NHL
Gavin McKenna and Tynan Lawrence are No. 1 and 2 in Corey Pronman's latest draft ranking. Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photos: Michael Miller / ISI Photos / Getty Images, Chris Coduto / Getty Images
Today, I update my 2026 NHL Draft board as the junior and college seasons are well underway.
Gavin McKenna remains the top prospect. He looks like a standard first-overall type of prospect, analogous to someone like Jack Hughes in his draft year. Although neither is my second-ranked player, Keaton Verhoeff and Ethan Belchetz are commonly thought of in the league as potential challengers to McKenna as the season progresses. The class as a whole looks about average right now, with a typical handful of very exciting players before the drop-off happens.
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Corey Pronman is the senior NHL prospects writer for The Athletic. Previously, Corey worked in a similar role at ESPN. Follow Corey on Twitter @coreypronman
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