Lincoln Kuehne – 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Profile – The Hockey Writers – NHL Entry Draft

Lincoln Kuehne

2025-26 Team: Arizona State Sun Devils (NCAA, NCHC)
Date of Birth: Nov. 28, 2007
Place of Birth: Fargo, ND, USA
Ht: 6-foot-1.5
Wt: 210 pounds
Shoots: R
Position: D
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2026 first-year eligible

Rankings

After two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program, where he logged 10 points and 51 penalty minutes across 61 games as a defensive blueliner, Lincoln Kuehne had options, but he did not choose the easy path. The Swift Current Broncos selected him in the 2022 Western Hockey League (WHL) U.S. Prospect Draft, and he could have joined the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). He also could have played another year of junior hockey in the United States Hockey League (USHL) and played out his draft year before starting college.

Instead, he turned 18 in November and enrolled at Arizona State, joining the Sun Devils’ roster in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), one of the most competitive leagues in college. He played 30 games as a true freshman against programs like Denver, North Dakota, Minnesota Duluth, and Western Michigan. He was 17 years old for the first month of his NCAA career.

Stepping into the NCAA at 17, especially against NCHC competition, is not easy. Kuehne experienced the ups and downs that come with it. He averaged 11:47 of ice time per game, the lowest among Arizona State’s regular defensemen. He was not used on the power play and only appeared on the penalty kill sporadically.

His stat line, one goal and one assist in 30 games (both coming in the same contest against Omaha on Feb. 20), is thin. But head coach Greg Powers had veteran options ahead of him, including NCHC Defensive Defenseman of the Year candidate Kaden Murchison and a blue line built to compete in its second season at the highest level. But in a bottom-pair role, Kuehne mostly performed well, and the tools that earned him the roster spot showed up consistently.

His skating is his biggest asset. It is smooth, fluid, and functional in every direction. He uses heel pushes to surf across into opponents, closes lanes with active feet, and covers ground laterally faster than most defensemen in his draft class.

Against North Dakota in November, he evaded and escaped the forecheck better than any other Arizona State blueliner on the ice, using slippery edges in tight corners to spin off pressure and make the first pass. Against Denver in February, he slid effortlessly into help situations, filling posture in the defensive structure with quiet feet and poise. When opponents muffled pucks, Kuehne proactively stepped up, disrupting rushes and neutralizing looks before they developed. His stick work is smart: he feints space before taking it away, using his reach and timing rather than relying on physicality.

He stiff-arms opponents off the puck in motion, battles hard at the net front, and delivers smart bumps and seals that create space for teammates or take it away from opponents. As one of the NCAA’s youngest players, he was still sturdy in board battles throughout the season. Against St. Cloud State in February, players were unable to attack his heels or leverage speed differentials. The Arizona State Press flagged his 51 NTDP penalty minutes and suggested discipline would be a priority for Powers’ staff, but at the college level, Kuehne channeled his edge productively more often than not.

His ceiling is harder to predict with the puck on his stick. His vision from the point is limited. He has never been much of a producer at any level, and the NCAA was no different. He can catch and release pucks, carry them across the neutral zone, and make the occasional tricky backhand pass in transition, but those plays are infrequent.

His breakout decisions slow down under heavy forechecking pressure, and he defaults to rims instead of touch plays off retrievals. Against Notre Dame in October, linear on-puck habits held him back, with several shifts where he stared at incoming pressure rather than scanning for exits. That predictability is a concern. A depth NHL defenseman can survive without offense, but he must move the puck efficiently, and Kuehne is not there yet.

At the CHL/USA Prospects Challenge in November, Kuehne played top-pairing minutes for the first time all season and was the best defenseman on the ice. He dished out pucks with confidence, beat checkers one-on-one in the breakout, and drew in forechecking pressure before protecting the puck and escaping.

Aggressive positioning, a long reach, and flashes of physical meanness blended into an impressive defensive radius. Against his own age group, with real ice time and a meaningful role, he looked like a top-64 pick, drawing comparisons to Adam Engström of the Montréal Canadiens: a mobile, physical, right-shot defenseman whose skating and compete level project to a depth NHL role before his offensive game fills in.

At the 2026 NHL Combine in Buffalo, Kuehne measured 6-foot-1.5 and 210 pounds, a frame that has already filled out beyond most 18-year-old defensemen. He is not a project physically. He grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, and followed the same NTDP-to-Arizona State pipeline as teammate Cullen Potter, a 2025 NHL Draft pick.

Lincoln Kuehne – NHL Draft Projection

Kuehne projects as a third-to-fifth round selection. His right-shot designation alone will get NHL scouts in the building, and his physical tools, skating, and NCHC experience give him a floor that most defensemen ranked outside the top 100 on public boards don’t have.

Central Scouting’s 65th ranking among NA skaters and Draft Prospects Hockey’s 66th suggest the professional scouting community sees him higher than the consolidated boards. The team that drafts him is betting that his skating will remain his best asset, his physical game will translate, and his puck-moving will develop over two or three more seasons in the NCAA.

A realistic projection puts him as a fifth or sixth NHL defenseman who defends the rush, kills penalties, and keeps opponents in front of him. For a later-round, right-shot blueliner with his frame and mobility, that is a worthwhile investment.

Quotables

Kuehne is a very smooth skater, taking advantage of his solid speed on rush defenses and when creeping into plays in the offensive zone. His gap control was always solid with the NTDP, and it has translated perfectly to college, poking out pucks and running opposing forwards against the boards have been his specialty.

2026 NHL Draft: McKeen’s Early Season Favourites – USA Part Two – McKeen’s Hockey (November 2025).

Kuehne is a pro-framed, right-shot defenseman with NHL size at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds and enough skating ability to project physically into the professional game. He defends with structure and posture, keeps opponents in front of him, and shows the ability to hold early gap and neutralize north-south speed.

Lincoln Kuehne Scouting Report – Neutral Zone (May 2026).

Strengths

• Smooth, fluid skater with active feet who closes lanes quickly, covers ground laterally, and uses edges to escape pressure in tight spaces
• Right-shot defenseman with pro size (6-foot-2, 210 pounds at the NHL Combine) and the physical habits to compete in board battles and at the net front
• Smart defensive stick that feints space before taking it away; reads cycles well below the goal line and uses positioning rather than chasing
• Played 30 NCAA games in the NCHC as a true freshman, the most competitive path available to a draft-eligible defenseman
• Showed top-64 tools at the CHL/USA Prospects Challenge when given meaningful minutes and a top-pairing role
• Won a bronze medal with the United States at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship
• Adam Engström (Montréal Canadiens) comparison: mobile, physical, right-shot defenseman whose skating and compete level project before the offensive game fills in

Under Construction – Needs Improvement

• Produced just one goal and one assist in 30 NCAA games; offensive game does not project above a depth role at this stage
• Vision from the point is limited; breakout decisions slow under heavy forechecking pressure and he defaults to rims over touch plays
• Averaged 11:47 of ice time per game as a freshman, the lowest among Arizona State’s regular defensemen
• On-puck deception and handling need refinement; linear habits with the puck were flagged in multiple games
• Accumulated 51 penalty minutes in 61 NTDP games in 2024-25; channeling physical edge without crossing the discipline line remains a work in progress

NHL Potential

Kuehne’s projection is a fifth or sixth defenseman who kills penalties, defends the rush, and keeps opponents honest at the net front. He is not going to quarterback a power play. He is not going to lead a rush up the ice or create offense from the blue line. He is going to defend, compete physically, and use his skating to neutralize speed.

There were games this season when his toolkit looked too vanilla to carve out an NHL role. There were others, particularly the Prospects Challenge and the Denver game, when his defensive pace and engagement showed a player who could stop plays at the professional level. His actual game likely lands somewhere in the middle: a rangy rush defender with quick feet and physicality whose NHL future depends on whether his puck-moving flashes become consistent habits. He has at least two more NCAA seasons at Arizona State to figure that out.

Risk-Reward Analysis

Risk: 4/5, Reward: 2/5

Fantasy Hockey Potential

Offense: 2/10, Defense: 5/10

Awards/Achievements

• Won bronze with the United States at the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship
• Played 30 NCAA games as a true freshman in the NCHC for Arizona State (2025-26)
• Made his collegiate debut on Oct. 3, 2025 vs. Penn State (finished plus-1)
• Recorded first career NCAA goal and assist in the same game vs. Omaha on Feb. 21, 2026
• Selected by the Swift Current Broncos in the 2022 WHL U.S. Prospect Draft
• Attended the 2026 NHL Combine in Buffalo (official measurements: 6-foot-1.5, 210 pounds)

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Lincoln Kuehne Stats

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