#1 — Gavin McKenna, LW — Penn State (NCAA): The undisputed number one. McKenna's freshman NCAA season has been historic — point-per-game production as a 17-year-old in one of the world's best development leagues. His combination of vision, pace, and competitive drive draws comparisons to Connor McDavid-era offensive dominance.
#2 — Ivar Stenberg, LW — Frölunda (SHL): The best Swedish prospect since Rasmus Dahlin. Playing against men in the SHL as a teenager, his skating is effortless, his hockey sense is elite, and his shot release is NHL-ready. Some scouts have him 1A to McKenna's 1B...
Defence Depth Is Historic: Three of the top five prospects are defencemen. Verhoeff, Reid, and Smits are joined by Carson Carels, Ryan Lin, Daxon Rudolph, and Xavier Villeneuve — all projected first-rounders. This is the deepest defensive draft class since 2018.
The NCAA Factor: College hockey continues to gain prominence. McKenna (Penn State), Verhoeff (North Dakota), Tynan Lawrence (Boston University), Oscar Hemming (Boston College), and Ilya Morozov (Miami Ohio) are all projected first-rounders from the NCAA.
International Intrigue: The SHL has four or more first-round talents...
Every draft produces players who outperform their draft position. Here are prospects ranked outside the top 32 with legitimate top-round upside:
- Tomas Chrenko (HK Nitra, Slovak): Electric offensive instincts from a smaller league — significant risk, enormous ceiling
- Jack Hextall (Youngstown, USHL): The bloodlines don't hurt, but the skill is genuine — high-end playmaker with developing physical tools
- Adam Valentini (Michigan, NCAA): Late birthday, advanced decision-making, playing against older competition
- Simas Ignatavičius (Genève-Servette, NL): Lithuanian-born winge...