Stock Up and Stock Down on Prospects in Latest 2026 NHL Mock Draft

Sometimes players move around in mock drafts or draft boards because they did something stupid (or many somethings stupid). Sometimes they move because of where a particular team spot lands in a mock draft. And sometimes they just move because the person writing—hi, that's me—has watched a lot more game footage since the last go-round.

The hockey season is very long, which is what I'm trying to say.

So who's on the rise and who's falling? Depends on who you ask. For me, analyzing players this season has been more about grouping them into tiers rather than specific players I think belong in specific draft slots. Even our prospective first overall pick is still up in the air between Ivar Stenberg and Gavin McKenna, as far as my true feelings are concerned. But there's movement, so let's look at some guys whose stocks are up, and some who are definitely down.

Updated 2026 NHL Mock Draft

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For full mock draft and analysis, click here

1. Vancouver Canucks: Keaton Verhoeff, D, University of North Dakota (NCAA)

2. Chicago Blackhawks: Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State (NCAA)

3. New York Rangers: Ivar Stenberg, LW/RW, Frolunda HC (SHL)

4. Calgary Flames: Chase Reid, D, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

5. Toronto Maple Leafs: Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)

6. Seattle Kraken: Carson Carels, D, Prince George Cougars (WHL) 

7. Winnipeg Jets: Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University (NCAA)

8. Florida Panthers: Daxon Rudolph, D, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)

9. San Jose Sharks: Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

10. Nashville Predators: Adam Novotny, LW/RW, Peterborough Petes (OHL)

11. St. Louis Blues (via DET): Alberts Smits, D, Jukurit (Liiga)

12. New Jersey Devils: Viggo Björck, C/RW, Djurgårdens IF

13. New York Islanders: Oliver Suvanto, C, Tappara (Liiga)

14. Columbus Blue Jackets: Ryan Lin, D, Vancouver Giants (WHL)

15. St. Louis Blues (via DET): Elton Hermansson, RW/LW, MoDo Hockey (Hockey Allsvenskan)

16. Washington Capitals (via ANA): Alexander Command, C, Örebro HK (SHL)

17. Los Angeles Kings: Oscar Hemming, F, Boston College (NCAA)

18. Washington Capitals (via ANA): Marcus Nordmark, RW, Djurgårdens IF U20 (U20 Nationell)

19. Utah Mammoth: Juho Piiparinen, D, Tappara (Liiga)

20. San Jose Sharks (via EDM): Nikita Klepov, LW, Saginaw Spirit

21. Philadelphia Flyers: JP Hurlbert, C, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)

22. Pittsburgh Penguins: Wyatt Cullen, LW, USNTDP

23. Boston Bruins: Malte Gustafsson, D, HV71 (SHL)

24. Vancouver Canucks (via MIN): Mathis Preston, RW, Vancouver Giants (WHL)

25. Montreal Canadiens: Egor Shilov, C, Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)

26. Seattle Kraken (via TBL): Ilia Morozov, F, Miami University (NCAA)

27. New York Rangers (via DAL): Ryan Roobroeck, C, Niagara IceDogs (OHL) 

28. Calgary Flames (via VGK): Liam Ruck, RW, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)

29. Buffalo Sabres: Brooks Rogowski, C, Oshawa Generals

30. Carolina Hurricanes: Maddox Dagenais, C, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)

31. St. Louis Blues (via COL): Jack Hextall, C, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)

32. Ottawa Senators: William Hakansson, D, Luleå HF (SHL) 

Stock Up: Caleb Malhotra — C, Brantford Bulldogs

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Center Caleb Malhotra snuck inside our top five in our last mock draft because I found it very easy to believe that the Toronto Maple Leafs would take a swing on him if they stayed at the fifth overall spot. He's probably going to be in our top five on our next draft board entirely on his own merit. The more I watch him, the more convinced I am that this kid is the real deal. 

Any time you can combine the kind of engagement, pace, and work ethic that Malhotra brings to the table with the kind of high-end hockey sense, it makes for an easy drafting decision. He's got such fantastic attention to detail, and he's a true 200-foot player; with some time and consistent development, I can see him being trusted in a similar manner at the NHL level to someone like Macklin Celebrini or Dylan Larkin. (I am not saying he is either one of those players, only that the utility and trustworthiness in all areas of the ice rings similarly. Don't go saying I said he's the next Celebrini.)

He's headed to Boston University in the fall, a step I feel will be excellent for his development. Growing the creation side of his game so that we see more of his play-driving ability shine, as well as refining his skating, are some things I'd like to see him improve at the college level. I'd definitely like to see him add more creation in transition. Building muscle will also be beneficial in preparing him for pro hockey.

Stock Down: Keaton Verhoeff — D, University of North Dakota

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You're probably tired of me talking about Keaton Verhoeff, but such is the job.

He fell to fourth overall on our most recent draft board, and he's going to fall even further on the next. I haven't settled on where, exactly, yet, but it definitely won't be in the top five. I imagine that makes me an outlier, but I stand by it, and it comes down to what I've been saying for a minute now: the more I watch Verhoeff, the less convinced I am that we are going to see his best-case scenario in the NHL.

At the start of the season, I was excited to watch him. I thought, here's a guy who has very real intelligence and combines size and mobility. As the season has progressed, his skating has felt more stiff, less able to keep up with the demands of the current pro game, and I've grown more concerned about whether his skating can support translating the rest of his game to the NHL level. 

You can be an incredibly smart player, but if you can't operate at game speed, that doesn't matter. Add to that his increased tendency to make costly mistakes — which decreased mobility can exacerbate, because you have so much less margin for error — over the year, and you have some valid concerns about engagement and ability to keep up.

I'm more than willing to be proven wrong on this, and I genuinely hope that he comes out next season and shows that my concerns are unfounded. But I wouldn't be doing my job right if I didn't have them.

Stock Up: Maddox Dagenais, C, Quebec Remparts

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No one can actively watch every single player in real time for every single game throughout a season. We do our best to zero in on the guys we've identified, then step outside that where we can, review, and step further outside. And at some point this season, he decided to turbocharge his game, and the bell started going off in my head about Quebec Remparts center Maddox Dagenais.

Though he didn't make it onto our most recent draft board, he will be on the next (spoiler alert!), and he did end up on our mock draft.

Prospect expert and Penguins writer Jesse Marshall described Dagenais perfectly succinctly when highlighting him for Penguins fans in a pre-draft video:

What caught my eye about Dagenais initially was the pace of his game, which seemed to skyrocket. Suddenly, this guy was all over the place and involved in everything, whereas before it was something that kept me from taking him 100 percent seriously as a first-rounder. His increase in engagement was particularly noticeable on the forecheck. 

And because I was watching him more, I started to notice more and more things about his game that I like. He hits with purpose (the opposite being a pet peeve of mine at this level), he's showcasing some fantastic handling skills—including an excellent release—that look projectable to the pro level, and while his utilization of his hockey sense has room to grow, there are clear indicators of creativity, high-end playmaking ability, and processing skills.

Stock Down: Ryan Roobroeck, C, Niagara IceDogs

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If you keep up with draft coverage, you may have noticed that I've been lower on center Ryan Roobroeck than others throughout the season. It's not because he doesn't have talent. In our last draft board, I described him as "a forward with elite-level tools, including a shot that is already NHL-caliber, who plays like he's dancing to the tempo of a Jack-in-the-box". It's a descriptor I still stand by, and one that has had me considering dropping him out of the first round entirely—but I don't think I'm going to do it. 

He's in the stock down category in this piece because he's falling in my personal esteem, but I'm leaving him inside the first because his tools, in a vacuum, are elite. There's no denying that fact, and I wouldn't try to. His shot is already NHL-quality, to the point that despite losing significant time to injury, he still hit the 30-goal mark.

We also saw his playmaking grow sharper this season, with Roobroeck showcasing impressive passing and even a bit of manipulation. And of course, you can't forget the physicality; he's 6'4" and 216 pounds, which is a lot of force to be throwing at opponents to separate them from the puck or leveraging to win battles along the wall. 

However, as we discussed with Keaton Verhoeff, engagement level is kind of a make-or-break at this stage. Your tools have to be wildly good for me—and probably most NHL teams—to take the swing when your engagement is nonexistent more than a fraction of the time. He's another one where I hope I'm proven wrong, because when he's got his head in the game, he's really fun to watch.