Upside Hockey continues our in-depth prospect exploration, here’s our Winter Rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft from our Chief Rankings Officer, Eldon MacDonald.
Note: Draft Rankings Completed January 31st, 2026
Well there has certainly been a lot going on since Upside’s latest rankings were completed, particularly in the case of top ranked, Gavin McKenna. McKenna was arrested and charged with felony assault for allegedly punching out a man who was harassing his mother. The guy lost some teeth, had a broken jaw and will have his mouth wired shut for the next two weeks. Apparently, he was having supper with his family inside a restaurant-bar when the guy kept hassling them and calling his mother names. The victim was eventually kicked out of the restaurant but was waiting for them outside where he continued to taunt them which resulted in McKenna punching him out. The felony assault charges have since been dismissed but he is still faced with simple assault charges. While there still is the possibility of prison of up to two years, it is unlikely that McKenna would go to jail given the circumstances of what we know so far. However, the devil is in the details and that has yet to come out. It seems reasonable that McKenna’s lawyer would mount a self-defense defense given the circumstance. In my opinion, it is unlikely that this will affect his draft status unless there is some prohibition over his ability to play. In fact, it will likely improve his stock for some teams. This is unlikely to impact his draft status unless he is prohibited from playing. For some teams, it might even elevate his stock. As for Penn State, they will likely wait to see the details before they decide if his actions warrant a suspension or other penalty.
Note: The NHL column in our ranking below (and when NHL rank mentioned in the write-up) are the Combined NHL Central Scouting Rankings I composed, amalgamating their four separate lists.
We have maintained our top three rankings: McKenna (NHL 1), Verhoeff (NHL 3), and Stenberg (NHL 2). McKenna remains at number one because we believe he has a bigger upside and his body is more boyish than the other two so his game has more room to grow as he matures.McKenna maintains the top spot in the rankings due to his perceived higher upside; his less developed physique suggests his game has significant room for growth as he physically matures. He has also improved his compete level and while he still needs to get to the inside more, I believe it will come as he physically matures. I believe the team that selects Verhoeff in the draft is likely to eventually win the Stanley Cup. I call it the Alex Pietrangelo mystique. He has a dose of a harder-edged Noah Dobson in the offensive zone. There is definitely nothing the matter with Ivar Stenberg who likely ends up a high -end winger in the NHL. His game is a little more mature than the other two right now which is good but is also a case of what you see now is closer to what you will get.
The top D for me other than Verhoeff are Smits at 4 (NHL 7), Carels 5 (NHL 4), Reid 6 (NHL 5), Rudolph 7 (NHL 8). There are arguments to be made to rank any one as the top guy. I have Smits at the head of this pack because he has the size and skills to go along with a guy who wants to be involved and a difference maker in all 3 zones. Next up is Carels because any team can use a guy who rarely makes a defensive mistake. While he probably has the least offensive upside of any in this group, his results to date are as good or close to the other three, a 73 point pace which is excellent for a draft year eligible. Up next is Reid who has the most offensive potential of the group but while his defense is not bad he has yet to give it the same attention as his offense. The last of the group is Rudolph because he is the least physical of the 3. However, he has improved his play since the Christmas break, with 12 points in his last 10 games, so could end up being the best of the bunch in the end if he continues to improve.
There are two under-performing giants who I still have at the top end of the draft: Ethan Belchetz at 8 (NHL 11) and Ryan Roobroeck at 15 (NHL 41). Belchetz has such high-end qualities of size and skill that I have difficulty dropping him much more. However, he needs to bring a more consistent effort to fully utilize the potential of his size and skills. He will need to pick up the pace or fall at least to some of the other larger forwards nipping at his heel such as Hemming and Novotny.
Any doubts about Belchetz are only amplified with Roobroeck’s game. While he is 6’3 and 215, he will never play a power forward game, it is just not in him. However, Roobroeck does have elite offensive skills and understands the game. He must improve his compete, defense and physical engagement if he wishes to maintain his first-half of round one ranking or he risks falling to the late first or early second such as Lynden Lakovic last year. The good news is that he has been improving lately. The not-so-good news is that he still needs to do more especially in the compete department.
My top centres are Tynan Lawrence at 9 (NHL 9), Oliver Suvanto at 10 (NHL 12), Caleb Malhotra at 12 (NHL 6) and Alexander Command at 17 (NHL 34). OK, there are no centres this year who are guaranteed to be a top 2 centre in the NHL. I might have included Tynan Larence earlier in the year but his extremely slow start in the NCAA (one point in his first ten games) causes me to rethink that. However, Lawrence is still a transition demon with excellent hockey sense and good defense. Will he re-find his offence to stay in the top 10. I am betting on it. Oliver Suvanto is a high-end battler who excels down low and in the corners. He can overpower even high-end opponents. He also plays a good defense. He is not over skilled and will go higher than normal for a prospect without explosive offense due to the extreme scarcity of quality centres.
Unlike Lawrence and Malhotra, Caleb Malhotra’s game has improved over the season as his pace and creativity have improved. He is also a player who can impact a game positively even without hitting the scoresheet. However, there is no sureness that he will be able to make a second line centre.
Alexander Command is a guy who has improved through the year to become Sweden’s U18 top centre and frequently their best player. Although he has only average or slightly above average skating, his combination of compete, hockey sense, skill and physical presence as well as results have propelled him to be one of the top centres for this draft.
The other top wingers I have are Oscar Hemming at 11 (NHL 16), Elton Hermansson at 13 (NHL 13), and Adam Novotny at 14 (NHL 19). These three guys I really like. They all have the potential to move up. My top guy is Hemming because he has the highest potential upside with his elite shot and physicality, Next I have Hermansson who has won my heart because he is the most like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates – you never know what you are going to get. At least, that’s what opposition think as he hits the blue line at full speed. Last but certainly not the least is Novotny. He is the type of prospect who is particularly valuable because he positively affects the game whether he is on the scoresheet or not.
There are a few bottom six forwards in the last half of the first round of note because they could be difference makers in the playoffs. Included in this group are Ilia Morozov at 20 (NHL 10), Brooks Rogowski at 25 (NHL 22), and Maddox Dagenais at 26 (NHL 27). These are three guys I really like. Morozov is a Russian playing in the NCAA at 6’3, 200 lb. He started the year on fire but has cooled off lately. – just 1 point in his last 10 games. However, he continues to pass the eye test – size, compete, physicality, defense, and decent skating. Brooks Rogowski is a 6’7, 232 lb. OHL centre. He is a very good skater who plays very good defense. Although he will never be a high scorer, he is likely to be a player counted on at playoff time. My personal favourite in this group is Maddox Dagenais. He is a 6’4, 198 lb. winger who can also play centre who is starting to put it together after a slow start -13 points in his last ten games. He is a very good skater with an excellent shot and can be quite physical. What makes him particularly appealing to me, he attends to show up in the big games and has shown glimpses of an elite cycle game. He is the most likely guy to move up in this group for me.
The most likely second rounders to move up to the first for me are Simon Ignativicius at 34 (NHL 28) and Mathis Preston at 35 (NHL 36). Ignativicius is a Lithuanian born in the USA playing in the top Swiss professional league. He is only at a 17 point pace over 68 games but is playing mainly bottom six and is lucky to draw double digit minutes in a game. What makes him special is the combination of size (6’3, 198) and skating plus an elite defensive game and the willingness to be physical. He can also play centre. His offensive game is more to difficult to assess but he has always produced major points while playing for his country and has had 7 points in four games this year playing in the Swiss U21 league. He is literally drawing more NHL scouts than Gavin McKenna in many games so there is a tremendous interest in this guy. As for Mathis Preston, he can look like a top 10 guy with his skating and being able to cut around opponents. He has struggled a bit when the opposition crowds the open lanes and has not always looked like he was able to utilize his teammates to the best advantage. Maybe the move to Vancouver from Spokane can unleash more of his potential and move him up.
My top re-entry prospect is Tomas Galvas at 39 (NHL 203). Galvas is an unlikely choice of the top re-entry prospect for me given he is in his third year of eligibility and is not of the size where many have success in the NHL at 5’10, 168. However, my philosophy on under strength and under 6’0 sized prospects is that each team can carry one without hurting there defense too much if that prospect gives you the full physical compete while he is able to run an above average power play in the NHL. I believe that is what I saw at the U20’s. I would be interested to hear your comments as the NHL does not seem to agree with me as they have him in the 7th round. You don’t want to miss out the elite small guys that may be reminiscent of a Quinn Hughes or Lane Hutson.
We are super-stoked to share our latest format to display the rankings in the most user-friendly fashion. The Top 224 prospects are currently ranked in this edition but over 330 prospects are already included in our mega spreadsheet over at our Upside website. Please drop by and explore.
Draft. Develop. Dominate.