My name is Chris Ransom and I’m the founder of Draft Utopia. In my first article for NHL Draft Pros I plan on breaking down the top 5 NCAA players entering college hockey this season for the 2026 NHL Draft. The 2026 NHL Draft has five preseason first round picks, so I will break those guys down starting at 5 and moving all the way up to 1.
- Adam Valentini, C, Michigan
The 5-11 185 lb Adam Valentini burst onto the season with 52 goals, 82 assists, and 134 points in 57 games with the Toronto Malboros Under 16 AAA team in 203-2024. Adam Valentini had a respectable 17 goals, 22 assists, and 39 points with the Chicago Steel in the USHL last year. Valentini was originally going to make the jump to the OHL to play for the Kitchener Rangers. Instead, he got a college hockey scholarship to play with the Michigan Wolverines. Adam Valentini may not be a top line forward. He interviewed really well on an episode of Steel Flyers last year and he models his game after Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston, the Stars 2021 first round pick. Adam Valentini emphasized working on his strength during his interview.
- Landon Nycz, D, Massachusetts
The 6-2 201 lb Landon Nycz is one of seven defenseman in the 2026 NHL Draft that has experience playing that number one defenseman role on a top line in his plus one draft year. Landon Nycz was the only defender outside of Keaton Verahoeff, the top defender in the 2026 NHL Draft to have his team go two periods without giving up a goal on tape. Landon Nycz was drafted by the Waterloo Blackhawks, but traded to the Sioux City Musketeers where he shined as a defender last season. This is a guy with the floor of a third line defenseman in the NHL and the ceiling of a first ine defenseman that can be a number one defenseman int he NHL. His hard hitting, body checking, and physicality is a big reason why he cracked the late first round of my 2026 NHL Mock Draft over on Draft Utopia. Landon Nycz had 8 goals, 18 assists, 31 penalty minutes, and a +13 +/- ratio with the Sioux City Musketeers in 2024-2025. He had 0 goals, 1 assist, and 1 point in 3 games during the 2025 USHL Playoffs. Landon Nycz is enrolling at Massachusetts on a hockey scholarship which is the same alma matter Cale Makar played at when Makar was done dominating with the Brooks Bandits the BCHL. One thing Nycz has to do to assert himself as a top line guy in the NHL is improve his shot. His shooting power and shooting accuracy on shots needs to develop more and playing in the toughest conference in the NCAA in the Hockey East conference is one way Nycz can develop his shot. The positive is that Landon Nycz is closer to his ceiling than his floor, but he’s got to refine his shot while he’s in college if he wants to succeed in the NHL.
- Braidy Wassilyn, LW, Boston University
The 5-11 194 lb Braidy Wassilyn is smaller than his projection as he was projected to be 6-1 195. He was drafted fourth overall by the Niagara IceDogs in the 2024 OHL Draft. He has the versatility to play all three forward roles as he played center on the Markham Majors GTHL team where he was their team captain in 2023-2024 prior to being drafted by the Niagara IceDogs. He was a third line left winger on Niagara after being a top line center in the GTHL. Braidy Wassilyn posted 8 goals, 31 assists, and 39 points with the Niagra IceDogs in 2024-2025. Braidy Wassilyn posted 1 goal, 2 assists, and 3 points. This is a guy with the floor of a third line forward and the ceiling of a first line forward. Right now, I would say he is closer to his floor than his ceiling. At the same token, he was also considered a preseason top 10 pick for the 2026 NHL Draft prior to the 2025 NHL Draft taking place. Braidy Wassilyn had to make a transition from the GTHL to the OHL. Now he will enter college making a transition from the OHL to the NCAA.
- Keaton Verhoeff, D, North Dakota
The Victoria Royals GM called Keaton Verhoeff an outstanding person that leads by example on the night of the 2023 WHL Bantam Draft when Keaton Verhoeff was drafted fourth overall behind Daxon Rudolph, Riley Boychuk, and Mathis Preston. Keaton Verhoeff has been the best overall player out of the 2023 WHL Draft. Keaton Verhoeff was 6-4 191 when he entered the WHL in 2023, but he’s added 21 lbs of muscle since then in the past two years. Keaton Verhoeff saw limited action as a rookie. He broke out in his sophomore WHL season dominating in his +1 draft year with 21 goals 24 assists, 45 points, 14 penalty minutes only taking 7 two minute penalties with 0 penalties for fighting, and a +23 +/- ratio taking the number one defenseman job from team captain Justin Kipkie who had to move over to the number two defenseman role on the top line. Keaton Verhoeff also had 1 goal, 9 assists, and 10 points in 11 games in the 2025 WHL Playofs. The Victoria Royals were featured in the WHL Game Of The Week twice on Youtube back in January with Keaton Verhoeff dominating those games. Believe me when I say Keaton Verhoeff probably would have gotten picked ahead of first overall pick Matthew Schaefer if he was eligible for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Keaton Verhoeff should be the first defender off the board in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft and is currently the favorite to go second overall.
- Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State
The 2026 NHL Draft is headlined by one guy. That guy is Gavin McKenna is that this guy processes information so fast when he became the first 14 year old drafted into the WHL back in 2022. That is an understatement as McKenna processes the game at a supersonic rate. He is also mature beyond his years as he talked about how the older players on the Medicine Hat Tigers deserved to be playing in the 2025 Memorial Cup more than anything else. Gavin McKenna’s main position is left winger, but he has the versatility to line up at center taking face offs or can play right winger on your top line as well.
The 6-0 155 lb Gavin McKenna had 4 goals, 14 assists, and 18 points in 16 games in 2022-2023. He also recorded his first goal in the 2023 WHL Playoffs. Gavin McKenna had 34 goals, 63 assists, and 97 points in his sophomore season in the WHL and his first full season in 2023-2024. Gavin McKenna improved with 2 goals, 4 assists, and 6 points in the 2024 WHL Playoffs. Gavin McKenna had 41 goals, 88 assists, 129 points, and a +60 +/- ratio with the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2024-2025. Gavin McKenna had 9 goals, 29 assists, and 38 points in 19 games during the 2025 WHL Playoffs averaging 2 points per game leading the Medicine Hat Tigers to the 2025 WHL Championship where the Medicine Hat Tigers defeated the Spokane Chiefs to represent the Western Hockey League in the 2025 Memorial Cup. The London Knights last years runner up to the Saginaw Spirit in 2024 won that tournament in 2025, but the Medicine Hat Tigers won all three round robin games before losing the Championship.
Gavin McKenna checks off every box. He has the speed, explosion, burst, versatility, agility, skating, foot speed, playmaking, passing, shooting, sniping, wrist shot power, wrist shot accuracy, slap shot power, slap shot accuracy, vision, offensive awareness, defensive awareness, and hockey IQ.
This is a guy that can transform an NHL franchise as a franchise player right out of the gate. If you put Gavin McKenna on Pittsburgh he could have the best rookie season since Teemu Selanne got 132 points in 84 games with the Winnipeg Jets and McKenna has a slim chance to break that record with Sidney Crosby. He could get 100 points right out of the gate as a top line left winger with Connor Bedard in Chicago if you moved Ryan Donato over to right winger. He could do the same thing in San Jose with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith on thier top line. Heck, he could get 90 points as a rookie in Boston complimenting David Pastrnak at left winger even without a top line center. All 15/15 NHL scouting services may have Keaton Verhoeff at number 2 on their boards. All 15 of those scouting services do have Gavin McKenna as the top player in the 2026 NHL Draft.