I was a huge fan last season of RW Lirim Amidovski (4th-round, Minnesota), and I’m now a big a fan of his little brother Nathan, a C-rated LW/C who plays for the 67’s. Nathan is 6’1.5”, but is a very slight 183 lbs and needs to bulk up and get stronger. He’s a well-trained puckhandler, a hard-worker, and a diligent pace-pusher whose skating is a real strength. Right now, he’s sitting at 16 points in 18 games for Ottawa (a pace that puts him at 57 points in 64 games), who sit in 3rd-place in the OHL, and has posted 7 points in the last 6 contests. Amidovski plays a bit of a power game, but isn’t consistently physical, although he works hard in battles and does a lot of the heavy lifting for his line. He can make plays, and has a hard, deceptive release.
– Amidovski’s teammate, B-rated LC Thomas Vandenberg (5’11.5”, 179 lbs) was turning heads before going down to injury near the end of October, although he was on a 4-game pointless streak at the time. To date he has produced 6 goals and 12 points in 13 games for the 67’s, a pace that would put him at 54 points in 59 games at the end of the current campaign. One of the youngest players in the 2026 Draft (September 8th birthday), Vandenberg is extremely reliable in all situations and very well-rounded in his skillset: he’s a good skater, owns well-developed puck-skill, displays play-driving capabilities, and has a nose for the net. He can unleash a laser shot, and has good hands in-tight to beat goalies from the slot. He’s not the biggest player out there, but he’s not afraid to play through contact, is not afraid of traffic, drives the middle, and dishes out some physicality of his own.
– Another player I really appreciate is B-rated LW Chase Harrington (6’0.5”, 195 lbs) of the Spokane Chiefs, who is lurking around the end of the first-round/ early second in most mocks. Harrington should be well above a point per game this season, based on his 2024-25 production of 50 points in 68 games, as well as the fact that he’s a little older, sporting an October 30th Birthday, but as it stands- he has only managed to post 14 points in 20 games (a pace that would put him at 48 points in 68 games). He also rides shotgun with highly touted RW Mathis Preston, who has had the same trouble putting up offense (they occupy the top-two spots in scoring for Spokane). The problem lies mainly with the team, who are 14th out of 23 teams, and are 21st in goals-scored. Harrington is a rambunctious power-forward who never passes up the opportunity to dish out a thunderous hit, and his 42 PIM show how mean he is. The reason he’s rated so highly though is the fact that he’s quite skilled, skates very well, is a very well-balanced two-way competitor, and though he is often seen supporting Preston’s efforts he is capable of driving play himself. Simply put, Harrington is a lot better than his production would indicate, and if he can put more points on the board- teams with a pick in the late-twenties will be looking closely at him. Love this kid!
– The Hitmen are 6th-place overall in the WHL but they have also had issues scoring sitting in 16th for goals-scored. The lack of offense might be affecting B-rated LW Landon Amrhein (6’4.5”, 190lbs) who has only managed to put up 13 points in 19 games, which prorates to 47 points over 68 games in a slightly watered-down league. To be fair, Amrhein is still getting used to his surroundings, as he was playing last season in Texas, and for a winger who specializes in playmaking, it’s hard to show up in the boxscore when your linemates aren’t finishing. Amrhein is a smooth and projectable skater but he will need plenty of work on his explosiveness and acceleration, and for a kid with his size he could afford to be much more physical than he is. He uses his body to drive the middle though, he will power his way to the inside position on opponents, and works hard for loose pucks. Amrhein handles well and is a gifted passer with good vision and IQ, but could afford to add a better goal-scoring element to his repertoire. He is also a responsible two-way forward who is tied for the lead in plus/minus on the Hitmen, with a +8. My bet is that he has a big second-half to the season.
– Speaking of the Hitmen, B-rated LD Ben Macbeath (who hails from Calgary) has put up enough offense on a goal-starved team to catch one’s attention with 11 points in 19 games (prorated to 39 points in 68 games) to lead their backend by 4 points. He is 6’2”, 184 lbs and came over in a trade that sent Captain Carson Wetsch to Kelowna after an impressive 16-year-old season that saw him post 34 points in 53 games for Salmon Arm of the BCHL, which led their defense in scoring by 19 points. Though he doesn’t employ much physicality and doesn’t display a mean edge, he is a well-developed rush-defender and seems to specialize in separating man from puck in the defensive zone with clever stick-work, expert angling, and tight gap-control. In the other end of the ice, he activates quite often and gets pucks on-net with good frequency. Macbeath has decent speed, but even better edges and agility to pivot on a dime, transition seamlessly, and surf laterally with quickness.
– Power-winger RW Cole Zurawski (6’0.5”, 192 lbs) is off to a great start, with 11 goals and 20 points in 20 games for Owen Sound of the OHL, despite being C-rated. At his best, Zurawski is an intense, strong-skating, two-way goal-scorer with an NHL shot but too often, he is the victim of inconsistencies in his effort and engagement, as well as his physical game and pace. Even still, if he can keep up his scoring pace, there are plenty of teams that will be interested in his services on Draft-day, as he has plenty of projectable NHL tools.
Carter Stevens of the Guelph Storm. Photo by Natalie Shaver/OHL Images
– C/RW Carter Stevens (6’2.25”,195 lbs) is another player who got off to a nice start, with 7 goals and 14 points in 15 games for Guelph (OHL) before succumbing to the injury bug. The B-rated pivot plays a responsible 200-ft game, and is very well-rounded showing a strong skating stride, a competitive nature, and intelligence in all situations. He competes in the dirty areas, goes to the net, attacks the inside, and is a force along the boards and down low. Stevens can make plays but makes most of his living in funnelling pucks to the net, finishing in-tight, and beating goalies with his arsenal of hard shots.
-In his 16 year-old season, B-rated LW Adam Nemec (6’1”, 176 lbs) registered the 27th-best season in the history of the Slovakian U20 league, with 57 points in 43 games. In 2024-25, with more games (35) in the men’s pro leagues, he only played 32 games in the U20 circuit but put up 51 points, which is tied for the 35th-best ppg (1.59) by a U-18 player with 10 games or more in a season in the league’s history. In the same season he tied for the 27th-best season all-time by a U-18 player in the top men’s league with 7 points in 20 games (23rd in ppg, with .35 for players with 10 games or more), and put up the 30th-best season by a U-18 player with 10 games or more for ppg (.60) in the 2nd-tier league, with 9 points in 15 games. In the current season to date, Simon’s little brother has posted 7 points in 19 games in the top league, but is a little older by draft standards with an October 18th, 2007 birthdate. Even with his advanced age, I would say that Nemec is more potential right now than finished product but his ceiling is quite high, so much so that many have him in the middle of the first-round in some rankings. He’s an excellent playmaker with top-tier sense and vision but I think his rigid attention to playing a tight two-way game might mean a decrease in points for him, which is definitely not a bad thing. His boots need a bit of attention but his work ethic and motor more than compensate right now, and he could stand to use his body a bit more, but he plays an NHL style.
– LHC Olivers Murnieks (6’0.25”, 200 lbs), who is B-rated, got off to a pretty good start in his first season with the Saint John Sea Dogs, collecting 9 points in his first 9 games but he has since faltered, with only 2 points in his last 9. More was expected of him this year,after a 2024-25 season that saw him post a very respectable 35 points in 52 USHL games with the Sioux City Musketeers as a 16 year-old, which ties him with Matt Boldy (among others) for the 35th-best U-17 season in the history of the league (and 1 point behind Adam Fantilli and Frank Nazar). Murnieks is another import who plays a detailed and responsible two-way game, disrupting the opposition’s attack, then driving play in the other direction. He isn’t really dynamically skilled or fast, but his hockey sense is near-elite, and he employs a power game to win positioning in the offensive zone, and separate man from puck in the defensive zone.
– When he was 17, NHL-star Mikko Rantanen put up 9 points in 37 games in the SHL, for a ppg of 0.24. A-rated C Oliver Suvanto has posted 5 points in 22 games in the SHL, for a ppg of 0.23, as one of the youngest players in the 2026 draft- sporting a September 3rd, 2008 birthday. Suvanto made waves in the summer’s Hlinka tournament, where he led all Finnish forwards in ice-time by a wide margin, played in all situations, and even wore an “A” for Suomi- putting up 4 points in 5 games. He’s a fantastic two-way C who wins faceoffs, drives play with his heightened vision and awareness, plays a physical game, protects the puck well, and wins board battles. Skating could use a little work though. Look for him in the latter-third of the first-round.
– LW Adam Novotny (6’1”, 204 lbs), who was rated an “A”, has largely been in most watchers’ top-20 for the upcoming draft. Part of the recognition might be coming from his performances in the U-18 Tournament (6 points in 5 games for the Czechs, 2nd in scoring on the team), and the Hlinka (5 points in 5 games, 3rd in scoring on the team). He is plying his trade right now for the 11th-place Peterborough Petes and has so far amassed 11 goals and 21 points in 21 games. Novotny has 51 games of pro experience under his belt from the Czech league over the last two seasons, but has only put up a combined 4 points. Even so, he exerts a pro style game that includes detailed and reliable two-way play, and the capacity to play a rugged physical style. He is blessed with top-notch vision and hockey sense, as well as a robust shooting arsenal, and is an excellent skater. He started out a tad slow while he acclimated himself to the OHL, with only 2 points in his first 5 games, but has settled in nicely with 19 points over his last 16- to lead the Petes in scoring.