2026 NHL Mock Draft: Ranking the Top Centers In This Year's Class

The crop of centers in this year's Draft class might not be as deep as the defensive prospects, but there's certainly quality to be found.

Teams are always looking for center depth, and as we've seen in this postseason, it's awfully difficult to win the Stanley Cup without a top pivot leading the way.

Here now are our top seven centers from this year's class.

Updated 2026 NHL Mock Draft

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1. Toronto Maple Leafs: Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State (NCAA)

2. San Jose Sharks: Chase Reid, D, Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds (OHL)

3. Vancouver Canucks: Ivar Stenberg, LW/RW, Frolunda HC (SHL)

4. Chicago Blackhawks: Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)

5. New York Rangers: Carson Carels, D, Prince George Cougars (WHL)

6. Calgary Flames: Keaton Verhoeff, D, University of North Dakota (NCAA)

7. Seattle Kraken: Viggo Bjorck, C/RW, Djurgardens IF (SHL)

8. Winnipeg Jets: Alberts Smits, D, Jukurit (Liiga)

9. Florida Panthers: Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University (NCAA)

10. Nashville Predators: Daxon Rudolph, D, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)

11. St. Louis Blues: Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

12. New Jersey Devils: Oscar Hemming, F, Boston College (NCAA)

13. New York Islanders: Adam Novotny, LW/RW, Peterborough Petes (OHL)

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

15. St. Louis Blues (via DET): Oliver Suvanto, C, Tappara (Liiga)

16. Washington Capitals: Nikita Klepov, LW, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)

17. Los Angeles Kings: Elton Hermansson, RW/LW, MoDo Hockey (Hockey Allsvenskan)

18. Washington Capitals (via ANA): Malte Gustafsson, D, HV71 (SHL)

19. Utah Mammoth: Ilia Morozov, F, Miami University (NCAA)

20. San Jose Sharks (via EDM): Egor Shilov, C, Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)

21. Philadelphia Flyers: Alexander Command, C, Orebro HK (SHL)

22. Pittsburgh Penguins: Wyatt Cullen, LW, USNTDP

23. Boston Bruins: JP Hurlbert, C, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)

24. Vancouver Canucks (via MIN): Marcus Nordmark, RW, Djurgardens IF U20 (U20 Nationell)

25. Seattle Kraken (via TBL): Xavier Villeneuve, D, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL)

26. New York Rangers (via DAL): Mathis Preston, RW, Vancouver Giants (WHL)

27. Buffalo Sabres: Jack Hextall, C, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)

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

29. Montreal Canadiens: Maddox Dagenais, C, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)

30. Carolina Hurricanes: Jaxon Cover, LW, London Knights (OHL)

31. St. Louis Blues (via COL): Brooks Rogowski, C, Oshawa Generals (OHL)

32. Ottawa Senators: Ryan Roobroeck, C, Niagara IceDogs (OHL) 

7. Ilia Morozov, Miami University (NCAA)

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Ilia Morozov is a tough player to evaluate.

A Russian who moved to the US a few years ago for hockey reasons. He played as an accelerated freshman for Miami, Ohio, and immediately received tough minutes, playing all situations and matching up against the opposition's top players. Even by draft-eligible NCAAer standards, he's young. Morozov doesn't turn 18 until August. All of those combine to create terrible circumstances for a transition to NCAA hockey.

So it says a lot that Morozov held his own. He's 6'3" and leverages that size well against the older competition. His defensive game is very respectable, though he had moments where he was clearly adjusting to the speed at which plays develop in college hockey. He protects the puck well as he skates and I like his ability to use that size to carry into the offensive zone, then lose his check with a punch turn. Morozov is a good stickhandler and his wrist shot is quick and hard.

I do worry about his skating, as he seems to skate with his upper body rather than leverage his powerful legs. There is room for improvement there.

Morozov produced eight goals and 12 assists in 36 games for Miami Ohio, but the data is misleading, I think. Half of that production came in a spell of a few games to start the season against very weak NCAA competition like RPI and Lindenwood, and a number of his assists were more incidental than anything. Regardless, he did not at all look out of place despite often fighting uphill. He has middle-six upside, though I lean more into the third-line side of that equation. 

6. Oliver Suvanto, Tappara (Liiga)

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If we were ranking players based on NHL-readiness, Suvanto might be as high as third on this list. The Finnish center already is playing a respectable role in Finland's top flight, and his coaches don't shy away from playing him in tougher minutes.

He's 6'3" and over 200 pounds, and it shows in his game. He's strong on pucks, wins battles on the penalty kill, and makes life miserable for defenders along the walls in the offensive zone. He's already a very good defensive center and won 57 percent of his faceoffs last season, per InStat.

However, his offensive upside is limited. He can brute force pucks deep and does well to shield the puck in possession, but he lacks any sort of dynamism in possession or an end product in the offensive zone. His two goals and nine assists in 48 Liiga games are underwhelming given his usage, and his junior numbers don't exactly stand out, either.

He is one of the youngest players in this draft class, but he's already so physically developed. His ceiling is low, and that hampers his value, but in the later part of the first round, he would be a nice pickup as a higher-probability third-line shutdown center.

5. Alexander Command, Örebro HK (SHL)

The kind of player who is not great at anything, but grades out well in everything. Command has separation speed and the ability to play with tempo off the rush, though you'd like to see him drive into the middle lane more often. He's got pretty good hands and plays a direct game. He's not going to dust the puck often.

I also really respect his defensive game. He scans the entire defensive zone and anticipates threats. He's honest in tracking back, and he puts in a shift battling for pucks. I do think he needs to add some strength, as he can get his stick lifted too easily.

The Swede has his moments of offensive shine, but he'll need to work more on his soft skill — stickhandling, receiving passes, shot release — to firmly work his way into a top-six projection, but there is a lot to like about his game and he looks like a middle-six center who contributes in all areas and serves as connective tissue for his linemates.

4. Maddox Dagenais, C, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)

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There is general consensus on the top-three centers in this draft. The fourth spot is where things get interesting.

I'm going to stick my neck out for Maddox Dagenais. He's a 6'4" center who uses his size really well already. He already does a lot off the puck and finds ways to connect sequences. Supporting the puck as the second forechecker, then turning that possession into a cycle, for instance. 

He does an excellent job utilizing his reach to protect pucks when circling the offensive zone or trying to carry down the wing. But what I really love is that he shows some nice patience and will hold those pucks until the space is created to find a pass or he has a shooting lane.

The skating is a work in progress, but when he's able to get to full stride, he has inertia. He gives off "baby giraffe" at times when he's rushing the puck or stickhandling, but the raw tools are there, and his future coaches will have a lot to work with. A hard shot, good instincts, and long reach. He was a point-per-game player for a low-scoring Quebec Remparts team in the QMJHL.

I can absolutely see the case for a longer development curve where he sticks the landing and becomes a top-six NHL center, but if not, the team that drafts him will still likely be hitting a single: a toolsy shutdown bottom-six center. With that balance of upside and insurance, I'd gamble on the intrigue.

3. Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University (NCAA)

In many ways, Lawrence is an aesthetically pleasing center. When he builds up steam, he can really push in open ice, particularly holding the puck. He has a really heavy shot.

He's only 6-feet tall, but he looks bigger on the ice and did not look out of place physically when he moved to college hockey midseason. He's going to be a threat off the rush and also score some goals on in-zone plays due to his compete level and shooting ability.

Defensively, I find him to be a mixed bag. His heart is in the right place. The effort is always there. In the big picture, I think he does a lot of good things for his team: back pressure on puck carriers, getting in shooting lanes, and blocking shots. He's really good at hovering as F2 to apply a second layer to the forecheck or simply predicting where pucks will pop out of a scrum along the walls. There are smaller details he still needs to work on, such as defending with his stick rather than his body in certain moments, but I think he'll figure it out with good coaching.

There aren't any huge holes in Lawrence's game, but his ceiling is probably capped at second-line center. He shows flashes of individual skill, but he doesn't take over shifts or consistently lead play with the puck.

I don't see the creativity or elite physical traits to become a true 1C. I see him as a more moderate but effective play-driver who does a bit of everything and scores 25 goals. The absolute floor on his draft stock should be 14th or 15th overall, and I think a team could justify taking Lawrence as high as eighth.

2.  Viggo Bjorck, Djurgardens IF (SHL)

Bjorck is smart, agile, and he knows how to make the best of his sub-six-foot frame.

His 15 points in 46 Swedish Hockey League games may not seem impressive at face value, but many players his age don't play a regular role in the SHL. His production is on par with that of Mika Zibanejad and Adrian Kempe at the same age. More specifically for Bjorck, though, his ability to perform against some of the best fully grown players outside the NHL should allay most concerns about how his game will translate at higher levels. If not that, then surely his six points in seven games for Sweden at the World Championships should seal the deal.

I love the way he operates as a playmaker along the left wall. He's very agile in small spaces or maneuvering through open ice. His size does hurt him sometimes, insofar as being bumped off pucks, but I don't think it's a major limitation on his defensive potential. He scans the ice well in the defensive zone, and he is annoyingly tenacious on the backcheck and will create a lot of turnovers from sneaky positions.

It's fair to question whether he can stick at center in the NHL, but I think, despite being 5'10", he makes it work. For me, you bet on the talent that otherwise projects him as a clear top-six center, and if you have to find a center with length to play third-line minutes to help him out and take on certain matchups, then so be it.

1. Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)

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Malhotra is the best center in the draft because he's the best all-around center in this draft.

I don't see a true dynamic, game-breaking offensive toolbox, but he has above-average puck skills to complement a top-notch ability to process what's happening on the ice. The 84 points in 67 OHL games are quality production, even if he was boosted by a luxury of talented teammates around him, but what gets the scouts most excited is that he scored 13 goals and added 13 assists in 15 playoff games.

It's not only that the games mean more, but that they select for higher-quality opponents. It's also indicative of the fact that he's made massive strides in his game over the past 12 months, particularly in his skating and puck skills.

It's all the little things Malhotra does that elevate him to top-prospect status. Winning pucks along the walls and then carrying them into the middle ice. Proactive movements to gain inside positioning on 50/50 pucks. Truly high-end defensive awareness. He is the textbook definition of a 200-foot center, and he has all of the off-ice traits a team is seeking from a future leader, maybe even captain.

I do not buy the hype for Malhotra as a serious challenger for a top-two slot in this draft. I see him as a top second-line center or low-end first-line center in the NHL, which shouldn't elevate him above Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg. But in this draft class, his well-rounded game definitely makes him the top center available.