NHL
A new hockey season is here and you want to spend more time watching your team’s prospects but you don’t know where to start. I get it. There is a web of leagues outside the NHL sprawled across North America and Europe, and it can be hard to keep tabs on the various professional, junior, college and even high school levels.
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Well, don’t worry, because you’re probably asking yourself the same questions a lot of other fans are: How and where can I watch, and what or who should I be watching?
That’s where this piece comes in — bookmark it as your primer for all of the leagues outside the NHL for the 2025-26 season.
It includes the prospects calendar, with all of the key dates and events for the upcoming season, plus your viewing guide for all of the following leagues:
Where to watch
Many of the schools playing in the above leagues also have their games broadcast locally (as well as nationally) across CBSN, YouTube, Fox Sports, NESN, FanDuel Sports Network, Altitude, ESPNU and more stations. Stretch Internet also offers many of the U.S.-restricted feeds to international customers, while TSN+ picks up some NCAA games for Canadian viewers.
What you need to know
I had to start with the NCAA in this year’s piece because college hockey is one of the stories of the year in the hockey world. Gavin McKenna is a story within the story all on his own, and with him the emergence of Penn State as a top program — and spender.
McKenna isn’t the only story, though. He’s not even the only top 2026 NHL Draft prospect to make the move, as Keaton Verhoeff will play his draft year at North Dakota with Calgary Flames 2025 first-rounder Cole Reschny. Several other top NHL prospects and picks have also made the move to the NCAA, too. Porter Martone and Cayden Lindstrom are a part of a glossy freshman class at Michigan State. Meanwhile, Michigan is bringing in a big freshman class that includes another 2026 prospect in Adam Valentini, as well as drafted prospects like Malcolm Spence, Jack Ivankovic and Henry Mews. (I’ll be interested to see how their young group fares). Anaheim Ducks first-rounder Roger McQueen represents one of the biggest recruits in the history of Providence’s program. Recruit Ryder Ritchie and transfer Sacha Boisvert join a Boston University program that’s looking to go to a fourth straight Frozen Four under head coach Jay Pandolfo. Kris Mayotte and Colorado College have a strong freshman class coming in. The University of Nebraska-Omaha is trying something different and has recruited top players out of U Sports hockey in Canada. Maine has tapped into the QMJHL.
It’s going to be a fascinating year.
Where to watch
What you need to know
Despite a few notable departures to the NCAA, the OHL is adding an influx of young talent this year due to the eligibility rule changes.
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The league has recruited top players out of Canadian Jr. A and the USHL in particular. College-committed players like Sharks prospect Haoxi Simon Wang and 2026 prospects Caleb Malhotra and Nikita Klepov feature in that group.
The league has also retained top prospects like Brady Martin, Cameron Reid, Jake O’Brien, Kashawn Aitcheson and Jack Nesbitt, and will feature top 2026 prospects Ryan Roobroeck (Niagara), Ethan Belchetz (Windsor), and Chase Reid (Soo). Keep an eye on imports Adam Novotny in Peterborough, Oscar Hemming in Kitchener and Vladimir Dravecky in Brantford as well. Both are potential first-rounders in 2026. In the O, Dravecky and O’Brien’s Bulldogs are also the league favorites. They’ll chase a first title in Brantford with Chicago Blackhawks first-rounder Marek Vanacker, St. Louis Blues first-rounder Adam Jiricek, Montreal Canadiens D prospect Owen Protz, Buffalo Sabres goalie prospect Ryerson Leenders, impressive depth, and a new star in the league in Minnesota Wild prospect Adam Benak, who left the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms to come north.
Look for 19-year-olds like Zayne Parekh, Sam Dickinson, Liam Greentree and Beckett Sennecke to dominate the league if they don’t make or stick with their NHL clubs as well.
Where to watch
What you need to know
Beyond the NCAA’s eligibility changes and its impacts both ways in the WHL, there are two other stories of note out west this year: The Penticton Vees, a longtime giant in the Jr. A world, are the league’s newest team and are bringing with them a longtime executive and head coach in Fred Harbinson, and the Memorial Cup is being hosted by the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets. The Vees’ inaugural roster post-expansion draft lacks top drafted and draft-eligible talent, but they have managed to add Islanders seventh-rounder and University of Minnesota recruit Jacob Kvasnicka, who should be a really good player for them. The Memorial Cup hosts will be led by Utah’s top-10 pick Tij Iginla and a handful of other drafted prospects, including new import and Islanders prospect Tomas Poletin. They’ve also added overage D Mazden Leslie, successfully pulling him away from the college path to chase a title.
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Ben Kindel (Calgary), Braeden Cootes (Seattle), Radim Mrtka (Seattle), Carter Bear (Everett) and Lynden Lakovic (Moose Jaw) are all 2025 first-rounders who are returning to the Dub as well.
Despite losing McKenna and Verhoeff to college, the WHL still boasts a very impressive 2026 draft class led by Ryan Lin (Vancouver), Mathis Preston (Spokane), Carson Carels (Prince Albert) and Tobias Tomik (an import for Vancouver). The Kamloops Blazers have also managed to pull talented 2026 prospect J.P. Hurlbert away from the U.S. NTDP, too. Noah Davidson, a Boston College commit who has left Shattuck to play in Medicine Hat, looks like a legit prospect for 2027 as well, and he’ll play for the Tigers with the Ruck twins, who are decent 2026s.
The name to watch in the WHL this year, though, is 2027 exceptional status Everett defenseman Landon DuPont.
Where to watch
What you need to know
The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada enter the 2025-26 QMJHL season as favorites. Both of their goalies, Jakub Milota (Predators) and Arseni Radkov (Canadiens) are drafted NHL prospects and they’re going to have a high-powered offence in front of them led by top D Spencer Gill (Flyers), returning linemates Justin Carbonneau (Blues) and Mateo Nobert (Golden Knights), the addition of Bill Zonnon (Penguins), and reigning QMJHL defenseman of the year and top 2026 prospect Xavier Villeneuve, who is one of the most talented players in the whole of the CHL.
The reigning QMJHL-champion Moncton Wildcats have done a nice job re-upping their roster as well, and will be getting Utah’s Caleb Desnoyers back from wrist surgery in the late fall/early winter as well.
I’m interested to see what Chicoutimi import Maxim Schäfer (Capitals) looks like in major junior after making the move from Germany as well. He has impressed me internationally.
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And while Villeneuve is the most interesting 2026 prospect out of the Q, I’m also going to be watching Russian forward Yegor Shilov (Victoriaville), who lit it up in preseason, and Swiss forward Lars Steiner (Rouyn-Noranda).
Where to watch
What you need to know
The Greensboro Gargoyles are the new kid on the block in the ECHL this season and will be the affiliate for the NHL Carolina Hurricanes and AHL Chicago Wolves, who renewed their affiliation with the Canes last season.
Training camps will determine which top NHL prospects end up back in the AHL, but you can expect to see incoming CHLers like Nick Lardis (Rockford), Luca Pinelli (Cleveland), Colby Barlow (Manitoba), Carson Rehkopf (Coachella Valley), Andrew Cristall (Hershey), Brayden Yager (Manitoba), Riley Heidt (Iowa), Oliver Bonk (Lehigh Valley) and Easton Cowan (Toronto) in the league — plus potentially guys like Tanner Molendyk in Milwaukee and Calum Ritchie in Bridgeport.
I’ll be watching Russian arrivals Daniil But and Dmitri Simashev closely in Tucson as well. I’m also interested to see how Swedish D Tom Willander (Abbotsford) and Theo Lindstein (Springfield) do in their first full seasons in the AHL.
Where to watch
While FloHockey owns the streaming rights to the USHL, USA Hockey runs its own streaming services for the NTDP and its various tournaments/showcases (Chipotle All-American Game, World Junior Summer Showcase, Five Nations, etc.).
What you need to know
The ’08 group of U18s at the program this year is a weaker crop for a second year in a row. There are people who talked about Casey Mutryn and Luke Schairer as first-rounders last year coming off strong showings at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, but I didn’t see it then and don’t now. Mikey Berchild is the most talented player on the team, but probably lacks the size to be a first-rounder. The best prospect on the team is probably Sammy Nelson, but he’s a 2027 prospect.
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There is more buzz about the ’09s, led by forwards Carter Meyer and Rocco Pelosi, as well as goalie Nate Chizik.
Though the USHL has lost significant talent in the last year to the CHL, they have managed to hang onto some really important ones, led by Muskegon captain and Boston University commit Tynan Lawrence, who made the decision to return and chase back-to-back Clark Cup titles with the Lumberjacks. Lawrence, a center, is one of the top prospects in the 2026 draft.
Youngstown center Jack Hextall and Des Moines forward Blake Zielinski are also legit prospects for 2026, and Hextall’s teammate Evan Jardine, a late ’07, has some fans.
Where to watch
What you need to know
For the first time in a while, there’s no Ivan Demidov or Matvei Michkov to watch in Russia. Other top young players like But and Simashev, as well as Arseni Gritsyuk and Danila Yurov, have also all made the move to North America this season. There’s a little less appeal in Russia this season for NHL fans as a result. Predators first-rounder Yegor Surin is off to a great start with Lokomotiv. 2024 No. 10 pick Anton Silayev (Devils) takes up the mantle as the league’s highest-drafted NHL prospect with Torpedo. Second-rounders Roman Kantserov (Blackhawks), Alexander Zharovsky (Canadiens) and Nikita Artamonov (Hurricanes) are worth tracking as well.
At the junior level MHL, 2026 draft eligibles Lavr Gashilov (who is off to a hot start), Gleb Pugachyov, and Viktor Fyodorov have drawn early attention from scouts, and others will emerge. The 2027 class out of Russia looks more promising than the 2026 one, though. Nazar Privalov is a 6-foot-4, 16-year-old forward with CSKA who is turning heads early on this season. Dmitri Savin, Semyon Gerasimov and Sergei Skvortsov all look like they could be legit, too.
Where to watch
What you need to know
The prospect to watch in Sweden this year is Frölunda winger Ivar Stenberg, one of the top prospects in the 2026 draft class.
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Djurgården is the team to watch in Sweden this year, though, and not for the first time over the last few years. They’ve earned promotion to the SHL and have three of the country’s top forward prospects all playing up with the big club: Blackhawks No. 3 pick Anton Frondell, Islanders first-rounder Victor Eklund, and 2026 prospect Viggo Björck. Their J20 team also includes Flames prospect Theo Stockselius and a second potential 2026 first-rounder, Marcus Nordmark (a personal favorite of mine).
Unsigned 20-year-old Habs prospect Filip Eriksson is off to a hot start on a Luleå team that also has Golden Knights second-rounder Jakob Ihs-Wozniak and 2026 D prospect William Håkansson. Timrå — with Red Wings prospect Eddie Genborg, Hurricanes prospect Simon Forsmark, Jets prospect Alfons Freij and Panthers prospect Linus Eriksson — is worthwhile, too.
In the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan, IK Oskarshamn has a handful of NHL prospects, including World Junior team hopefuls Viggo Nordlund (Hurricanes) and Victor Johansson (Maple Leafs).
Stenberg, Björck, Nordmark and Håkansson aren’t the only 2026s of interest, either. It’s a strong group for the Swedes, and MoDo’s Elton Hermansson, Örebro’s Axel Elofsson, Linköping’s Oscar Holmertz and HV71’s Malte Gustafsson are also all worth your time.
Where to watch
What you need to know:
There are several mid-round NHL prospects playing in Finland’s top-flight Liiga this season. They include Wild prospect Aron Kiviharju (HIFK), Habs prospect Aatos Koivu (TPS), Ducks prospect Lasse Boelius (Ässät) and Predators prospect Daniel Nieminen (Pelicans), who will all be a big part of the Finnish World Juniors team in December.
Finnish titans Tappara might be the team to watch this season, though, with two of the country’s top prospects for the 2026 NHL Draft — forward Oliver Suvanto and defenseman Juho Piiparainen — up with the big club to start the year. Latvian defenseman Alberts Smits got off to a hot start with Jukurit’s junior team and is a potential first-round pick as well. Keep an eye on 2026s Samu Alalauri (Pelicans), Vertti Svensk (SaiPa), Simon Katolicky (Tappara) and Vilho Vanhatalo (Tappara) as well.
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For 2027, defensemen Roni Kuukasjärvi (Ilves) and Max Syrjäläinen (Jokerit) are supposed to be legit prospects, and forward Luca Santala (Kiekko-Espoo) is a talented scorer.
Where to watch
What you need to know
The Utah Mammoth have a trio of prospects playing in Czechia’s top flight in Stepan Hoch (HC Motor České Budějovice), Vojtěch Hradec (BK Mladá Boleslav) and Ales Cech (also BK Mladá Boleslav). Kings second-rounder Vojtech Cihar is playing for HC Energie Karlovy Vary and Capitals prospect Petr Sikora is playing for HC Oceláři Třinec, but that’s about it in terms of NHL-affiliated content. With Novotny, Dravecky and Katolicky playing elsewhere, there isn’t much by way of draft-eligible content this year either.
The small but extremely talented Lukas Kachlir, who isn’t even eligible until 2027, is already playing pro at 5-foot-8 with Bílí Tygři Liberec, though, and there are some who have time for 2026 forward Filip Novak with HC Sparta Praha’s junior team.
Where to watch
What you need to know
This is a better draft class for the Slovaks than the Czechs and HK Nitra, who’ve developed the bulk of the country’s top NHL prospects in recent years, are the team to watch again with a pair of top-two-round prospects in forwards Tomas Chrenko and Adam Nemec (who have both been selected in the CHL Import Draft and have so far decided to stay at home). Right-shot defenseman Adam Goljer is playing with HK Dukla Trencin as well.
Slovakia did lose 2026 Tobias Tomik to the WHL’s Vancouver Giants and 2027 Oliver Ozogany (a standout at the Hlinka who has played in the U.S. for years) to the USHL’s Tri-City Storm, though.
Where to watch
What you need to know
Forward Max Penkin, who isn’t eligible for the draft until 2027, looks like a promising prospect. He played well at U18 worlds as a 15-year-old and has already scored his first DEL goal with Adler Mannheim at 16.
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Where to watch
What you need to know
The top Swiss prospect in the 2026 class, Lars Steiner, is a legit player but is playing for Rouyn-Noranda in the Q. Otherwise, it’s a pretty weak age group, with the only 2026-eligible prospect of note playing in the country actually being Lithuanian forward Simas Ignatavicius (Genève-Servette HC). Ignatavicius is interesting, though. He’s a big right-shot forward with some tools.
The country does have a solid prospect for 2027, however, in EHC Biel-Bienne’s Jonah Neuenschwander, who burst onto the scene last year when he started picking up points in the NL and played on Switzerland’s power play at the World Juniors as a 15-year-old.
Schools to watch (and where)
High school hockey is the trickiest to watch and follow because the best schools are spread out across two countries, multiple states and provinces, and several different loops.
You can access many (but not all) of the Minnesota high school hockey games through NSPN.TV and MNHockey.TV.
But a lot of the big prep schools do their own thing. St. Andrew’s College (SAC), which has produced an NHL prospect or two annually for the last several years, broadcasts its games on YouTube and the school’s website. It started the Prep Hockey Conference with six of the top private school programs in North America in 2021 in order to play a more competitive schedule.
The Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) broadcasts its games through FloHockey.
There are other worthwhile prep school programs — many of which broadcast their own games — scattered across the United States, led by Minnesota’s Shattuck-St. Mary’s School (a prospect factory streaming its games on its website) and including New Hampshire’s Kimball Union Academy; Massachusetts’ Cushing Academy, St. Mark’s School, St. Sebastian’s School, Dexter Southfield School and Thayer Academy; Connecticut’s Salisbury School, South Kent School and Avon Old Farms; Indiana’s Culver Academies; Rhode Island’s Mount St. Charles Academy; and New York’s Northwood School. The NFHS Network can also be a handy resource for streaming high school hockey games in the U.S.
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What you need to know
At Shattuck, 2010-born right-shot D Drew Daley (2028 NHL Draft) is supposed to be the player to watch this year, but 2027-eligible 6-6 Latvian forward Roberts Naudins (a Harvard commit who played at last year’s World Juniors) is fascinating as well.
I’ve had several people talk up Mount St. Charles Academy’s Wilson Bomedienne, a 15-year-old Swedish forward who is the younger brother of Jets prospect Sacha Boumedienne, over the last couple of years as well. If what they’ve said is true, he’s going to be a very high pick in 2028. I’ve heard good things about his teammate Zaac Charbonneau (another 2028) as well. Blackhawks first-rounder Sacha Boisvert’s younger brother Thomas is on that Mount St. Charles team, too.
(Photo of Gavin McKenna: Leila Devlin / Getty Images)
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Scott Wheeler covers the NHL draft and prospects nationally for The Athletic. Scott has written for the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, The Toronto Sun, the National Post, SB Nation and several other outlets in the past. Author of ‘On The Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the NHL Draft’ Follow Scott on Twitter @scottcwheeler
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