Ethan Belchetz
2025-26 Team: Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Date of Birth: March 30, 2008
Place of Birth: Oakville, Ontario
Ht: 6-foot-5 Wt: 227 pounds
Shoots: Left
Position: Left Wing
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2026 first-year eligible
Rankings
This upcoming draft is loaded with talent on the wing, and Ethan Belchetz is one of the top options. Standing at an astounding 6-foot-5, Belchetz has turned many heads over his two seasons with the Windsor Spitfires and has become one of their top contributors this season. A first overall selection in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, he has recorded 34 goals and 59 points in 57 games during the 2025-26 campaign. On a team loaded with talent like Liam Greentree and Jack Nesbitt, the draft-eligible winger has more than held his own and is one of their most dynamic offensive threats.
Related: THW’s 2026 NHL Draft Guide
With a frame as large as his, you would think that most of his production comes from close around the net and in tight areas, which may be his strongest suit, but he has many other attributes to go along with that. For a big player, he has shockingly good hands and can deke through defenders and find space on his own. When given the chance to stick-handle through players or put a move on either a goalie or a defenceman, he will do that, and often it works to his advantage.
Belchetz also possesses a fantastic shot. While he is mostly expected to drive the net and pick up rebounds, he has shown many times that he has no problem ripping a shot from the faceoff circle or taking a one-timer from the right side of the ice, adding more of an arsenal to his game and making him a more complete player.
Belchetz’s biggest attribute is his ability to get open without the puck. Due to his large frame, it is much easier for him to make room for himself and find places to get open on the ice. He showed that ability at this summer’s Hlinka-Gretzky tournament, where he looked like a man playing amongst boys, pushing through opposing players and creating his own room. He finished the tournament with seven points in five games and helped Canada earn a bronze medal.
Sadly, Belchetz’s draft-eligible season was recently cut short after a broken left clavicle injury has more than likely taken him out for the rest of the season. It was suffered on March 3, and this specific injury has had players miss significant time because of it. So not only will he miss the OHL Playoffs, but he will also miss the U18 Men’s World Championship. But many players have come back from this and not been drastically affected by it. Most notable is Matthew Schaefer, as he suffered this injury and joined the NHL this season and looks like the front-runner for the Calder Trophy.
Other THW Draft Profiles
Ethan Belchetz – NHL Draft Projection
With a draft class as loaded with wingers as this one is, Belchetz ran into a logjam at the position and dropped a few spots during this season. A mediocre performance at the CHL-USA Top Prospects Game didn’t help his stock either. But the raw talent and abilities that he has shown this season can’t go unnoticed and haven’t by scouts and executives. Right now, he is projected to be selected in the 10-15 range in the upcoming draft, but if he slipped into the top 10, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Quotables
“Belchetz is a towering forward who uses his long reach to his advantage offensively and defensively. He’s a strong skater who, when he gains the edge off the rush, is very hard to defend on his way to the crease. Belchetz leans goal scorer more than playmaker. His first instinct generally is to direct pucks on net. He has the hockey sense and ability to be deployed in a variety of roles.” – Jason Bukala, Sportsnet
“Belchetz constantly turns what should be 50:50 puck battles into advantages for him. He has already surpassed his goal total from last year in about half the time and is not far from his point totals. Belchetz is a player you see on cup contending teams (akin to Matthew Tkachuk) who not only impacts the game offensively but also physically in the trenches. Watch for Belchetz to climb even higher on draft boards if he proves to be a playoff performer this spring, as everybody expects him to.” – James Connelly, Dober Prospects
Strengths
- Size
- Accurate shot
- Sick-handling in tight areas
- Ability to create room for himself and his teammates
- Agility with and without the puck
Under Construction (Improvements to Make)
- More room to grow for his skating
- Bringing his speed up to be able to skate with his teammates at all times
- Overall defensive game
NHL Potential
The sky is the limit for a player like Belchetz. Players like him don’t come around very often, and he is continuing to prove to everyone that he has more abilities than just being a big player. He has agility, a heavy shot, and quick hands, along with being one of the tallest forwards in this draft class. In the right system and if he is deployed properly, I truly believe he can be a top-six winger at the professional level and a power-play specialist that sits in front of the net and puts in goals any way he can.
Risk – Reward Analysis
Risk 1/5, Reward 4.5/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offense 8.5/10, Defense 5/10
Awards/Achievements
- Represented Team CHL at the CHL-USA Top Prospects Game
- Bronze medal at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup in 2025
- OHL Cup championship in 2024
- OHL Cup MVP
Interviews/Links
Ethan Belchetz of @SpitsHockey joins us to talk the CHL USA Prospects Challenge pic.twitter.com/18ePcoVOOR
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 20, 2025
Ethan Belchetz Stats
Videos
Belchetz BLASTS one home🎯
Make that two goals tonight for Ethan Belchetz as he unloads this one-timer on the powerplay!@SpitsHockey | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/DWo7BVbptn
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) February 13, 2026
CANADA TIES IT UP 🔥
Ethan Belchetz makes no mistake for his third goal of the tournament.#HlinkaGretzky pic.twitter.com/iFgXfKJKK6
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 15, 2025
