1 Slovakian Center and 2 OHL Wingers Shine
Another week of hockey is in the books, and more young stars are making their cases to be top prospects in the 2026 NHL draft. Slovakian center Tomas Chrenko continued his dominance this season against competition that is much older than him. Pierce Mbuyi showed off his playmaking ability in three wins for his club, and Nikita Klepov maintained his lead atop the OHL scoring for draft eligibles.
Tomas Chrenko | C | HK Nitra (Slovakia)
After dominating in U20 Slovakia competition to the tune of 61 points (30 goals, 31 assists) in 28 games in his predraft year, Chrenko began to get some recognition as a potential late first-round pick entering the season. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound center has played in 17 games so far already this year with HK Nitra’s pro team after getting into 26 games with the club last year.
With more weeks like this past one, Chrenko is sure to catch the eyes of NHL scouts. He opened the week with a two-goal outing in U20 play, helping his team secure a 6-4 victory. Called up to the big club for his second game of the week, the Slovak played just over 17 minutes and registered two assists in a 5-2 loss. He closed out the week with a goal and two assists in 15 minutes of ice time in a 5-0 win. After his team got the zone entry, Chrenko charged the net. The puck went back to the point, and defender Matej Baca fired it on goal. Chrenko quickly fired the rebound past the goalie to give his squad a 3-0 lead.
Pierce Mbuyi | LW | Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
Mbuyi, who won the OHL Rookie of the Year award in his first season with Owen Sound (52 points in 63 games) last season, has started the 2025-26 campaign with a scorching 24 points through 18 games. After registering 38 points in 33 games after January 1st last year, the highly skilled winger seems to have figured out how to rack up points in the OHL.
Mbuyi picked up an assist in wins on Wednesday and Saturday for the Attack and then exploded with a goal and four assists in an 8-3 victory over the Erie Otters on Sunday. After Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Harry Nansi took a big hit to get the puck into the Otters’ zone, Mbuyi snatched it up and skated it in. He then fired a perfectly placed wrist shot past the Otters’ goalkeeper to break the 2-2 tie with 3:12 left to go in the 2nd period.
Nikita Klepov | RW | Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
Nikita Klepov has started the 2025-26 campaign on a heater with 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) in 17 games. The Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medalist with the United States in August, where he picked up six points in five games, is garnering plenty of attention for his accolades so far.
The 6-foot, 181 pound winger put up six points (four goals, two assists) in three games this past week. His biggest game came in a 6-3 win over the Windsor Spitfires, where he registered a pair of goals and added a helper. Klepov got his first of the contest by being in the right place in the offensive zone to pick off a clearing attempt and then had a nearly wide-open wrist shot that beat Windsor goalie Joey Costanzo cleanly over the blocker. He added the daily double while 4-on-4 in the second period. Using the Spitfires defender as a screen, Kelpov fired a wrist shot that caught a peice of Costanzo’s shoulder and trickled across the goal line.