The Athletic Hockey Show NHL Mock Draft: Gavin McKenna to Maple Leafs, what will Sharks do?
With just over a week to go until the 2026 NHL Draft, “The Athletic Hockey Show: Prospect Series” came out with its annual mock draft episode on Wednesday, providing some insight into how the top of the draft could unfold and highlighting names to watch rising into the first round.
Here’s how the mock draft broke down, with picks alternating between Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler, Max Bultman and Flo Hockey’s Chris Peters.
1. Toronto Maple Leafs: Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State (NCAA)
There was no surprise at No. 1, with Peters projecting Toronto to take the highly skilled winger. There are some questions as to how quickly McKenna will translate his talent into major results in the NHL, as was the case with Jack Hughes early in his career, but over time the bet is that the skill wins out, and the Leafs are a team with multiple difference-makers up front to help ease his transition.
“He doesn’t have to be the savior of the franchise, and that’s probably the best-case scenario for Gavin McKenna,” Peters said. “I do think there are going to be growing pains. … I think you’re going to have to be patient, but incredible skill. The most dynamic player in this class.”
2. San Jose Sharks: Chase Reid, RHD, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
Pronman felt this pick would come down to Reid and Ivar Stenberg. But ultimately, in that scenario, the need for a top defenseman won out with Reid, who has all the traits to be a top-pair defenseman and potentially run a top power play.
“There’s a lot of work to do still here on this blue line,” Pronman said. “I think if it’s close, and I do think it’s close, I think they go with the D-man here. They get a little bigger, they get a pillar on the blue line, and I think they leave the draft very happy with him.”
3. Vancouver Canucks: Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford (OHL)
The Canucks would likewise have a big decision to make on Stenberg, weighing him against Malhotra. But Bultman felt that, in addition to the reporting and comments from Vancouver’s management on Malhotra, building around the young center made the most sense for a team in the Canucks’ position.
“Where Vancouver is in their rebuild, he makes a lot of sense for them,” Bultman said. “Ivar Stenberg is a fantastic player, but I think when you’re picking in the top three, and you’re this early on in the process, the value of a two-way center who’s on the trajectory (he’s on) … you can really see, if this keeps going in that direction, he’s a really valuable player.”
4. Chicago Blackhawks: Ivar Stenberg, LW, Frölunda (SHL)
The wait ends here for Stenberg, and it results in an excellent player-team fit with the Blackhawks, who have a clear need for a scoring winger of Stenberg’s caliber.
“They need someone who can elevate Connor Bedard, rather than him having to elevate everybody else,” Wheeler said. “Stenberg is the player in this class, assuming that Gavin McKenna goes 1 obviously, Stenberg is that sort of winger. He’s that caliber of a player. I think he’s going to be a point-per-game player in the league, I think he’s a winning player at that sort of level, and he is exactly what they need.”
5. New York Rangers: Carson Carels, LHD, Prince George (WHL)
With the three top forwards off the board — including Malhotra, who Peters noted could be of interest to the Rangers — the strong defense class comes into view. Peters opted for Carels, calling him the most complete defenseman and comparing him to Charlie McAvoy.
“I think they would love a type of player like that,” Peters said.
6. Calgary Flames: Viggo Björck, C, Djurgården (SHL)
The first surprise pick of the mock came with the Flames, with Pronman reasoning that center was the most critical need for Calgary.
“They can point right to Logan Stankoven, who just won a Stanley Cup, and say, ‘We think he can be that,’” Pronman said. “I think they are very happy to get a potential top-six center of the future here at the sixth overall pick.”
“The post-combine buzz about Björck has been palpable, in terms of how things went, how teams feel about him,” Peters affirmed. “The consensus is growing, that in some cases he is the No. 1 center ahead of Malhotra for some people at this point, which was not really a common opinion a few months ago.”
7. Seattle Kraken: Alberts Šmits, LHD, Munich (DEL)
The Kraken have used every first-round pick in franchise history on a forward, leaving them still in need of a young pillar on the blue line. Fortunately for them, this is a great year — and draft slot — for a team in that situation, and they get a potential cornerstone in Smits whose pro experience in Europe gives him a chance to be in the NHL sooner rather than later.
8. Winnipeg Jets: Keaton Verhoeff, RHD, North Dakota (NCAA)
The Jets likewise could use a cornerstone defense prospect, and while they also have a need at center, Malhotra and Björck being off the board means the gap between the remaining D and centers is meaningful enough. That results in Winnipeg landing Verhoeff, who at one point was being mentioned at the very top of the class.
9. Florida Panthers: Wyatt Cullen, LW, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
Because of the Panthers’ standing as a win-now contender, there’s a real chance this pick is moved before (or on) June 26 for a player who can help the Panthers resume their dominance next season. But if they make the pick, Peters liked the idea of Florida taking a swing on Cullen, one of the draft’s risers with an enticing offensive skill set.
“The buzz on Cullen has been growing a little bit,” Peters said. “In a draft that lacks a ton of premium skill, he has that. I think if you are Florida, you feel like you have a core, and it’s kind of nibbling around the edges here. This is a player that could potentially boost your scoring, which I think would be attractive to them.”
10. Nashville Predators: Daxon Rudolph, RHD, Prince Albert (WHL)
After Cullen served as a brief interruption to the run on defensemen, the Predators swoop in and take Rudolph, who brings major offensive punch from the back end after scoring 28 goals in the WHL this season.
“They have a lot of two-way guys (like Tanner Molendyk and Cameron Reid), they need somebody who can score a goal,” Pronman said. “There’s a lack of high-end skill in this organization.”
11. St. Louis Blues: Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor (OHL)
With the Blues holding two picks in the first half of the teens (No. 11 and No. 15), Bultman surveyed the draft order and reasoned that all of the Devils, Islanders and Blue Jackets had recently used early picks on LHD and wondered if the Blues could get Malte Gustafsson to float down to their pick at 15, allowing them to take a premium forward at 11. Specifically, that forward was Belchetz, who has a rare size-skill combination and could project as a power winger high in an NHL lineup.
12. New Jersey Devils: Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University (NCAA)
Wheeler felt Gustafsson was slipping too far in this mock, but with the Devils having plenty of young D between Luke Hughes, Simon Nemec, Anton Silayev, Seamus Casey and more, he had the Devils opting to bolster their center depth with Lawrence. Lawrence’s NCAA transition didn’t go as smoothly as hoped, but his pedigree is legit, as are his traits.
“He’s not Nico Hischier, but there are some similarities in terms of style of player, why you like the player, the work ethic, the two-way (impact), the sort of up-and-down-the-ice skating,” Wheeler said.
13. New York Islanders: Malte Gustafsson, LHD, HV71 (SHL)
Gustafsson’s slide ends here. Interestingly, the Islanders drafted two LHD in the first round last season, with both Matthew Schaefer and Kashawn Aitcheson. But Peters felt the value was simply too big to leave on the board.
“I just think that Malte probably gives you that guy that you can develop into a stopper,” Peters said. “I don’t think that’s what Kashawn Aitcheson is going to be, and I don’t think that’s what Matthew Schaefer is going to be. And so I think that you might have one of these guys playing their off-side in the top four. Gustafsson is a guy that’s super versatile, super mobile. Now you suddenly have a core of defensemen that I feel is like the makings of a championship core.”
14. Columbus Blue Jackets: Oscar Hemming, LW, Boston College (NCAA)
The Blue Jackets are picking around the end of a tier grouping in this class, and they get Hemming, a big-bodied scorer who could reasonably be viewed on either side of the tier divide.
“Good skill level, guy who projects to be a top-six, hard-to-play-against type,” Pronman said. “We talk about this next group of players, I think a lot of teams have Hemming in this second group of players. He might be the last name, but he’s part of the group.”
15. St. Louis Blues: Oliver Suvanto, C, Tappara (Liiga)
With Gustafsson and Lawrence both off the board, the Blues use this spot to take a matchup-type center in Suvanto, who played all season against men in Finland as one of the youngest players in the draft class. He won’t turn 18 until September and gives the Blues a nice option down the middle.
While the pick was made by Bultman, Pronman noted, “I think you’re going to see a run of centers here. Lawrence, (Alexander) Command, Suvanto, they’re going to go, I think, bang-bang-bang here in the teens.”
16. Washington Capitals: Alexander Command, C, Örebro (SHL)
Right on cue, the Capitals take Command, filling what Wheeler noted as an area of need in their pipeline.
“He’s another player who has some definite momentum, not just coming out of U18 worlds but coming out of the combine,” Wheeler said. “It sounds like he impressed some people, and I think he goes in this range here.”
Pronman also added that between Lawrence, Suvanto and Command, he would bet Command actually goes first between the three.
17. Los Angeles Kings: Maddox Dagenais, C/W, Quebec (QMJHL)
Peters noted Dagenais’ size-skill combo and said he likes Dagenais better than Liam Greentree, whom the Kings gave up for Artemi Panarin. Ideally for L.A., Dagenais would be a center, but his long-term position does remain a question at this time.
18. Washington Capitals: JP Hurlbert, LW, Kamloops (WHL)
Pronman pointed to Hurlbert’s high-end skill and goal scoring in explaining this pick, which nets the Capitals the WHL’s fourth-leading scorer.
“Potential middle-six, top-six power-play type of guy,” Pronman said.
19. Utah Mammoth: Ilia Morozov, C, Miami (Ohio) (NCAA)
The Mammoth are a team without a major need in their system, boasting high-level young centers, wingers and defensemen. Bultman has them picking one of the youngest players in college hockey this season in Morozov, who is an impressive athlete with some puck touch and the traits to be a projectable piece in the bottom six.
20. San Jose Sharks: Ryan Lin, RHD, Vancouver (WHL)
Wheeler has the Sharks doubling down on the blue line, drafting the savvy Lin to go with Reid. This would be the kind of draft haul that transforms San Jose’s outlook on the blue line, giving the organization two impressive puck-movers on the right side.
21. Philadelphia Flyers: Liam Ruck, RW, Medicine Hat (WHL)
The first of the Ruck twins comes off the board at No. 21, with Peters citing his hockey sense and motor as reasons for the pick.
“I think he’s definitely got some late pop in terms of people that are starting to be a little bit more sold on Liam,” Peters said.
22. Pittsburgh Penguins: Gleb Pugachyov, RW, Torpedo (KHL)
Pronman identified Pugachyov as “one of the most physical players in the draft” who also has solid talent, and connected the dots to the Penguins, who want to get bigger and harder to play against.
23. Boston Bruins: William Håkansson, LHD, Luleå (SHL)
Bultman mentioned Jack Hextall as a possibility here, but pointed to the Bruins’ dearth of defense prospects and thought they could opt for Håkansson as a big, mobile defenseman to beef up their pipeline.
24. Vancouver Canucks: Adam Novotný, LW, Peterborough (OHL)
With the Canucks second pick of the draft, Wheeler has them taking Novotný — but noted he wouldn’t be shocked if the Czech winger is off the board sooner than this.
“I get the sense in talking to a few people over the last couple of weeks … Novotný has a real good chance to actually go in the late teens, early 20s here. But if he doesn’t, I think that sort of powerful, strong-skating, ability to score up and down the ice, going to play for you winger — I don’t think anybody doubts whether Novotný is going to be a player. There’s maybe some doubts a little bit about hockey sense there, but the rest of his game is very well-liked, and I think this will be his range.”
25. Seattle Kraken: Tommy Bleyl, RHD, Moncton (QMJHL)
Like the Sharks, Peters has the Kraken doubling down on D and selecting Bleyl, who he praised for his skating and production this year in Moncton. His puck-moving would make him a good complement to Šmits earlier.
26. New York Rangers: Jack Hextall, C, Youngstown (USHL)
Pronman pointed to the Rangers badly needing center prospects, and he has Hextall in the same group as the cluster of pivots who went in the teens: Command, Suvanto and Lawrence. He projects as a third-line center with all-situations ability.
27. Buffalo Sabres: Brooks Rogowski, C, Oshawa (OHL)
The Sabres are loaded with talented young forwards, including at center, but in Rogowski, they get one of the most unique physical profiles, with the right-shot Rogowski standing at 6-foot-7. Bultman rationalized that he will take some projecting, but even if the offense doesn’t end up being significant, that profile would make him a very useful player behind all of Buffalo’s skill.
28. Montreal Canadiens: Elton Hermansson, RW, MoDo (SHL)
Coming off a great season and with a loaded prospect core, Wheeler felt the Canadiens were well-positioned to take a swing here, and they do so in Hermansson, who Wheeler called “the most talented player who’s still available” and “one of the only players left who projects to play on a power play.”
29. St. Louis Blues: Adam Goljer, RHD, HK Dukla Trencin (Extraliga)
The Blues missed out on a D in the teens, but they nab one in Goljer, the righty who played professionally all year and captained the Slovakia U18 team.
“He fits the mold of the kind of style that they play,” Peters said.
30. Calgary Flames: Markus Ruck, C, Medicine Hat (WHL)
This would end the hope of the Ruck twins staying together in the NHL, but the Flames land a highly skilled playmaker. Calgary goes into the draft as one of the teams with the capital to unite the twins, boasting the 30th, 35th and 36th picks. But with Liam already off the board, that’s not an option in this scenario.
31. Carolina Hurricanes: Mathis Preston, RW, Vancouver (WHL)
Based on Carolina’s track record and the fact that it doesn’t have any picks in the second or third rounds, there’s a real chance of a trade back here by the Hurricanes. But if they stay and pick, Preston’s skill and speed combo is a fit for how Carolina drafts.
32. Ottawa Senators: Maksim Sokolovskii, LHD, London (OHL)
Wheeler discussed Sokolovskii earlier in the episode, noting that his range could begin in the early to mid-20s, and that he is “convinced” the towering 6-8 defenseman goes in the first round. He also pointed out that Sokolovskii fits with the profile of previous Senators picks.
The Athletic and FloHockey have partnered to bring fans a live 2026 NHL Draft show. Hosted by Max Bultman and featuring experts Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler and Chris Peters, “The Athletic x FloHockey NHL Draft Live” will livestream during the entire first round. Tune in June 26 at 7 p.m. ET on The Athletic Hockey Show’s YouTube channel, across FloHockey’s platforms, and on Amazon Prime (U.S.) and Fubo (Canada).