DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY

Author: Stuart Miller Davis

  • Weekly 2026 Draft Eligible Three Stars

    J.P Hurlbert Continues His Hot Start to the Year

    The 2025–26 Canadian Hockey League season is shaping up to be another showcase of emerging star power, with several draft-eligible talents making their mark early. Top prospects are wasting no time turning heads coast-to-coast, from a scorching start in Kamloops to dominant play down the middle in Oshawa and a power-play clinic in Peterborough. J.P. Hurlbert has been the talk of the Western Hockey League with a torrid scoring pace that’s drawing historic comparisons, Brooks Rogowski is using his size and skill to elevate his draft stock, and Adam Novotny continues to prove why he’s one of the Ontario Hockey League’s most dangerous young wingers. Here’s a closer look at three standout performances that defined this past week for draft eligibles.

    J.P Hurlbert | RW | Kamloops Blazers

    J.P. Hurlbert’s start to the Western Hockey League campaign has gotten people in hockey very excited for his pro potential. The 5-foot-11, 176 pound winger leads the league in points after roughly two weeks of regular season play with 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 11 games.

    The Allen, Texas, native, who joined Kamloops via the United States National Development Team Program U17 team, continued to build on his hot start with eight points (two goals, six assists) in four contests in the past week. The two-way forward started his week contributing an assist on all four Blazers goals in a 4-3 overtime win over the Regina Pats. He followed it up with a goal and an assist on Thursday in a 7-5 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors. Hurlbert drove the net and popped in a rebound to pick up his 11th goal in ten games on Friday, but the Blazers fell 6-3 to the Brandon Wheat Kings. Hurlbert was held off the scoresheet on Sunday during a 3-2 shootout loss to the Swift Current Broncos. It wasn’t for lack of trying, as he had 13 shot attempts with five hitting the target. Defensively, he was credited with six shot blocks in the contest.

    Hurlbert’s hot start has him on pace for a 68 goal, 80 assist, 148 point season, which would be the third-best draft-eligible season in the WHL behind Rob Brown’s 173 points in 1985-86 and Ken Yaremchuk’s 157 points in 1981-82. It would put him five points ahead of what Connor Bedard accomplished in 2022-23.

    Brooks Rogowski | C | Oshawa Generals

    In a draft year without a definite number one center, there is plenty of room for the young men who play down the middle to up their draft stock. Brooks Rogowski of the Oshawa Generals could find himself in that conversation.

    The Brighton, Michigan, native has excellent size and has shown a knack for getting on the scoresheet. The 6-foot-6, 227 pound middleman is averaging the second most ice time for forwards with an average of 22:15, behind only Columbus Blue Jackets fifth-round pick Owen Griffin.

    Rogowski opened the week by tying up the score 2-2 on the power play by collecting a rebound off a Hoaxi Wang shot and shoveling it past the Windsor Spitfires goaltender. He added a goal and an assist on Thursday night in a 7-3 loss to the Peterborough Petes. He led the Generals forwards in ice time on Saturday in a 7-1 drubbing of the Generals by the Kingston Frontenacs. He finished off the week with a four-assist afternoon as the Generals avenged its earlier loss to Peterborough, besting them 6-4.

    Adam Novotny | LW | Peterborough Petes

    Adam Novotny is an early favorite to land somewhere in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, and his start with Peterborough is sure to keep him in those talks. After spending the 2024-25 season split between junior national team duties and Mountfield HK’s pro team, the 6-foot-1 winger has acclimatized well to the OHL with 11 points in 11 games.

    Novotny opened his scoring for the week by being in the perfect place to pop a rebound by the Oshawa Generals’ goalkeeper to give the Petes a 4-1 lead in the second period. He added an assist later in the contest, making a slick move around a Generals defender and firing a shot that left a juicy rebound that teammate Matthew Soto pushed home. He wasn’t done there; Novotny put the game way out of reach after some good passing by the Petes’ power play. Novotny took a feed, waited a second for traffic to set up, and wired a wrist shot that the Generals keeper had no chance to get.

    Novotny continued to show his prowess on the power play throughout the week. During his team’s second contest of the OHL’s inaugural Rivalry Week, he took a feed while the Petes were on a 5-on-3 and wired a one-timer to put his team ahead 2-0. He added another power play marker in his team’s final contest of the week. After skating the puck up the ice, Novotny fed the point and then set up for a return pass. After getting the puck back, he stepped in and wired a wrist shot that had eyes for the back of the net.

  • Weekly 2026 Draft Eligible Three Stars

    The 2025-26 hockey season is now in full swing, with the NHL getting its first games out of the way. Hockey watching for scouts and fans interested in the next wave of players to join the professional ranks got started a little earlier, with the Canadian Hockey League member leagues, the NCAA, and European leagues launching their campaigns in September.

    The 2026 draft class has plenty of intrigue at the top, with a potential superstar in Gavin McKenna plying his trade in the NCAA this season. Beyond the Yukon native, the talent in this year’s crop of prospects should make a stout top of the draft in June.

    Every week, this column will break down at least three top performers for this upcoming draft.

    Xavier Villeneuve | LD | Blainville-Boisbriand Armada

    Xavier Villeneuve has started the 2025-26 campaign in the QMJHL exactly how those who have watched him would expect: by piling up points. The 5-foot-11 rearguard helped the Armada to a pair of wins over Newfoundland with seven points (one goal, six assists) in the last week of play.

    Villeneuve picked up a secondary assist on St. Louis Blues’ 2025 first-rounder Justin Carbonneau’s second goal of the contest as Blainville built an early two-goal advantage. Blainville sailed to a 10-4 win in that contest, with Villeneuve getting credit for the team’s ninth goal late in the second period.

    In the second game of a back-to-back against Newfoundland, the Laval native continued to help Blainville fill the opponent’s net. The 18-year-old had helpers on all five of Blainville’s goals in a 5-2 win. Villeneuve leads his squad in average ice time so far in this campaign with 22:23 minutes per game and is scoring one and a half points per game.

    Vladimír Dravecký | RD | Brantford Bulldogs

    Vladimír Dravecký was drawing attention to himself as a potential player to watch during his 2024-25 season when he was nearly a half-point-a-game player in Sweden’s J20 Nationell and played in three SHL games for Rogle. He’s made a smooth transition to North America, jumping on a contending team with Brantford in the OHL.

    Dravecký opened up his scoring for the week, jumping up on the rush and firing a quick shot that beat Niagara’s goalie cleanly to get his team back within one. He added an assist later in the game as Brantford came back from down 2-0 to win 7-4.

    The right-handed defenseman added the cherry on top against Sudbury as Brantford took the contest 6-0. Less than five minutes into the third period, Dravecký took a feed from 2025 Seattle Kraken first-round pick Jake O’Brien and wired a shot through traffic for the 6-0 advantage.

    Dravecký closed out his week with a three-assist performance against Ottawa, handing the 67s their first loss of the season in an 8-5 decision.

    Carson Carels | LD | Prince George Cougars

    Carson Carels is another name to watch in the 2026 class of rearguards. The 6-foot-2, 194 pounder already has good size and has shown a knack for offense from the back end.

    The Cypress River, Manitoba, native has gained the trust of the Prince George staff and played over 30 minutes in two of three games this past week. He shot the puck a lot, with 11 shots in games against Kelowna and Tri-City.

    He picked up two assists as his team fell 5-4 to Kelowna in the week’s opener. He was left off the scoresheet in the first game of a back-to-back with Tri-City. In the second contest, with Prince George trailing by one late in the second, Carels jumped up in play onto a rebound in front of the Tri-City net and fired a backhand behind the keeper. He also had a pair of assists as Prince George fell 4-3.