NHL Draft notebook: Boettiger hopes to backstop Kelowna to Memorial Cup

The 2026 NHL Draft will be held at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on June 26-27. NHL.com will take a closer look at some of the draft-eligible players to watch. This week, a profile on goalie Harrison Boettiger of Kelowna of the Western Hockey League.

Harrison Boettiger has had the unique distinction of representing both sides of the international boundary.

The 18-year-old (6-foot-2, 189 pounds), who is No. 7 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American goalies eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, now stars for Kelowna of the Western Hockey League after playing for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program in 2024-25.

"I plan on going to the University of Denver (in 2026-27), getting an education and being able to play in my hometown, too," said Boettiger, a native of Wheat Ridge, Colorado, a western suburb of Denver. "This year, my best option was Kelowna because not only will I have a chance to play in the Memorial Cup but it's a great organization with a great team."

Kelowna will host the 106th Memorial Cup at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia, from May 21-31. As the host team, it is automatically seeded in the four-team championship tournament of the Canadian Hockey League.

"They've won a Memorial Cup (2004) and are always in the mix," Boettiger said. "There's a rich history there, great fans, so it's a special opportunity."

Originally selected by Lethbridge with the No. 4 pick in the 2022 WHL U.S. priority draft, Boettiger was acquired by Kelowna in a trade for defenseman prospect Caden Price (Seattle Kraken) just ahead of the 2025 WHL trade deadline on Jan. 6, 2025. Boettiger signed a WHL scholarship and development agreement with Kelowna on June 23, 2025.

He is 18-8-4 with a 3.09 goals-against average and .903 save percentage in 31 games with Kelowna this season, after he was 9-12-0 with a 3.61 GAA and .884 save percentage in 24 games with the NTDP Under-18 team in 2024-25.

"I want to be known as a calm goaltender ... want to give my team a sense of safety back there," Boettiger said. "If they mess up, I want to have their back. I'll have them covered. But I can be desperate. I can make an athletic save if I have to, but I like to rely on my positioning and my skating to hit my spots and be there on time."

Boettiger helped the United States win a silver medal at the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, finishing 3-1-0 with a 2.94 GAA and .899 save percentage. He also was a member of the U.S. team that won bronze at the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.

"Harrison has gotten his game going in the right direction, has been steady and looks more comfortable," said NHL Central Scouting's Al Jensen, who likens Boettiger's style of play to Frederik Andersen (Carolina Hurricanes) or Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins). "He started the season on the injured list, and it took a while to get going, but he's making a difference now."

He played two seasons at Shattuck St. Mary's in Faribault, Minnesota, going 24-0-0 with a 1.12 GAA, .948 save percentage and 10 shutouts in 26 games with the Under-14 team in 2021-22. He went 25-2-2 with a 1.81 GAA and .928 save percentage in 29 games with the Under-16 team in 2022-23.

"It was awesome at Shattuck," he said. "I'm a Colorado Avalanche fan and I know (center) Nathan MacKinnon went to Shattuck (2009-11). But it was the best two years of my life. I made so many lifelong bonds and the hockey there speaks for itself. We reached the national championship one year and the quarterfinal round the next."

What scouts appreciate most about Boettiger's game is his size and calmness in the crease, and the fact he refuses to give up on a play.

"I just need to continue to adjust to the quick plays, read them and know what other teams are going to do before it happens," he said. "I think that's a big thing. I just need to keep working on my hands and picking off pucks, because you can really never get too good at grabbing a puck out of the air and getting a whistle."

Boettiger was asked how he would build the perfect goalie using attributes from players in today's NHL game.

"I'd go skating from Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators) because he's just the best skater the game has," Boettiger said. "For size and athleticism, I'll go with Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning) and, finally, maybe go with Jeremy Swayman for his calmness."

GOALIE PROSPECTS TO WATCH (listed alphabetically)

Dmitri Borichev, G, Loko-76 Yaroslavl (RUS): Borichev (6-3, 198), No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm list of International goalies, is 9-6-0 with a 1.93 GAA, .938 save percentage and three shutouts in 18 games in Russia's minor hockey league this season. The one area that always seems prevalent in the 17-year-old's game in his improving glove hand. He also offers good lateral movement in the crease and plays with great confidence.

Michal Orsulak, G, Prince Albert (WHL): The right-handed catching goalie (6-4, 220), born in Tremosna, Czechia, helped his country win a silver medal at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, going 3-2 with a 3.19 GAA and .874 save percentage in five games. He is 18-4-3 with a 2.42 GAA, .901 save percentage and two shutouts in 24 WHL games in his first full season in North America. The 18-year-old went 14-20-0 with a 3.23 GAA, .902 save percentage and two shutouts in 34 games with Karlovy Vary in Czechia's under-20 league in 2024-25.

Tobias Trejbal, G, Youngstown (USHL): Trejbal (6-4, 188) notched a shutout in his 30-plus minutes of action on 19 saves at the 2026 USA Hockey Chipotle All-American Game at USA Hockey Arena in January. The native of Most, Czechia, is No. 3 on Central Scouting's midterm list of North American goalies. Trejbal, a right-handed catching goalie, has shown plenty of confidence in the crease and has used his tremendous size to good advantage in creating an intimidating presence in the net. The 18-year-old is 22-6-2 with a 2.11 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and three shutouts in 30 games as a rookie in the United States Hockey League. He's committed to attend the University of Massachusetts in 2026-27.