2026 NHL Draft notebook: Cover getting noticed after journey from tropics

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 right wing Jaxon Cover with London of the Ontario Hockey League.

One might assume watching Jaxon Cover that the 18-year-old forward was raised in a rink and immersed in ice hockey culture from the day he was born.

Think again.

Even before Cover became an on-ice hit and was later chosen by the London Knights in the fourth round (No. 64) of the 2024 Ontario Hockey League draft, he was an inline roller hockey sensation from the Cayman Islands in the western Caribbean -- an area of the world that has just one hockey rink and it's built for roller hockey.

"I was born in Miami (Florida) but wasn't there for too long because my parents lived in the Caymans, so I was only a couple months old when I fully moved back to the Caymans and was raised there," Cover said. "Being from the Cayman Islands really shaped me a lot by playing roller my whole life. I feel like I take a lot of my on-ice skill from roller with the shiftiness involved. When I moved to Canada (at the age of 12), I found the love for playing ice hockey."

Cover used roller hockey as his ultimate outlet and was passionate about the game, excelling in the sport. He was named most valuable player and was the fastest inline skater during the 2016 North American Roller Hockey Championship while competing in two different age divisions.

"When you watch me skate, I have a stride that almost looks like a roller hockey stride," he said. "The way I can handle things with my hands in small spaces is another area that has translated well for me from roller to ice. There's a lot of small space to work in road hockey and I feel my hockey IQ is better as a result. Having less skaters on the playing surface (four skaters, one goalie) helped me slow down the play a lot more and slowing down the play in my head enables me to know my options on the ice."

When he was 14, Jaxon and his older brother, Jaedon, attended St. Andrew's College, a prep school north of Toronto. Even then, hockey wasn't his immediate focus. He initially joined the soccer team but picked up ice hockey in his second season (2023-24). He needed to learn icing and offsides since roller hockey didn't institute those rules.

Jaedon Cover, incidentally, is attending the University of Miami on a premed path. He wants to become an orthopedic surgeon.

"Playing ice hockey at 'SAC' really shaped my hockey IQ because I liked scanning a lot, making sure I knew where my teammates were," Jaxon said. "I like to make my teammates look a lot better and like making passes that some people in the stands might not even see."

Cover emerged at St. Andrew's in 2024-25 with 40 points (21 goals, 19 assists) in 55 games. He played three games with London that season, getting two assists and earning valuable time with Knights coach Dale Hunter.

"Dale and (London general manager) Mark Hunter knew my background when they drafted me," Cover said. "I played a couple of games last year and they knew I needed to work on my defensive zone and my skating a little bit, but it was implemented quick. I knew what they expected from me and feel I made massive strides in my game since being here and I credit Mark and Dale a lot."

This season, while still polishing the finer details of the game, Cover has 47 points (19 goals, 28 assists) in 62 games and was named OHL Rookie of the Week for Oct. 6-12. He's getting noticed by NHL scouts as well and is No. 45 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft.

"His game has really trended in the right direction being a first-year player at the OHL level," NHL Central Scouting associate director David Gregory said. "He's a really strong skater who's starting to use his size to be both the power forward and player that can beat you with a dangle or lateral movement. He's beginning to understand how he can use his size and hockey sense as a combination to possess the puck or steal from opponents.

"Jaxon projects to play a potential top six role at the next level."

Cover recently has been playing left wing on the top line with center William Nicholl and Cohen Bidgood. His successful journey from the hockey tropics to a hockey hotbed hasn't gone unnoticed, either. Media in the Caymans have highlighted him as one of the most significant young athletes to emerge from the territory, describing his blend of humility and competitiveness as central to his success.

A fan of Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, Cover offered the following when asked what advice he'd give an inline skater looking to one day play ice hockey: "Just to keep going. If you really love it, you'll grind as hard as you can. That's what I did."

PROSPECTS ON THE RADAR (listed alphabetically)

Tommy Bleyl, D, Moncton (QMJHL): The 18-year-old (5-10, 165) is certainly earning his keep as a first-year defenseman in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Bleyl is No. 35 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters, but quickly moving up the charts, and for good reason. He leads Moncton with 76 points (12 goals, 64 assists) and 38 power-play points (four goals, 34 assists) in 58 games.

Juho Piiparinen, D, Tappara (FIN): Piiparinen, No. 6 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of International skaters, is one of the more improved defensemen in Liiga, Finland's top professional men's league. The 17-year-old right-handed shot (6-1, 201) has three assists, a plus-6 rating and averages 10:15 of ice time in 29 games.

Markus Ruck, C, Medicine Hat (WHL): The 18-year-old, No. 31 on Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters, leads the Western Hockey League with 98 points (19 goals, 79 assists) in 64 games, one point ahead of twin brother Liam Ruck (97 points; 41 goals, 56 assists). Liam, a right wing, is No. 26 on Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters. Markus is a playmaker and Liam is a goal-scorer. They each possess good hockey IQ, high compete and are reliable defensively.