DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY

Author: Stuart Miller Davis

  • Weekly Draft Eligible Three Stars

    1 Slovakian Center and 2 OHL Wingers Shine

    Another week of hockey is in the books, and more young stars are making their cases to be top prospects in the 2026 NHL draft. Slovakian center Tomas Chrenko continued his dominance this season against competition that is much older than him. Pierce Mbuyi showed off his playmaking ability in three wins for his club, and Nikita Klepov maintained his lead atop the OHL scoring for draft eligibles.

    Tomas Chrenko | C | HK Nitra (Slovakia)

    After dominating in U20 Slovakia competition to the tune of 61 points (30 goals, 31 assists) in 28 games in his predraft year, Chrenko began to get some recognition as a potential late first-round pick entering the season. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound center has played in 17 games so far already this year with HK Nitra’s pro team after getting into 26 games with the club last year.

    With more weeks like this past one, Chrenko is sure to catch the eyes of NHL scouts. He opened the week with a two-goal outing in U20 play, helping his team secure a 6-4 victory. Called up to the big club for his second game of the week, the Slovak played just over 17 minutes and registered two assists in a 5-2 loss. He closed out the week with a goal and two assists in 15 minutes of ice time in a 5-0 win. After his team got the zone entry, Chrenko charged the net. The puck went back to the point, and defender Matej Baca fired it on goal. Chrenko quickly fired the rebound past the goalie to give his squad a 3-0 lead.

    Pierce Mbuyi | LW | Owen Sound Attack (OHL)

    Mbuyi, who won the OHL Rookie of the Year award in his first season with Owen Sound (52 points in 63 games) last season, has started the 2025-26 campaign with a scorching 24 points through 18 games. After registering 38 points in 33 games after January 1st last year, the highly skilled winger seems to have figured out how to rack up points in the OHL.

    Mbuyi picked up an assist in wins on Wednesday and Saturday for the Attack and then exploded with a goal and four assists in an 8-3 victory over the Erie Otters on Sunday. After Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Harry Nansi took a big hit to get the puck into the Otters’ zone, Mbuyi snatched it up and skated it in. He then fired a perfectly placed wrist shot past the Otters’ goalkeeper to break the 2-2 tie with 3:12 left to go in the 2nd period.

    Nikita Klepov | RW | Saginaw Spirit (OHL)

    Nikita Klepov has started the 2025-26 campaign on a heater with 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) in 17 games. The Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medalist with the United States in August, where he picked up six points in five games, is garnering plenty of attention for his accolades so far.

    The 6-foot, 181 pound winger put up six points (four goals, two assists) in three games this past week. His biggest game came in a 6-3 win over the Windsor Spitfires, where he registered a pair of goals and added a helper. Klepov got his first of the contest by being in the right place in the offensive zone to pick off a clearing attempt and then had a nearly wide-open wrist shot that beat Windsor goalie Joey Costanzo cleanly over the blocker. He added the daily double while 4-on-4 in the second period. Using the Spitfires defender as a screen, Kelpov fired a wrist shot that caught a peice of Costanzo’s shoulder and trickled across the goal line.

  • Weekly 2026 Draft Eligible Three Stars

    The 2025–26 hockey season continues to roll on, and several top prospects for the 2026 NHL Draft are already turning heads with strong performances across their respective leagues. From the OHL to the WHL and the NCAA, young talents are showcasing the skill, poise, and consistency that scouts crave at this stage of their development. Niagara’s towering center Ryan Roobroeck is beginning to find his offensive rhythm, Vancouver’s smooth-skating blueliner Ryan Lin continues to prove his all-around value on the back end, and Penn State freshman Gavin McKenna—the early favorite to go first overall—has wasted little time making an impact at the collegiate level.

    Here’s a closer look at how each of these rising stars is shaping their early-season narrative.

    Ryan Roobroeck | C | Niagara Ice Dogs (OHL)

    Niagara Ice Dogs center Ryan Roobroeck has made himself a name to watch for the 2026 NHL draft ever since he joined the Ice Dogs in 2023. Despite starting his draft year slowly offensively, the 6-foot-4, 216-pound player quickly gained momentum, scoring six points (three goals and three assists) in just three games.

    The London, ON native started the weekend showing off how dangerous he can be on the power play with a pair of goals while on the man advantage in a 6-3 win over the Brampton Steelheads. Despite being held to just one shot on goal against the Kingston Frontenacs, Roobroeck used his excellent mobility and puck skills to maneuver into the Kingston zone on a one-man break-in and leave the puck for a one-timer to pick up an assist.

    He concluded the weekend with a goal and an assist, helping Niagara defeat Brampton 5-1. With the Ice Dogs leading 3-1 with less than eight minutes to play in the game, Roobreock helped put the game closer to out-of-reach territory for the Steelheads as he tried a toe-drag shot and popped home his own rebound to make it 4-1.

    Ryan Lin | RD | Vancouver Giants (WHL)

    Ryan Lin had an impressive rookie season in the WHL for Vancouver in 2024-25, positioning himself well to be one of the top defensemen in the 2026 class. His impressive start to the 2025-26 campaign, with 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) in 15 games, should continue to establish him as an elite player in the class.

    Lin was excellent at delivering the puck to his teammates with six assists in three games. Lin isn’t a physically imposing presence at 5 feet 11 inches, 176 pounds, but isn’t afraid of the physical game, averaging 1.5 hits a game this season. He had four hits and an assist in a 5-3 win over the Kamloops Blazers on Sunday. The Giants’ leader in average ice time, with 24:44 a game, should continue to play a big role going forward this season.

    Gavin McKenna | LW | Penn State (NCAA)

    It was only a matter of time before Gavin McKenna found his way into this column. The longtime presumptive number one pick in the 2026 class started his college hockey career with a ton of eyeballs on him and, despite not reaching the heights of some other recent freshmen, performed well.

    Playing in a back-to-back weekend with Stonehill, McKenna helped the Nittany Lions pick up two wins with a goal and an assist in both contests. In the friday game, Penn State trailed 2-1 with just under 12 minutes to play when McKenna found some free ice and wired a one-timer to tie the game with his first goal at home. In the second game, McKenna showed off his power play prowess by playing some pitch and catch with his teammates before firing a perfect one-timer for his second goal of the weekend.

  • 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.