Gavin McKenna, Chase Reid and Alberts Šmits are top prospects in the 2026 NHL Draft. Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photos: David Berding / Getty Images, Andrea Branca / Eurasia ...

Determining how well a player will perform in the NHL is a near-impossible task, but for the 32 NHL teams, it’s the reality they face on draft night.

NHL draft week is here. Management and scouting staffs have assembled in their respective cities -- hopefully for the last time if the centralized draft returns -- and final list tinkering is well ...

The Upper Deck 2026 NHL Draft will be held June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The first round will be held June 26 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS) with rounds 2-7 on June 27 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+ ...

Very good players fell out of the first round of the NHL draft. There are various reasons for players slipping. Poor performance, an undersized frame or simply just not being the best player on any ...

With every NHL draft cycle, scouts and analysts look for ways to best compare the top upcoming talent to the current stars of the hockey world. However, there’s no true science to it. Development in ...