The Islanders’ system has jumped up these rankings in recent years, driven almost entirely by the presence of Matthew Schaefer, who looks like a budding star top-pairing defenseman. Kashawn Aitcheson and Malte Gustafsson are also very strong D prospects. It’s not the deepest pipeline, though, especially down the middle.

2025 ranking: 9

2026 NHL Draft grade: C

Player Ranking1. Matthew Schaefer, D

Sept. 5, 2007 | 6-foot-2 | 186 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 1 in 2025
Tier: NHL star

Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: High-end
Compete: Above NHL average

Analysis: Schaefer was clearly the best rookie in the NHL last season, looking like a budding star in the league. He’s a tremendous skater with a powerful, effortless stride. He’s elite both in transition coming up ice and going downhill against play with how easily he can gap up opponents. He uses his feet to attack often, leading and supporting rushes very well. Schaefer is a very intelligent defenseman with legit offensive skills. He creates a lot of chances due to his skating, but he can also break down opponents one-on-one with his hands and finds a lot of seams to make plays. He showed even more offense than some expected, displaying consistent high-end playmaking abilities. Schaefer is also a great competitor. He uses his size to make stops, gives a great effort every shift and projects to be able to stop top players in the NHL. He projects as a star No. 1 defenseman.

2. Kashawn Aitcheson, D

Sept. 21, 2006 | 6-foot-2 | 199 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 17 in 2025
Tier: Bubble top and middle of the lineup player

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end
Shot: Above NHL average

Analysis: Aitcheson was the best defenseman in the OHL last season. He’s a hyper-competitive defender who doesn’t back down from physical play and likes to agitate. He has the bite NHL teams will love, even if he does go over the line at times. He’s a good skater with strong enough hands and hockey sense to make plays at higher levels and a big point shot, too. Aitcheson won’t run a power play, lacking the natural sense at times with the puck, but he projects to have secondary offense while being a physical and defensive force in a top four.

3. Malte Gustafsson, D

June 11, 2008 | 6-foot-4 | 201 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 13 in 2026
Tier: Bubble top and middle of the lineup player

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Analysis: Gustafsson is a large defenseman who’s quite mobile for his frame, competes defensively and has quality offensive skills. His puck play isn’t anything special, but he has good hands and IQ and can make all the basic plays while showing enough poise to create secondary offense in the NHL. Gustafsson shines defensively, with excellent gap control and a heavy element in his game. He projects as a top-four defenseman who can match up with good forwards.

4. Daniil Prokhorov, RW

April 27, 2007 | 6-foot-6 | 219 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 42 in 2025
Tier: Middle of the lineup player

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Below NHL average
Compete: High-end

Analysis: Prokhorov is a huge winger with very good hands. He can make a lot of skilled plays in open ice, at full speed and in traffic. He’s a physical forward who leans into guys with his big body and plays a direct style. Prokhorov isn’t blazing fast, but he moves well for his size and can skate at the higher levels. He isn’t a natural playmaker or scorer, and he can force plays, but he should generate enough chances, especially in the high-percentage areas, which leads to being a coach’s favorite. He could be a hard-to-play-against middle-six winger.

5. Danny Nelson, C

Aug. 3, 2005 | 6-foot-3 | 212 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 49 in 2023
Tier: Middle of the lineup player

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Below NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Analysis: Nelson hasn’t been a huge scorer in college, but he’s been a very good all-around player who has a game that translates to the pros. He’s a 6-foot-3 center who can skate well and has some offense. His skill isn’t what makes him appealing; it’s his compete and hardness to go with his natural athleticism. Nelson is physical, gets to the net, is responsible without the puck and kills penalties well. Nelson doesn’t make a ton of plays, but he could chip in goals. He projects as a highly likable third-line center.

6. Victor Eklund, RW

Oct. 3, 2006 | 5-foot-11 | 169 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 16 in 2025
Tier: Middle of the lineup player

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end
Shot: Above NHL average

Analysis: Eklund was a quality SHL player last season and at the World Juniors for Sweden. He has good speed, but his edge work is what separates his skating ability and how elusive he is in tight. He’s a very skilled forward who makes creative plays and can do so in the tough areas. Eklund is undersized, but he plays like a big man. He’s a tenacious competitor who hunts down pucks and is great at creating chances around the net. He’s extremely physical and looks to play the body on every shift. He projects as a middle-six winger that coaches will love.

7. Calum Ritchie, C

Jan. 21, 2005 | 6-foot-2 | 184 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 27 in 2023
Tier: NHL prospect

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Below NHL average

Analysis: Ritchie was solid as a rookie NHLer. He’s very talented as a 6-foot-2 center with legit speed and skill. He makes a lot of difficult offensive plays on the move through defenders and to teammates. Ritchie can play a bit too much on the perimeter at times, and he can frustrate with his inconsistency. Despite his talent level, he was never an elite scorer in junior. I like the player, but I see more of a bottom-six/third-line center type of forward.

8. Cole Eiserman, LW

Aug. 29, 2006 | 6-foot-0 | 197 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 20 in 2024
Tier: NHL prospect

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: High-end

Analysis: Eiserman has always been one of the best pure goal scorers in any game he’s in. He has a lethal wrist shot and one-timer, often being a threat to score from the faceoff dots, and a power play can flow through his goal-scoring ability. The debate about him is what he provides to a team other than his shot. He’s a good skater, puck handler and passer, and plays reasonably hard, but nothing about his game truly jumps out, and he’s not a premium play driver at even strength. He could play NHL games due to his shot, but he will need to add elements to his game as a pro to be a long-term player.

9. Tomáš Poletín, LW

April 30, 2007 | 6-foot-2 | 206 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 106 in 2025
Tier: NHL prospect

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Below NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Analysis: Poletín’s game won’t generate many highlights, but he checks a lot of boxes. He’s an NHL-level skater who competes hard and can create some offense. He has decent hands and vision and can make skilled plays, but he tries to create chances in a direct way by getting to the net. He’s a highly physical forward who wins a lot of battles. He endears himself to coaches with his two-way details and work ethic and could potentially be a fourth-line center.

10. Vladimír Dravecký, D

Dec. 19, 2007 | 5-foot-11 | 192 pounds | Shoots right

Drafted: No. 141 in 2026
Tier: NHL prospect

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Analysis: Dravecký is a skilled, poised puck-moving defenseman. He sees lanes develop and can make difficult plays from the blue line. He also has a great point shot and can point in a bunch of different ways. He’s not that big, but Dravecký works hard and moves well, and coaches can trust him. The debate about his game will be his exact NHL role. He does a lot well, but he’s not elite at either end of the rink.

11. Quinn Finley, LW

Aug. 8, 2004 | 6-foot-0 | 166 pounds | Shoots left

Drafted: No. 78 in 2022
Tier: NHL prospect

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Above NHL average

Analysis: Finley wrapped up a good collegiate career at Wisconsin last season. His pure production didn’t even stand out, but he’s a skilled forward. He’s dangerous off the rush due to his speed and has a good shot that can finish from the dots. Finley isn’t overly physical, but he competes hard and plays both ways. He has a chance to be a bottom-six winger.

Player eligibility: All skaters who are 22 years old or younger as of Sept. 15, 2026, regardless of how many NHL games they’ve played, are eligible. Player heights and weights are taken from the NHL.

Tool grades: Tool grades are based on a scale with six separate levels, with an eye toward how this attribute would grade in the NHL (poor, below-average, average, above-average, high-end and elite). “Average” on this scale means the tool projects as NHL average, which is meant as a positive, not a criticism. Skating, puck skills, hockey sense and compete for every projected NHL player are graded. Shot grades are only included if a shot is notably good or poor.

Tier definitions: Tiers are meant to show roughly where in an average NHL lineup a player projects to slot in.