We are now just one sleep away from the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. For the prospects, the reality is starting to set in that they’re about to realize their dream.
As is customary, several top prospects met with the media on Thursday morning in downtown Buffalo to discuss their thoughts leading up to Friday’s first round.
Here is the full list of prospects that spoke to the media.
- Gavin McKenna
- Ivar Stenberg
- Chase Reid
- Keaton Verhoeff
- Daxon Rudolph
- Caleb Malhotra
- Tynan Lawrence
- Nikita Klepov
- Ethan Blechetz
- Ilya Morozov
- Alberts Smits
- Oscar Hemming
- Oliver Suvanto
- JP Hurlbert
- Viggo Bjorck
The Hockey Writers didn’t speak to all of the prospects given timing and space available. But we were able to get to several of them to discuss their thoughts. We’ll start with an interesting question many were asked.
Impact of Trades
With all the trades that have taken place in the NHL especially involving some first-round picks, it throws a level of intrigue and excitement into the process. Maybe even in some cases, some nerves come in.
Here’s a sample of what some of the prospects said in regards to how they felt as they saw all the trades come in.
“For me, it doesn’t really matter,” Klepov said. “I can’t control that. I don’t really care about it. That’s the teams decisions and I’ll be happy to get drafted by one of those teams and I’ll do everything to help them win in the future.”
“I think it’s very exciting just seeing it all unfold,” Lawrence said. “You never really know what’s going to happen, where you’re going to go. Just seeing a team trade up or down, a pick around your range is kind of interesting to see. You think maybe that’s a team, maybe that’s not. It’s just fun to see how it all unfolds.”
“Some of the trades, I didn’t expect them at all,” Suvanto said. “But I think it doesn’t affect that much in me. I don’t think it’s affecting (anything) on my side or something like that. Just seeing that kind of trades, big players, change teams is something not usual.”
“It’s crazy,” Belchetz said. “At the end of the day, we’re all hockey fans here. When you see all these things happening, it’s pretty cool to watch. And draft day is unpredictable so it’s be fun to watch tomorrow.”
“That’s just what happens,” Hemming said. “You kind of get used to it but you’re not that surprised anymore.”
With teams like the Sabres owning the fourth pick and the Sharks holding the second and ninth pick, we could see more picks moved near the top of the draft. For the most part, these prospects keep a close eye on things to see how it might affect them.
Klepov Speaks
Klepov was one of the top prospects who didn’t attend the NHL Combine in Buffalo. However, he was part of the big Gold Star meeting in Florida.
As expected, most of the NHL made the trip to Florida to watch Klepov and many other prospects workout. They also got interviews with teams. How many teams wanted an interview with the OHL’s leading point getter?
“Probably 15-20 of them,” Klepov said on the number of interviews he had. “There’s a lot of questions about your personality and just about your mentality. It’s interesting to answer all those.”
Klepov’s stock has been high for some time. To go in as an OHL rookie and league the lead in scoring says something about the kind of player he is and the kind of game he plays. He gave credit to the way the Saginaw Spirit handled things.
“We had a really good coach,” Klepov said of Chris Lazary. “I had perfect linemates and they helped me a ton this year. It’s obviously not just my accomplishment but everyone in the organization starting with the coaching staff.”
Klepov will be taking his talents to Michigan State upcoming. He’s ready to take on a different level of hockey. As for who he likes to watch in the NHL:
“Just like watching Nikita Kucherov’s game,” Klepov said. “Just the way he thinks the game and his hockey IQ is impressive so just like watching him.”
The points of course stand out for Klepov. But he is more than a one-trick pony in his overall game.
“My competitiveness,” Klepov said about which other parts of his game stick out. “I always like to be in a battle and play hard. I just want to play the way I play and it doesn’t matter if I do get points or not. If something’s not going my way, I still like to play hockey. It’s all the way to the NHL now (which is) really exciting. If offense isn’t coming, you can still help create scoring chances for your teammates. For me, it’s just to play the right way.”
The Blue Jackets were one of the teams who requested an interview with Klepov at the Gold Star camp. If they do keep the 14th pick, he is something that could be in that range to go. Given the offense and skill he has, several other teams will look at him too.
Belchetz Fully Healthy
Anytime a prospect is recovering from a significant injury, teams will do their due diligence to make sure it won’t affect that prospect in the future. In Belchetz’s case, he has a full, clean bill of health coming into the draft.
Belchetz suffered a broken left clavicle in March that required surgery. It forced him to miss the OHL postseason for a second-straight year.
Despite the setbacks, Belchetz says he is fully healthy.
“I feel really good,” Belchetz said. “I’ve been fully cleared and all that I barely notice it now to this day. I’m back on the ice skating. I play three-on-three games. I’m working out fully.”
Belchetz is a strong candidate to hear his name called in the top-10 Friday night. His clean bill of health should give teams considering him more confidence.
Standing at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, Belchetz is the prototypical power forward that teams would covet. He admitted that it’s a focus for him to get better at his skating. If he’s able to develop that on top of what he can already do at his size, he has a chance to be a force in the NHL someday.
Coming into the draft completely healthy was a huge first step. Mission accomplished in that regard.
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