Draft Preview | 6 goalies to watch

It’s the year of the Czech goaltender in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Five of the six top-ranked North American-based netminders in this year’s draft hail from Czechia, having left their home country to play junior hockey in the United States or Canada.

“It's a different schooling that they get in the Czech, but they wanted to get the North American experience because they want to play here,” NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman said. “They're going to be here, let's start getting it now.”

• Draft Previews: Forwards | Defensemen

Here are six names to know entering this year’s draft, including three hailing from Dominik Hasek’s home country.

All rankings are received from NHL Central Scouting. *Read their full rankings here.*

Brady Knowling – USNTDP

6-foot-5, 208 pounds

2025-26 statistics: 33 GP | .880 SV% | 3.56 GAA

A netminder out of the United States National Team Development Program hasn’t been selected in the NHL Draft since the fourth round in 2024, but Knowling could be the first goaltender off the board.

The No. 1 ranked North American goaltender stands at 6-foot-5, 208 pounds and has the athleticism to boot with his ability to recover and go post-to-post to make saves.

Knowling said he wants to improve his skating by being quicker on his feet and not getting too wide positionally. To help in that process, he said he’s taken elements from Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman to understand how to best use his frame to attack shooters and track pucks.

The Boston University (NCAA) commit won’t be with the USNTDP next season but is slated to return to the junior ranks with either the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit or the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL.

“He's your prototypical 6-foot-5, athletic, strong goalie who just needs more experience, more time to work on tracking pucks at a higher level, skating at that higher level, because the game happens so much faster when you get to NCAA,” Kimelman said “Knowling is a guy who projects to be a number one goalie for someone at some point down the line.”

Michal Orsulak – Prince Albert (WHL)

6-foot-4, 224 pounds

2025-26 statistics: 36 GP | .907 SV% | 2.22 GAA

The No. 2 ranked North American goaltender led the WHL in goals-against average and had the most wins by a rookie. He finished fifth in save percentage and went 28-4-4 in the regular season.

Orsulak had a strong postseason with Prince Albert, posting a 2.80 GAA in 20 playoff games as the Raiders reached the WHL Finals. He was also named to the WHL Eastern Conference First All-Star Team.

The right-handed catching goaltender dominated the Czechia junior leagues before playing his first North American season in 2025-26 which included time as the starter for Czechia at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Orsulak took home silver after starting five games for his home country during the tournament, including the gold medal game against Sweden.

He said he wants to improve his hands and lateral movement in the crease and likened his game to San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov.

"Getting Prince Albert to the Western Hockey League finals was huge for him,” Kimelman said. “He’s fast, athletic, quick on his feet, knows how to fill the net and take opportunities away from shooters. He knows how to handle the size and use it effectively.”

Tobias Trejbal – Youngstown (USHL)

6-foot-4, 198 pounds

2025-26 statistics: 42 GP | .916 SV% | 2.12 GAA

The No. 3 ranked North American goaltender is another Czech-born talent that had a dominant 2025-26 season.

He won USHL Goaltender of the Year with a 30-9-3 record and led the league in goals-against average. Trejbal also placed second in the USHL in save percentage during his first season in the states.

Trejbal compared his game – defined by his quickness and effective reactions to shots – to Mackenzie Blackwood for his calm, positional and athletic style. Trejbal also gives shooters a unique look by catching with his right hand.

He is headed to the University of Massachusetts (NCAA) this fall and said he wants to take the starting job following in the footsteps of countryman and former Minuteman Michael Hrabal, who’s been a mentor for Trejbal.

Kimelman said Trejbal got a taste of a professional level slate of games with a 62-game schedule in the USHL and handled it with ease thousands of miles from home.

“When you're riding the bus from Youngstown to Sioux City, Iowa, you learn a lot about yourself and your teammates,” Kimelman said. “How you're able to mentally get through that grind but to do it in a different country, different atmosphere, different language, all those different things away from home and he was the best goalie in the USHL, says a lot about him.”

Yegor Rybkin – Nizhny Novgorod Jr (Russia Jr)

6-foot-7, 207 pounds

2025-26 statistics: 11 GP | .915 SV% | 2.56 GAA

Rybkin has a towering frame at 6-foot-7 but is a prospect characterized by more than just his size.

The Russian-born talent is the No. 2 ranked international goaltender in the class and is an interesting read for teams after he played just 11 games this past season in the top Russian junior league (MHL).  

He played his last game on Nov. 21 due to injury but, despite his lack of games played in recent years, his profile of size and athleticism has teams intrigued on what he could bring.

“The only issue with Rybkin is teams didn't get to see enough of him because he had an injury,” Kimelman said. “He's a guy who's number two on the international scouting list among goalies for a reason. Teams see the size, they see the skill. When he did play, he was impressive.”

Filip Ruzicka – Brandon (WHL)

6-foot-7, 230 pounds

2025-26 statistics: 42 GP | .906 SV% | 3.19 GAA

A physically imposing presence much like Rybkin, Ruzicka is another Czechia product that made his North American debut last season.

Ruzicka took a substantial leap in his draft year and went from 13th on NHL Central Scouting’s list at the midterm rankings to No. 4 on the final rankings after finishing seventh in the WHL with 26 wins – the second-most by a rookie goaltender – and eighth in save percentage.

Ruzicka also dominated Czechia’s U17 league in 2024-25 with a 1.80 goals-against average and a .943 save percentage.

A goaltender who works with a traditional butterfly style, Ruzicka doesn’t chase the game and tracks pucks well as he can see around screeners. He moves well side-to-side and takes away angles from shooters.

“He's a guy who understands how to use his size,” Kimelman said. “Not everybody does, especially at 17-18 years old, so the fact that he knows how to use his size, use it with his advantage, speaks volumes to where his hockey IQ is.”

Ryder Fetterolf – Ottawa (OHL)

6-foot-0, 184 pounds

2025-26 statistics: 41 GP | .923 SV% | 2.07 GAA

While larger goaltenders are often favored by NHL teams, there’s still something to be said for “undersized” netminders who stand out for their ability to stop the puck.

Fetterolf meets that mold after winning CHL and OHL Goaltender of the Year honors. He led all of the CHL – among qualified netminders – in save percentage, goals-against average and had a rookie record six shutouts.

His goals-against average set an Ottawa 67’s single-season franchise record and was the fifth-lowest mark in OHL history. He’s the second rookie to win CHL Goaltender of the Year. The first to do so? Martin Biron in 1994-95.

Fetterolf jumped from 16th overall at the midterm rankings to No. 11 for the final and could be a late-round sleeper.

The Penn State commit falls in the same category of recent top picks Jack Ivankovic, Carter George, Pyotr Andreyanov and NHL talents like Juuse Saros, Alex Lyon and Dustin Wolf where size hurts a draft stock but not his ability to make an impact long-term.

“When you're a smaller goalie there's a lot that works against you, but at the end of the day, stopping pucks is stopping pucks whether you're six-foot-five or five-foot-five,” Kimelman said. “If you can find your way to play your style to be effective, teams are going to notice, and the numbers and the stats aren't going to lie. Guys who are smaller can succeed. You look in the NHL, Juuse Saros, Alex Lyon, all the smaller guys, they see that if you're quick and you're athletic, you don't just have to be a six-foot-six wall.”