DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY

Tag: Bryce Pickford

  • Weekly 2026 Draft Eligible Three Stars

    As the NHL season comes closer to the end, the focus intensifies on the 2026 NHL Draft. Especially for fans and management of teams that won’t be competing for the right to lift Lord Stanley’s mug, now is the time to try to figure out which players will best help your club in the future. This week’s three stars are highlighted by the first player in the Canadian Hockey League to top the 100 point mark, a Latvian winger who is hoping to find an NHL home in his second year of eligibility, and a Western Hockey League (WHL) defender who is fighting for the top billing of rearguards from that league.

    Markus Ruck | C | Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)

    Markus Ruck continued his sensational draft year this week by becoming the first player in Canadian major junior to pass 100 points. The Okanagan Prep alumnus is up to 102 points (20 goals, 82 assists) in 66 games. The highly skilled and very smart offensive forward still has work to do in his own zone, but the high-end offensive talent will certainly have NHL teams interested in bringing him in.

    The 6-foot, 168-pound center led all draft-eligible players in scoring in the last week with eight points (a goal and seven assists) in three games. Ruck piled up four assists, collecting first-star honors, as the Tigers rolled over the Regina Pats 6-0.

    The Tigers then had a Friday and Saturday home-and-home mini-series with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. In the first meeting, Ruck picked up a secondary assist on Montreal Canadiens prospect Bryce Pickford’s 44th goal of the season but didn’t make any other noticeable impact on the scoresheet. The next night he had a much bigger role in helping his team secure a 6-5 overtime win. He notched a primary assist on twin brother Liam’s 42nd goal of the campaign to draw the Tigers back to 4-3 early in the third period. The WHL sophomore scored midway through the third to make it 5-4 and then had a secondary assist on the overtime winner.

    Bruno Osmanis | RW | IF Björklöven (Allsvenskan)

    Despite strong production in the Swedish U20 circuit in 2024-25 and a memorable role in Latvia’s upset of Canada at the World Juniors, Bruno Osmanis went undrafted. The Latvian winger has a good chance to be selected this time with another strong World Junior tournament in 2025-26 (six points in five games) and increased production with his club teams.

    Splitting his time between IF Björklöven in Allsvenskan (22 games) and U20 Nationell (24 games), the skilled playmaker has added a little more goal scoring to his arsenal. At the pro level, Osmanis has nine points (four goals and five assists) after just seven (one goal and six assists) a year ago. Osmanis has 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists) playing against just his peers in U20.

    Playing for their lives in the U20 Nationell relegation tournament, Osmanis has been sensational. He opened with scoring a pair of goals while adding an assist in a 6-3 win over Huddinge IK U20. He followed it up with two goals and two assists as his team bested Sollentuna HC U20 7-4.

    Carson Carels | LHD | Prince George Cougars (WHL)

    Carson Carels and Daxon Rudolph continue to battle for the right to be the first WHL defenseman to hear their name called in June. The Prince George rearguard is one point behind Rudolph despite having played in 11 fewer games. Carels is third among draft-eligible defenders in the CHL in points with 73 (20 goals, 53 assists).

    The youngest member of Team Canada at the 2025-26 World Juniors is currently ranked the 14th-ranked skater on Draft Prospect Hockey’s 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings. The Cypress River, MB native had a big week for the Cougars as the team made strides towards overtaking the Kelowna Rockets for the three seed in the WHL’s Western Conference.

    In the first game of the week, Carels fired a puck on goal with just over 30 seconds left, and a teammate drove home the rebound to send the game to overtime. In the extra frame, Carels held the line and skated in with the puck before dishing it to draft-eligible forward Brock Souch for an easy shot over a sprawling goalie.

    In a very tight second game of the week, Carels fired a point shot that redirected in for the only goal of the game in a 1-0 shutout win over the Wenatchee Wild for San Jose Sharks prospect Joshua Ravensbergen. The next night in a rematch with the Wild, the 6-foot-2, 194 pound defender was all over the scoresheet in a 5-0 win. He had primary assists on two power play goals as the Cougars got out to a 2-0 lead. Midway through the third, he scored his 20th goal of the season. He polished off the game with a perfect shorthanded breakaway pass to Washington Capitals prospect Terik Parascak, who tucked it through the goalie’s five-hole.

  • Weekly 2026 Draft Eligible Three Stars

    The season is in its final days for many prospects across the globe. Regular seasons are ending, and the playoffs are in sight. With the stakes rising, these players will have more eyes on them and more to prove as they try to solidify their draft positions. This week’s three stars feature a defenseman piling up points in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), a 17-year-old defender playing pro hockey in his native country, and half of one of the top draft-eligible duos in junior hockey this season.

    Tommy Bleyl | RHD | Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)

    American defenseman Tommy Bleyl has been a point-producing machine in his rookie season in the QMJHL. He leads the league in points (76) and assists (64) by a defenseman in 58 games played. His assist total is higher than Nashville Predators prospect Alex Huang’s 61 points, which is second in the league. Montreal Canadiens prospect Bryce Pickford and overaged defender Jonas Woo are the only rearguards with more points in Canadian junior hockey this season.

    It was a big week for the Schenectady, NY, native, who posted at least two points in all three games for the Wildcats as they came away with a trio of wins. He opened the week with a two-assist game in a 5-1 win over the Cape Breton Eagles. He followed it up with a pair of assists in a 4-1 victory against the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. The Michigan State commit for the 2026-27 season polished off the week with his best offensive showing. The former Fairfield Ranger had five shots on goal, scoring once, and added two assists in a 6-3 win over the Saint John Seadogs.

    Adam Goljer | RHD | HK Dukla Trencin (Slovakia)

    17-year-old Adam Goljer got a taste of pro-level hockey last year in six games, but this year he’s been nearly full-time in the top flight of Slovakian hockey. Outside of a trip to the world juniors and four other international junior competition contests, the Trencin, Slovakia, native has played 43 games for his hometown team. He’s second in average ice time for defensemen on the team among regulars and is tied for first in points with 11 (four goals, seven assists).

    The 6-foot-3, 194-pound defender, who was drafted by the Kingston Frontenacs in the 2025 CHL Import Draft, had a slow start to the season offensively but is getting hot down the stretch. In his last ten games, Goljer has seven points (four goals, two assists). This week the 13th-ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting had six points in a trio of U20 playoff games while registering 12 shots on goal.

    He opened with a lone assist in a 4-1 win. In game two of the playoff series, Goljer had five shots on goal and scored three times on the power play to help power his team to a 6-5 overtime win. Finally, he had a goal and an assist with four shots on goal in a 5-2 victory.

    Liam Ruck | RW | Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)

    Twins Liam and Markus Ruck have been terrorizing the Western Hockey League this season. The brothers born eight minutes apart have an identical league-leading 94 points. Liam has been the major beneficiary of Markus’ playmaking ability, piling up 39 goals, good for fourth in the WHL. The Okanagan Prep alumnus is the 40th-ranked skater in the Draft Prospects Hockey 2026 NHL Draft Rankings.

    Ruck continued his hot play this season with eight points (three goals, five assists) in four games this week. The Osoyoos, BC, native assisted on the first goal and then scored the second for Medicine Hat in the week’s opening game in an 11-2 wallop of the Regina Pats. He added a shorthanded marker and an even-strength goal in the third period as the Tigers ran away with the game.

    In the second game of the week, Ruck was helping his teammates find the back of the net with three helpers, including a perfectly set up power play goal in the first. Ruck only found the scoresheet once in the next two games, picking up an assist in the second period of the Tigers’ 8-4 win over the Red Deer Rebels.