{"id":491924,"date":"2026-06-14T11:39:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T15:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=491924"},"modified":"2026-06-14T11:39:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T15:39:09","slug":"5-2026-nhl-draft-prospects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/06\/14\/5-2026-nhl-draft-prospects\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 NHL Draft Rankings: Part 1 (Top 5 NHL Draft Prospects)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to your 2026 NHL Entry Draft Headquarters right here at Last Word On Sports and Top Shelf Prospects. We have you covered with everything you will need to be ready for the big event. This year\u2019s draft is set to take place on June 26th and 27th live from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Today, we bring you our Top 5 NHL Draft Prospects.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Each day, LWOH will bring you a new player profile or topical article in the lead-up to the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow our prospect writer Ben Kerr<\/a>,<\/em> and spread the word about the site that will bring you analytical and critical draft profiles and scouting reports! Last Word On Hockey and Top Shelf Prospects bring it to you. Make us your new headquarters for everything \u201c2026 NHL Draft\u201d!<\/p>\n

Top 5 2026 NHL Draft Prospects<\/h2>\n

1.) Gavin McKenna, Left Wing || 5’11” 170 lbs || Penn State Nittany Lions, Big Ten Conference, NCAA<\/h3>\n

Sitting number one on most pre-season lists of 2026 NHL Draft prospects, Gavin McKenna made a major announcement last summer, leaving the WHL to join the Penn State Nittany Lions in the NHL. He wasn’t the only young player to make the CHL to NCAA Switch, but he was the most high-profile. He seemed to struggle early in the season and was part of a disappointing Canadian team at the 2026 World Juniors<\/a>. Then McKenna was arrested and charged with assault<\/a> for an incident outside a Pennsylvania restaurant. However, this also seemed to spark McKenna as he became the dominant scorer that everyone expected in the second half of the season.<\/p>\n

McKenna is an extremely talented winger who can score goals and set up plays. His biggest asset is his hockey sense, as he seems to read the play quickly and anticipate the movements of both his teammates and opponents. This, combined with his vision and passing skills, allows him to set up linemates with tape-to-tape passes. He also uses quick stick movements, extremely good lateral agility, and deceptive changes of speed to open up passing lanes to make those passes.<\/p>\n

McKenna also has an excellent shot, and deceptive release, fooling goalies and scoring goals from all areas of the offensive zone. While his defensive game and physicality were questioned early in the year, they definitely improved as the season went along and he got used to playing against stronger opponents in the NCAA. Expect him to make an immediate jump to the NHL, and compete for the Calder Trophy next season for rookie of the year.<\/p>\n

2.) Ivar Stenberg, Left Wing || 6’0″ 180 lbs || Frolunda HC, SHL<\/h3>\n

Challenging McKenna for top spot amongst 2026 NHL Draft prospects is another talented winger, this one being Stenberg from Sweden. Playing as a 17-year-old in Sweden’s top men’s league, Stenberg has not looked out of place. He put up 33 points in 43 games and was the top scoring under-20 player in the SHL. He also helped Sweden to a gold medal at the World Juniors. Some considered Stenberg as the top prospect in the NHL draft in mid-season reports.<\/p>\n

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Stenberg is an elite playmaker. His vision, stickhanding ability and passing skills allow him to set up teammates for scoring chances. While some have had concerns about his size, he has proven to be durable and able to compete against men in the Swedish league. He wins battles on the boards and his balance and strength on his skates allow him to fight through checks and make plays. He is not afraid to take the puck to the dirty areas of the ice to make plays.<\/p>\n

Stenberg also has an outstanding wrist shot and a quick release, which can fool goaltenders from further out. One critique is that Stenberg’s skating, while good, lacks the elite speed and acceleration seen in many top prospects.<\/p>\n

3.) Chase Reid, Right Defence || 6’2″ 194 lbs || Soo Greyhounds, OHL || Michigan State Spartans, Big Ten Conference<\/h3>\n

The top defender amongst 2026 NHL Draft Prospects, Chase Reid had 48 points in 45 games for the Soo Greyhounds. He has committed to leaving the OHL this summer and will be joining Michigan State in the NCAA next season. Reid also had four points in five games for Team USA at the 2026 World Juniors.<\/p>\n

Reid’s excellent skating ability allows him to play a strong two-way game. He is able to rush the puck up the ice, and create offensive chances off the rush. He also has the poise and puck handling ability to control the puck in the offensive zone and run the power play. Reid’s agility allows him to walk the line and open up passing and shooting lanes. His quick stick movements also create space and allow him to utilize his passing skills to create scoring chances for teammates.<\/p>\n

Defensively, Reid uses his strong skating to maintain gap control, keep attackers to the outside, and prevent scoring chances. His ability to quickly retrieve loose pucks and move the puck up the ice also allows him to clear the zone quickly and prevent the other team from having long periods of possession in the offensive end.<\/p>\n

4.) Caleb Malholtra, Centre || 6’2″ 185 lbs || Brantford Bulldogs, OHL || Boston University, Hockey East<\/h3>\n

The son of new Canucks coach Manny Malholtra<\/a>, Caleb is the best centre amongst the 2026 NHL Draft Prospects. Playing on the top line for one of the best teams in the OHL, Malholtra put up 84 points in 67 games. He was even better in the playoffs, despite the Bulldogs upset loss in the conference final, with 26 points in 15 games. Malholtra is also making the CHL to NCAA jump, as he is committed to play for Boston University next season.<\/p>\n

Malholtra plays a strong two-way game. He uses his size and strength to win battles in all three areas of the ice, and shows a very high compete level. He also has the skating ability, puck control, and smarts to be the main playmaker on his team and to get to the net and score goals.<\/p>\n

Malholtra’s compete level is very high, as he never gives up on a play and shows the same heart and hustle in a 5-0 game as one tied 2-2. He carries the puck into the dangerous areas of the ice, fighting off checks and going to then net. Defensively he uses his size and strength to keep opponents to the outside and separate opponents from the puck.<\/p>\n

5.) Alberts Smits, Left Defence || 6’3″ 209 lbs || Jukurit, Finnish Liiga<\/h3>\n

Smits played in the top Finnish men’s league for Jukurit and didn’t look out of place. The Latvian defender had 13 points in 38 games. He also spent time in the German league putting up one point in five regular season games and six points in 11 games for EHC Munchen. Smits also played for Latvia at this year’s World Junior Championships where he was named a top-three player on the team.<\/p>\n

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Smits game is driven by his skating ability. He gets around the ice very well, with good speed and acceleration in both directions. Smits also has strong agility, allowing him to defend against the rush and keep attackers to the outside. He can also walk the line with the puck in the offensive zone. Smits is also a strong stickhandler and passer. He starts the transition game with an excellent first pass. If he needs to, he can also skate the puck out of his own zone, and help his team gain possession in the offensive end with effective zone entries.<\/p>\n

Smits combines this skating with his impressive physical size to play a physical defensive game. He is strong in the corners and defending against the cycle game. He also does a good job clearing the front of the net.<\/p>\n

Main Photo: Oct 10, 2025; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions forward Gavin McKenna (72) skates past Clarkson Golden Knights defenseman Noah Houle (3) during the third period at Pegula Ice Arena. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to your 2026 NHL Entry Draft Headquarters right here at Last Word On Sports and Top Shelf Prospects. We have you covered with everything you will need to be ready for the big event. This year\u2019s draft is set to take place on June 26th and 27th live from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":479544,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4547,4548,1279,3462],"tags":[8258,8302,8309,8248,8256],"class_list":["post-491924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-nhl-draft","category-nhl-prospects","tag-alberts-smits","tag-caleb-malhotra","tag-chase-reid","tag-gavin-mckenna","tag-ivar-stenberg"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=491924"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491924\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":491953,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491924\/revisions\/491953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/479544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=491924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=491924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=491924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}