The 2026 NHL Draft will be held in June at a site to be determined. NHL.com will take a closer look at some of the draft-eligible players to watch. This week, a profile on center Caleb Malhotra with Brantford of the Ontario Hockey League.
Caleb Malhotra learned long ago to never cheat the game, and those lessons have certainly helped create a greater appreciation for success.
The son of former NHL forward Manny Malhotra, one of the more respected skaters in the game, is so far acing his first big test as a rookie center with Brantford of the Ontario Hockey League, ranking second among all OHL first-year players with 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 23 games.
“Dad was the reason I got into hockey as a kid,” Caleb said. “I watched what he did every day. He went to work, played hockey and it was cool and that’s how I saw the game. But, off the ice, he’s always been a leader and role model, such a strong man and somebody I really strive to be like every day.”
Caleb served as captain for the Canadian Hockey League in the CHL USA Prospects Challenge two-game series staged earlier this week in Calgary and Lethbridge, Alberta. The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, according to Brantford coach Jay McKee.
“He’s a complete player who plays both ways on the puck,” the former NHL defenseman said. “It’s really impressive what he’s done coming in as a first-year player, in his draft year. He kind of found some chemistry right away with the line that I put him on in training camp and we kind of stuck with that for majority of the season. He has the ability to score but he’s the kind of guy that makes the players around him better, so I have no doubt that anyone he plays with, it’s going to be a strong line.”
The elder Malhotra, who currently serves as coach of Abbotsford, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks, was selected No. 7 by the New York Rangers in the 1998 NHL Draft. He played for seven teams over 16 NHL seasons, scoring 295 points (116 goals, 179 assists) in 991 career games, and had a career face-off winning percentage of 56.4, which ranks fourth all-time among players with 5,000-plus attempts.
“Manny and his wife have done an exceptional job at raising a really high quality, character kid in Caleb,” McKee said. “His leadership ability, the way he connects with not just older but younger players, has been great. He often asks for the linesmen’s first name so he can engage with them on the ice. He’s an absolute gem of a human being and we’re grateful to have some time with him.”