Grading every first-round pick in the NHL draft

Although maybe not the consensus best prospect, McKenna was the right pick for where the Maple Leafs are as a franchise. McKenna is the most dynamic offensive player in the class and will fit alongside Auston Matthews nicely.

His playmaking is reminiscent of a Mitch Marner or a Nikita Kucherov from the wing, and he will thrive on a Toronto power-play that desperately needs a boost. The transition to the NHL may be rough due to his small stature, but his immense hockey IQ will hide some of those deficiencies as he adjusts to the speed of the game.

Similar to a Kucherov or Kirill Kaprizov, McKenna isn’t necessarily the fastest player, but he has great edges and an ability to break down opposing defenses.

The biggest market in hockey got its newest star, but only time will tell if he lives up to the lofty expectations of first overall.

2: San Jose Sharks, Ivar Stenberg – A

After months of speculation that the Sharks would take a defenseman, Mike Grier opted for the best player available. Considered by some to be the best prospect in the class, Stenberg is an excellent addition to an already loaded San Jose offense.

He reads the game like few others in the class, and brings a puck-carrying ability that the Sharks lack outside of Macklin Celebrini. His game is extremely polished on both ends of the ice, with one scout even claiming he never saw Stenberg make a mistake all season.

Stenberg will likely play a big role on the Sharks next season thanks to his consistent play-driving ability and defensive responsibility.

3: Vancouver Canucks, Caleb Malhotra – B-

Given that the Canucks hired his father as head coach less than a month ago, it would be easy to call Malhotra a nepotism pick. But after a stellar end to the season as one of the younger players in the class, it’s hard not to like the potential of Malhotra.

For a player known for his defensive game, Malhotra’s offense has gone under the radar through the draft process. He’s improved his shot, and his vision allows him to find teammates for high-danger scoring chances.

He doesn’t quite have any elite offensive traits, limiting his potential as a first-line center, but he has all the tools to become a great second-line center in Vancouver.

4: Buffalo Sabres, Daxon Rudolph – C-

After trading Bowen Byram for the fourth pick, the Sabres made the first big reach of the draft, selecting Rudolph as the first defenseman off the board. Rudolph is an extremely interesting prospect, particularly offensively, scoring 28 goals in the WHL this season.

It was a bit of a reach at No. 4, given the other talent available, but he could certainly develop into a good second-pairing defenseman. When taking into account the context of the trade, the Sabres still come out as winners in the Byram fiasco, acquiring a younger and cheaper option at defense.

5: New York Rangers, Alberts Smits – C+

After the acquisition of Pavel Dorofeyev, the Rangers appear to be headed towards a retool rather than a full-on rebuild, and perhaps Smits is the right pick for that direction. Smits is the most NHL-ready defenseman of the class, given his strong defensive game and six-foot-three frame.

There were higher-ceiling picks, but Smits will be a serviceable option for the Rangers sooner rather than later.

6: Calgary Flames, Carson Carels – B

Carels, similar to Rudolph, could become a great offensive defenseman. The problem is that Calgary already drafted Zayne Parekh in 2024 and traded for Simon Nemec this month.

The Flames desperately lack help up front, and Swedish center Viggo Björck was still on the board at sixth. If Carels can work on some of the decision-making with the puck, he and Parekh could lead a potent blue line in Calgary.

7: Seattle Kraken, Chase Reid – A+

Reid may be the best raw value in the first round. He possesses the best skating in the class and thinks the game better than most.

For a team that’s gone forward-heavy in its first five drafts, the Kraken are lucky a defenseman of Reid’s calibre fell to pick seven. He’s still a year or two out from jumping to the NHL level, but many scouts touted Reid as a top-three player in the draft.

8: Winnipeg Jets, Viggo Björck – A

It feels as though the Jets have been needing a second-line center for years, and Björck may be the perfect fit. Despite his 5-foot-9 frame, Björck is one of the more physical forwards at the top end of the draft.

Björck recorded six goals and 15 points in 42 games for Djurgårdens and earned the role of first-line center in the playoffs, scoring three points in three games. He brings strong forechecking and pairs it with consistent in-zone playmaking to create high-danger chances.

His game is similar to Carolina Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven, who led his team in goals en route to a Stanley Cup.

Björck will likely return to the SHL in a bigger role next season.

9: San Jose Sharks, Keaton Verhoeff – A+

Verhoeff was one of the most polarizing prospects of this year’s draft cycle. After a spectacular year in the WHL in his DY-1, he made the move to the NCAA.

His 20 points in 36 games were above average for a player his age, but didn’t quite meet the expectations set the year prior. Either way, Verhoeff was the best defenseman available for the Sharks, and his game is easily translatable to the NHL level.

The prospect of Verhoeff leading a Sharks power play in the future is enough to make this pick a home run for San Jose.

10: Nashville Predators, Wyatt Cullen – A-

With his first pick as general manager of Nashville, Chris MacFarland swung for the fences. Cullen is one of the youngest players in the class, making his late-season outburst even more impressive.

The Predators have lacked true game-breaking offensive talent, and Cullen has all the tools to fill that hole. Cullen has grown five inches since the start of the 2024-25 season, giving scouts reason to believe he still needs time to adjust to his newfound height.

Cullen had the highest ceiling of any forward remaining and kick-started a stellar draft for the Predators.

11: St. Louis Blues, Tynan Lawrence – C

In a vacuum, selecting Lawrence as a second-line center of the future is fine, but the context of the draft kills any of that value. Shortly after the pick, the Blues would trade two first-round selections for center Mason McTavish, rendering this selection redundant.

Lawrence is a great two-way forward with good offensive habits, but the acquisition of McTavish tanks the value of this pick.

12: New Jersey Devils, Alex Command – C+

Command projects as a third-line center for New Jersey, due to his lack of offensive creativity and touch. For any other team at 12th overall, that would be a problem.

Fortunately, the Devils have the center position figured out for the next decade with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, making this a serviceable pick.

13: New York Islanders, Malte Gustafsson – B

Gustafsson is a bit of a head-scratcher for the Islanders. After taking two left defensemen in the first round last year, you figure a forward or right defenseman would have been the better fit.

With that being said, Gustafsson projects as a strong puck carrier with size and tenacity, and was one of the better defensemen left on the board.

14: Columbus Blue Jackets, Oscar Hemming – C

For a team lacking in offensive production, Hemming won’t be the answer. He is a physical, hard-working winger who projects as more of a complementary third-liner.

His offensive tools are raw; in fact, he only scored one goal this season at the college level, but scouts were willing to bet on the size and compete with Hemming. Perhaps the Blue Jackets are still stung by the Kent Johnson pick in 2021 and are pivoting to a more physically oriented draft philosophy.

15: Anaheim Ducks, Nikita Klepov – B-

Klepov was the first rookie to lead the OHL in scoring since Patrick Kane. He was projected by most as a late first-round pick due to some of the unpolished areas of his game, but the Ducks took a swing on him.

In fact, the entire McTavish trade reportedly hinged on his availability, so the team clearly touted him highly as a prospect. He likely projects as more of a power play specialist, but he could be a fine addition to a solid Ducks core.

16: St. Louis Blues, Maddox Dagenais – C-

Similar to the Lawrence selection, I don’t have a problem with Dagenais at pick 16. He spent some time this season on the wing, but likely projects as a center due to his lack of speed, so the pick doesn’t necessarily fill any needs.

The shot is solid enough to entice any team, and you can’t coach size. Dagenais could easily become an NHL-level player, but I don’t see a path for him in St. Louis.

I would have liked it if the Blues targeted the next player off the board instead.

17: Utah Mammoth, Ethan Belchetz – A

Belchetz was the best forward remaining in the draft and holds one of the highest ceilings of the whole class. He combines his six-foot-five frame with immense skill, similar to a Tage Thompson.

His shot is already NHL-level as it stands, and his creativity allows him to turn low-danger plays into scoring chances. The injury history is concerning, but Belchetz was certainly worth the risk at pick 17.

18: Washington Capitals, Oliver Suvanto – B

Similar to Command with New Jersey, Suvanto likely projects as a third-line center with the Capitals, and that’s more than fine. Over the past few weeks, the Capitals have proven to be in win-now mode, and Suvanto can likely step into the lineup sooner than any other prospect available at pick No. 18.

He is extremely engaged on the forecheck and uses his size well along the walls. As one of the youngest players in the class, the offensive tools could still grow as well, making this an enticing pick for Washington.

19: Los Angeles Kings, Elton Hermansson – B

Hermansson was one of the most talented players available for the Kings, something they’ve often overlooked in their previous drafts. The hands and finishing are both high-end, but there are concerns about whether or not he can translate those skills to the next level.

Outside of the offensive zone, he can appear unengaged at times, and he has a hard time getting the puck back on his stick to display the high-end skills previously mentioned. The risk is a worthwhile one, however, especially for a Kings team that rarely drafts for ceiling.

20: Buffalo Sabres, Ilia Morozov- C+

Another pick I didn’t love for the Sabres, although at least this one wasn’t at fourth overall. Morozov is a reliable playmaker and is strong on the puck, but lacks any true game-breaking traits.

He projects as more of a third-liner in Buffalo, and perhaps that’s fine for a contending team.

21: San Jose Sharks, Ryan Lin – A+

Lin is one of the smartest defensemen in the class, with a steady game that is more akin to a 10-year veteran than an 18-year-old. He doesn’t necessarily excel anywhere on the ice, but I don’t think the Sharks need him to.

His blend of skating and smarts is hard to bet against, and is likely a big reason as to why the Sharks traded up to draft him.

22: Pittsburgh Penguins, Liam Ruck – B

Ruck is a cerebral player who sees the game better than most. He does lack the physical traits of some of the giants selected in this range, but he more than makes up for it in his play-driving ability.

Luckily, the Penguins selected his twin brother, Markus, in the second round. I doubt these two will pan out to be the Sedin twins, but both individually possess an intriguing package of skills that Pittsburgh liked.

23: Detroit Red Wings, JP Hulbert – B-

After trading Sebastian Cossa for this pick, the Red Wings selected Texas-born Hulbert. He’s shown amazing flashes of playmaking and passing, but isn’t the strongest skater in this range.

The defense is also relatively weak, but if the play-driving can translate to the next level, he’ll be a good addition to Detroit.

24: Vancouver Canucks, Adam Novotny – A

Novotny brings an interesting mix of physicality, goal-scoring and speed to Vancouver. He is a modern power forward in every sense of the term and is someone many had ranked in the teens due to his unique set of skills.

The all-around effort leaves something to be desired at times, but Novotny capped off a strong draft for the Canucks.

25: Ottawa Senators, Jonas Lagerberg Hoen – C+

After only playing 11 games this year due to injury, Lagerberg Hoen was a risky selection for the Senators. But, outside of the injury concerns, he is a fascinating prospect.

Lagerberg Hoen is one of the better pure goal scorers in this draft, and with some proper development, could turn into a complementary top-six winger.

26: Montreal Canadiens, Gleb Pugachyov – B

Pugachyov is perhaps the most physical player of the entire first round. He has a fantastic motor and plays with an unrelenting speed on every shift.

The offensive skills are inconsistent as a whole, but the Canadiens don’t have all the skill in the world up front, and Pugachyov will slot in nicely to their third line.

27: Philadelphia Flyers, Maksim Sokolovskii – D

Sokolovskii is big. Given the Flyers’ recent draft history, that appears to be the only reason they drafted him here.

He doesn’t bring much pace to his game, which isn’t surprising given his six-foot-seven frame, but he projects as a third-pairing defenseman at best. Even the defensive end of his game is relatively unpolished, making him more of a long-term project pick.

28: Anaheim Ducks, Marcus Nordmark – B-

Nordmark has many of the same problems as Klepov. He brings excellent playmaking ability, particularly on the power play, but his overall play-driving skill at five-on-five is subpar. The decision-making is also questionable at times, but I like the Ducks prioritizing pure talent with both first-round selections.

29: Vegas Golden Knights, Juho Piiparinen – B+

Piiparinen projects nicely as a No. 5 defenseman for Vegas due to his strong skating ability and mature game. Given that Vegas trades most of its first-round picks, we’ll likely see him in a new home by next season’s trade deadline.

30: Calgary Flames,  Jack Hextall – B-

Hextall is a solid defensive center who reads the game well on both ends of the ice. You’ll rarely see him make mistakes, and his transition game can translate well to the next level.

He won’t bring the dazzling skill that Calgary lacks up front, but Hextall has the potential to slot nicely into their third line.

31: Nashville Predators, Tommy Bleyl – A+

In terms of pure offense, Bleyl is among the top-tier of defensemen in this class. His skating ability creates high-danger plays on such a consistent basis, and to grab a player of his quality at the end of the first round is spectacular value.

As expected with a player of this style, his defense and physicality are both below average. With that being said, he reads the game well and has all the potential to become at least serviceable defensively.

32: Ottawa Senators, Jaxon Cover – B+

Cover is one of the most fascinating stories in the draft, as someone born in the Cayman Islands, he didn’t begin playing organized hockey until the age of 13. He possesses great vision and can carry the puck in transition effectively.

You would like to see him engage physically more often, but for someone who has only been playing hockey for five years, the sky is the limit.