a big problem when it comes to translating
    into the NA pro game. His lack of size inhibits him from being an
    effective force along the boards if the opponent has body position on
    him. It also makes him struggle a bit in the faceoff dot, but I have
    noticed an improvement as the season has progressed. He also gets
    knocked off pucks more often than most, but he doesn’t wait to hustle
    to get it back. His puck-handling skills are also slightly subpar in
    my eyes.

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Niklas Aaram-Olsen (LW)

    Niklas Aaram-Olsen:
    Projection: Middle 6 Winger
    Strengths: Release, Explosive skating, Confidence along the boards
    Weaknesses: Effort and consistency, Execution in his playmaking

    Analysis:
    Niklas Aaram-Olsen could be another late first-round steal in this
    draft. He’s a very confident and intelligent player, dictating plays
    and making use of open ice. He has an exceptional release that can
    find its way through traffic or beat goalies clean. He sees the ice
    very well and positions himself in places to make an impact. Along the
    boards, he is strong and agile, creating and taking advantage of any
    open space given the opportunity. He also has a very good
    stick-handling ability for someone of his size and stature.

    My concern is his consistency and effort. He can take shifts off or
    over analyze plays, effectively taking him out of the play and
    becoming ineffective. There are times when he gets caught floating
    around waiting for the puck to come to him, or he doesn’t back-check
    when needed. He also lacks consistency in his playmaking. His passes
    aren’t always crisp or reach their intended destination. He sees the
    ice really well, but struggles to translate that into his passing and
    playmaking.

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Elton Hermansson (RW)

    Elton Hermansson:
    Projection: Second-line winger
    Strengths: Excellent anticipation and play reading, 200-foot game,
    Hockey IQ, Power play
    Weaknesses: Physical game, top speed, wrist shot release

    Analysis:
    Elton Hermansson is an excellent pass-first, defensive-minded winger.
    He understands the intricacies of the game very well, often being one
    step ahead of the play and dictating how the play should develop with
    the puck on his stick. He uses above-average footwork to open up lanes
    to or from his stick, sliding passes through seams, or looking for the
    open man back door. He’s also excellent on the defensive side of the
    puck, defending off the rush well through a strong back check and good
    stick work. He also has a slapshot he can let rip on the power play if
    he’s found wide open with time to let it fly.

    My biggest absence in his game is his physicality. He often is smart
    enough to get ahead of the play, so he doesn’t have to use his body,
    but when the time comes to use his body to defend the puck or push off
    an opponent, he struggles to generate enough strength to win the puck
    back frequently. I find he doesn’t have the highest top speed either,
    which is a minor setback. Lastly, I wouldn’t consider his wrist shot
    to be a major asset of his either.

  • 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Wyatt Cullen (LW)

    Wyatt Cullen (Ranked #24 on my list):
    Projection: Middle 6 Winger
    Strengths: Edge work, Release, Stick skills, Very young
    Weaknesses: Size and physicality, Absence of engagement, Defensive attributes

    Analysis:
    Wyatt Cullen is a high-octane offensive play driver. When he has the
    puck, he utilizes confidence, strong edge control, and impressive
    stick skills to outmaneuver defenders and generate offense. He has a
    special ability to use his edges to deke around defenders, protect the
    puck, or grant him enough mobility to get open in the offensive zone.
    He has a snappy release and a strong one-timer that make him even more
    threatening on the power play. With the puck on his stick, Cullen can
    be the most dangerous player in the game and completely take over.

    However, when he doesn’t have the puck on his stick, I think he can be
    completely absent from the game. I find him waiting for the game to
    come to him, puck watching, and floating around until his teammates
    can get him the puck. He lacks a sense of urgency without the puck,
    which is the best way I could describe it. I don’t think he is the
    best in the defensive zone either. Along the wall, he doesn’t have
    enough strength to push opponents off pucks and retrieve them cleanly.
    The bright side about his weaknesses is that he is such a late
    birthday, he is only a week from being eligible next year. That gives
    him up to an extra few months to grow and develop over some other
    players in this class, which could be a huge advantage for his draft
    stock.