Belchetz set for 2026 NHL Draft, hopes to follow in Martone's footsteps

The 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The first round will be June 26 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 on June 27 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at forward Ethan Belchetz from Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

Ethan Belchetz had his season with Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League cut short by a broken collarbone, but the 18-year-old forward is confident he showed NHL scouts his full skill set.

"I think the games I did play, I had a really good year," he said. "The team in Windsor, I couldn't be more thankful for the season we had. The group we had there was so awesome. I think I showed exactly what I can bring to the table and what I can do to help an NHL franchise win a Stanley Cup."

Those elements include a giant frame (6-foot-5, 228 pounds) that make him difficult to contain below the dots in the offensive zone, a hard, accurate shot he can get off in tight spaces and a mean streak he has no problem unleashing if necessary.

He had 59 points (34 goals, 25 assists) in 57 games and is No. 9 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters.

"I like his game around the net," Central Scouting's Nick Smith said. "At his size, he's so hard to contain. He also has underrated sense from the top of the circles down. Not to mention, he can fire it. I think his skill set has improved, along with his footwork and agility."

Belchetz had extra time to work on his footwork and agility while healing from the broken left clavicle he sustained during practice on March 3.

"Just kind of a fluke play in practice, nothing meant to happen," he said. "Those things happen when you're playing a fast sport like hockey."

The only bright side to his injury was it allowed Belchetz extra time to work with renowned skating coaches Bryan Marshall and Dawn Braid.

"Even though I couldn't shoot or stick handle, I had one hand on my stick and I was on the ice with Dawn Braid, doing privates with her," Belchetz said. "I've been skating with her for about a month and a couple weeks now. I've kind of been getting right back on track with the skating development there, and she's so good for me and helps me so much."

Putting in extra work was nothing new for Belchetz. Always one of the bigger kids in his age group, improving his skating and conditioning has been a constant focus.

"Coming out of minor midget (in 2024), he was 6-5 and at that point 234 (pounds)," Windsor coach Greg Walters said. "Just through the pace of practice and the pace of the games, his skating got better during the year. And then he went back home and he's got Bryan Marshall in Toronto, and to their credit, he changed his body, came back in 6-5, 224, and I think he was about eight-percent body fat. He put a lot of work into his body and his skating and skills, and you see the results here."

The results have allowed Belchetz to mix physicality with a scoring touch, earning comparisons to Mikko Rantanen (Dallas Stars) and Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators).

"For me personally, my game is when I'm just as physical as I am skilled with the puck," Belchetz said. "So, when I can get a combination of both -- being the scariest guy on the ice, but also when I have the puck being the scariest guy on the ice -- that's for me my 'A' game, and what I've tried to get to every single night, where I can be the first guy on the forecheck, putting you through the glass. And then if I get a shot in the slot, it's going in the back of the net. Those are the goals I try to play into every single game.

"I'm a different guy off the ice than I am on the ice. You can ask some of the guys I've played and some of the guys I've hit before."

He's almost ready to start dishing out those hits again. Belchetz is already shooting pucks and feels better about his skating.

"If you took a video from two years ago of my skating and you took a video now, it's a big difference, and I know there's more steps to be taken as well," he said.

Those next steps will come at Michigan State. Watching the success Philadelphia Flyers forward Porter Martone had in his move there last season from Brantford of the OHL showed him what was possible.

Martone (6-3, 214) was in a similar spot as Belchetz a year ago, a big power forward with skating and quickness issues that had scouts wondering what kind of NHL player he could develop into.

This season, Martone led Michigan State and was seventh among NCAA players with 50 points (25 goals, 25 assists) in 35 games. He then answered any lingering questions about his NHL potential with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in nine regular-season games, and five points (two goals, three assists) in 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

"When you look at such a (recent) example like that, only happened last year, and you see a guy who kind of plays the same way as you, obviously you're going to lean towards that," Belchetz said. "Because for me personally, the end goal isn't to play in the NCAA or play in the OHL, it's to play the NHL, and not just play but be in an impactful role every single night on an NHL team. So, it's obviously important to look at those things and the players that have gone through these organizations."

Belchetz said the rest of his offseason will include training with a group that includes New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan and Los Angeles Kings forward Scott Laughton.

He'll also find time to work with arguably his favorite goalie -- his older sister, Taylor. The 20-year-old had an .884 save percentage in two games as a freshman at the University of Connecticut this season.

"I've been skating with her for the past few weeks," Ethan said. "I need a goalie in the net, so she's the one in the net right now."

Belchetz said one of the biggest things he and Taylor have in common is the desire to make hockey their full-time jobs, the NHL for him and the Professional Women's Hockey League for her.

Walters said he has few doubts Ethan will reach his goal.

"He's very competitive," Walters said. "He plays 200 feet, and for a man that size, he's skilled. He can make plays. He's got an NHL shot already and he just keeps getting better. ... There's a very, very high ceiling here for him. He's not there yet, but he's going to do everything in his power to get there."