Malhotra, 2026 NHL Draft prospects thrilled to attend Stanley Cup Final

LAS VEGAS -- Rod Brind’Amour saw a familiar face when he greeted five of the top prospects for the upcoming 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft in Buffalo.

“Hey, great to see you again. Been a long time since I saw you running around as a kid,” the Carolina Hurricanes coach said to forward Caleb Malhotra, who is No. 6 in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters eligible for the 2026 draft. “Congrats to your dad.”

The 18-year-old, considered the top center in this draft class, blushed.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” Malhotra said later of the greeting at T-Mobile Arena. “That was very cool to hear but I don’t remember much from back then. 

“It was a long time ago.”

It was 12 years, to be exact.

Back in 2013-14, Manny Malhotra, Caleb’s father, was a forward with the Hurricanes while Brind’Amour was an assistant coach for them. Caleb was 6 at the time.

Now, more than a decade later, here he was with four other future NHLers at the 2026 Stanley Cup Final between the Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights, having a reunion with Brind’Amour and meeting players like Mark Stone, Mitch Marner, Seth Jarvis, Jordan Staal and Taylor Hall.

It’s part of a tradition that the NHL has had since 1993, one in which the League brings top prospects to a game during the Cup Final so they can get a behind-the-scenes look at what could await them in the not-so-distant future.

On this particular occasion, Maholtra, unlike his four colleagues -- Keaton Verhoeff, Chase Reid, Carson Carels and Alberts Smits -- has grown up in a professional hockey environment. On June 1, Manny was hired as the coach of the Vancouver Canucks, causing Brind’Amour and various players from both the Golden Knights and Hurricanes to offer their best wishes.

One of the Golden Knights asked him if there is a chance his pops and the Canucks might pick him at No. 3.

“Yeah, I’ve been asked that a lot,” Caleb replied with a chuckle. “We’ve talked about it. It’d be pretty cool. But we’re professional about it.”

He expanded on that point Tuesday, several hours before the Golden Knights and Hurricanes faced off in Game 4.

“I’m so proud of my dad, so hearing all these guys including Rod wishing him well, it’s been such a cool experience,” he said.

But being around NHL players all his life did not keep Caleb from being awestruck during the prospects’ three-day visit, especially when they toured the dressing rooms of the two teams on Monday.

“I’m just like the other guys,” he said Tuesday. “We’re just kind of fans who are excited to be around the atmosphere and around these types of guys. 

“It’s been an unbelievable experience.”

All five prospects were surprised at finding out that Jack Eichel (No. 2, Buffalo Sabres), Marner (No. 4, Toronto Maple Leafs) and their Golden Knights teammate Noah Hanifin (No. 5, Hurricanes) were all top-five picks in the 2015 NHL Draft. As such, they were on a similar top prospects tour together 11 years ago during the Cup Final between the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning.

“Yeah, we shared that memory together recently and it was pretty cool,” Eichel said. “Obviously you’re a young kid at the time and it’s before you start the whole process and become part of this.

“It was a great experience. We were there for Tampa-Chicago. It was fun getting to know my fellow prospects that I didn’t know. It’s funny that the three of us are now on the same team.

“Now it’s these young guys who are going through the same and we’re the NHLers giving them tips. The only thing we said is, ‘Have fun and enjoy the process.’”

Verhoeff, for one, certainly was.

In his second year at the U15 level, the defenseman joined the RINK Hockey Academy in Kelowna, British Columbia, moving in with Hall of Fame forward Jarome Iginla and his wife, Kara. Jarome also coached him.

The 17-year-old, who just finished his freshman year at the University of North Dakota, said he learned how to be a pro by watching the way Jarome conducted himself. That didn’t stop him from also being blown away by encountering some NHL stars.

“These are some of the guys I grew up watching,” Verhoeff said. “It was so amazing listening to them and watching them joke around.

“You quickly find out that they’re just ordinary people.”

On Tuesday afternoon, just a couple of hours before puck drop, Smits was taking it all in. Having just finished a round of interviews, the Latvian defenseman, who represented his country at the Winter Olympics in Milan four months ago and had two assists in four games, reflected on what watching a Stanley Cup Playoff game would be like.

“I’m just going to enjoy every minute of it,” he said. “Tonight, I’m just a fan. We all are.”

That’s about to change in a little more than two weeks.

That’s when the 2026 draft will be held at KeyBank Center. The first round will take place on June 26 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) with rounds 2-7 following on June 27 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN).

Until then, Malhotra and his peers will just enjoy the playoff experience.

And envision one day being part of it themselves.