Locked On NHL Prospects

The centre position is truly the wildcard of the 2026 draft with a lack of high end talent. Reaches on pivots seems inevitable, but has this narrative been overblown? We dig into the best centres of the draft, including many ranked in my 2nd round who are likely to end up in the first round and maybe even top 20. We delve through the tiers and highlight the names NHL teams will be battling for com...

Our first official rankings of the season are here, as we break down our top 50! 2026 is a unique draft class for various reasons but it's tightness at the top end is the stand out, as 7 players are worthy of 1st overall consideration. The middle of the first round has a wide range of high-upside options with a variety of profiles. The second round sees some spillover first round quality and some...

Is 2026 the Draft of defencemen? It most certainly is. We break down the distinct tiers among first-round quality blueliners in this episode, highlighted by 4 blue chip prospects showcasing their talents at the World Juniors: Keaton Verhoeff, Chase Reid, Carson Carels, and Alberts Šmits. We discuss the reasons these four will likely be the first ones selected on draft day and present two contender...

We're in draft rankings season and on today's show we take a look at Corey Pronman's spicy first round rankings at The Athletic. From centre Tynan Lawrence at 1 and phenom Gavin McKenna at 4 to unicorn defenceman Alberts Šmits at 5, these rankings have it all. What are your thoughts?   Corey Pronman's Top 31 Rankings: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6858899/2025/12/10/nhl-draft-2026-top-prospects...

On today's show we break down three of the top CHL goalscorers, one from each league: Bryce Pickford, Marek Vanacker, and Justin Carbonneau. First, we check in with Medicine Hat captain and Habs draft pick Bryce Pickford, whose 11 goals in the past five games have catapulted him atop the league's goalscoring charts, en-route to a potentially historic season. Next, we look at Marek Vanacker's red h...

Keaton Verhoeff's thunderous beginnings to life in college has earned him an invite to Team Canada's World Juniors Camp as a rare 17-year-old defenceman. Through a mix of massive frame, standout tools, and an elite blend of aggression and confidence, he has all the makings of a future #1 defenceman in the NHL. With a booming shot used as a one-timer threat on the power play, his game is a real 200...

The biggest trade in recent NHL memory dropped out of nowhere last night, sending Quinn Hughes to Minnesota and returning a variety of prized assets to Vancouver. While losing the best player in a trade is never a great sign, the Canucks did well considering the circumstances. Zeev Buium is a special talent with top-pairing upside and could eventually make the loss of Hughes sting less. Marco Ross...

The past month has seen some tremendous NCAA performances, from Porter Martone's dominance to William Horcoff's insane goalscoring run. We break down four big risers, including Max Plante and Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen, alongside the steady stock of L.J. Mooney and the down-trending performances of Benjamin Kevan.   Elite Prospects Article: https://www.eliteprospects.com/news/nhl-prospect-report/ncaa-s...

With a goaltending crisis, the Habs turned to professional rookie Jacob Fowler, who delivered on high expectations with a standout debut performance, shutting down Sidney Crosby & the Pittsburgh Penguins. He's seen as the heir apparent in the crease, but is the future here already? He wasn't the only rookie to shine in this game however, as the Penguins' kid line, led by 18-year-old Benjamin Kinde...

The World Junior Championships are under a month away and the Team Sweden training camp roster has been officialized, so we try our hand at predicting the lines and pairings. The top line will be among the tournament's most potent, featuring draft-eligible starlet Ivar Stenberg and high-motor dynamo Victor Eklund flanking the Chicago Blackhawks' third overall pick, Anton Frondell. On defence, ther...

The World Junior Championships are under a month away and the Team Canada training camp roster has just been officialized, so we try our hand at predicting the lines and pairings. Elite talents will be left at home at forward as there are just too many names to choose from, and will be led by Gavin McKenna, Michael Misa, and Porter Martone. On defence, Zayne Parekh will lead the charge offensively...

The World Junior Championships are under a month away and the rosters have been announced, so we try our hand at predicting the lines and pairings. Elite talents will be left at home due to the breadth of American talent, but we can bank on big performances from the likes of James Hagens, Cole Eiserman, and Cole Hutson. Netminding may be the Achilles heel, but the overall skill and variety in the...

Today, we complete our trio of Sharks episodes by delving into Macklin Celebrini's historic production this season. His season currently sits 4th all time for points per game for a U20 player in NHL history, sandwiched between the two Penguins all-time greats. Next, we shift over to responding to your comments and excitement for the future of the Sharks organization.     Follow & Subscribe on all...

Today, we break down some of the hottest young guns in the Sharks' system. From the NHL with elite performances in net from Askarov, Celebrini's dominance, and Will Smith's ascencion to the AHL with the next wave of rookie reinforcements. We also break down 6 prospects developing outside the Sharks' organization, including Cole McKinney and Teddy Mutryn hitting the ground running in new environmen...

Today, we break down the progressions of 13 of the AHL's top-performing rookie skaters. First, we highlight a quintet of scoring wingers, including Nick Lardis and Quentin Musty. Then, we focus on four power forwards with skyrocketing development curves, highlighted by Igor Chernyshov and Ilya Protas. Finally, we shout-out four defencemen who have made a comfortable start to life in professional N...

The 2025-26 season is about a quarter way through and we can now see which 2025 draft picks have hit the ground running the most. From Porter Martone and William Horcoff in Round 1 to Alexander Zharovsky and Ethan Wyttenbach beyond, players from all over have made their teams look real smart. We check in with a handful of first rounder, four second rounders, and another five late-round picks.    ...

The 2025-26 season is about a quarter way through and the Calder Race is clarifying, with a pair of expected elite talents at the front, in Matthew Schaefer and Ivan Demidov. Don't underestimate the netminders, though, as Jesper Wallstedt and Yaroslav Askarov surged with dominant November performances. Finally, we wrap things up with a trio of wingers on the rise: Beckett Sennecke, Braeden Bowman,...

The Ducks are off to a strong start to the season, and in this episode, I break down the standout performances from Beckett Sennecke, who's riding a 7-game point streak. The 19-year-old winger has drawn almost twice as many penalties as his next closest teammate through high-end handling skill and evasiveness. But just how high does his upside reach, and who may be his best linemates in the organi...

Ivar Stenberg's season has been nothing short of extraordinary. He's at almost exactly a point per game through 23 contests in one of the best leagues in the world: the SHL. With a game modelled after Tim Stützle, Stenberg creates chance after chance with his high-end intelligence, handling skill, and playmaking acumen. But could he dislodge Gavin McKenna at no. 1 in 2026 NHL Draft rankings?   Fol...

With the 5 year extension to Mike Matheson, the Habs have locked up their top three defencemen for the next half decade, freeing up blueline prospects to trade talks for their biggest need. Who should Montreal look to move between Adam Engström, David Reinbacher, and Kaiden Guhle?   Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…   🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LONHLProspects?sid=YouTube   Locked On NHL...

First overall picks are the most coveted abstract asset in the sport for a reason, they can change the outlooks of entire franchises. Today, we rank all 11 of them since 2015, slotting them into four tiers: Top-6/Top-4; All Star; Superstar; and Generational. From Connor McDavid to budding stars like Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, and Matthew Schaefer, we split hairs to determine who got the ver...

The 2026 Draft is beginning to crystallize and while the NHL standings are still entering a blender every week, we're kicking off our first mock draft of the season. From the Calgary Flames landing Gavin McKenna, to the Boston Bruins picking at 6 with Toronto's selection, the top end of this draft has potential for drama and steals. Who should your favourite team select?   Follow & Subscribe on al...

The World Junior Championships are under a month away and the rosters will be announced in the coming week, so we try our hand at predicting the lines and pairings. Elite talents will be left at home due to the breadth of American talent, but we can bank on big performances from the likes of James Hagens, Cole Eiserman, and Cole Hutson. Netminding may be the Achilles heel, but the overall skill an...

The World Junior Championships are under a month away and the rosters will be announced in the coming week, so we try our hand at predicting the lines and pairings. Elite talents will be left at home at forward as there are just too many names to choose from, and will be led by Gavin McKenna and Porter Martone. On defence, Hockey Canada should hope the Calgary Flames allow Zayne Parekh to attend t...

We're in draft rankings season and on today's show we take a look at McKeen's recently-released top 32 board. From keeping Gavin McKenna at #1 to swinging hard on upside through the first round, these rankings are built with a lot of thought and risk assessment.   McKeen's Top 32 Rankings: https://www.mckeenshockey.com/nhl-blog/2026-nhl-draft-pre-wjc-top-32-draft-rankings/   Follow & Subscribe on...