NHL Central Scouting has released its final rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft.
Forward Gavin McKenna leads all North American skaters thanks to his strong freshman season at Penn State, which saw the winger put up 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points in 35 games in 2025-26. Four defenceman follow him to round out the top five: Chase Reid, Carson Carels, Keaton Verhoeff, and Daxon Rudolph.
Winger Ivar Stenberg leads all International skaters, scoring 11 goals and 33 points in 43 games with Frolunda of the SHL. He also helped Sweden capture gold at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship and was tied for the team lead with four goals and 10 points in seven games. The top five is rounded out with defenceman Alberts Smits, centres Oliver Suvanto and Viggo Bjorck, and winger Elton Hermansson.
In net, Brady Knowling leads North American netminders while Dmitri Borichev sits atop the rankings amongst International goaltenders. Knowling suited up for 28 games with the U.S. National Development Program, posting a 3.74 GAA and a .880 save percentage. Borichev dressed for 24 games with Loko-76 Yaroslavl in Russia's junior league, registering a 2.25 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
FULL RANKINGS: North American Skaters | International Skaters | North American Goalies | International Goalies
The draft will be held at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Jun. 26-27. The NHL Draft Lottery that will determine the first 16 picks is May 5. The NHL Draft Lottery will be broadcast on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
