2026 NHL Mock Draft: Scouting Report on Carson Carels
Carson Carels, who grew up on a farm owned by his family, has been a steady riser on NHL draft boards across the full season.
While Chase Reid is our top defenseman, Carels nearly caught up to him and may even better fit the needs of certain teams than Reid. If a team, for example, were to want a defender with a shorter runway, Carels could be their guy.
Carels averaged nearly 28 minutes per game for the Prince George Cougars of the WHL across the regular season. He also joined Hockey Canada at this year's World Junior Championships as an underager.
Underage players for Canada at this tournament are uncommon, and underage defenders even less so, which makes it all the more remarkable that both he and Keaton Verhoeff were there this year.
Player: Carson Carels
Position: Defense (shoots left)
Team: Prince George Cougars (WHL)
Height: 6'1.5"
Weight: 197 lbs
Points: 73 points in 58 games (20 goals, 53 assists)
Carels is headed to join fellow Canadian defenseman Verhoeff at the University of North Dakota this fall. He's taking the new development path option of beginning in a CHL major-junior league and moving to college hockey before joining the pros.
The path is one that feels particularly beneficial for defensemen, especially those who aren't eligible for the AHL right away. If a player isn't quite ready for the pros, he can still move to an environment where the players are bigger and more experienced than him. College hockey also offers a slower-paced schedule and more time in the weight room.
Not that Carels has any trouble using his muscle.
Updated 2026 NHL Mock Draft
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1. Toronto Maple Leafs: Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State (NCAA)
2. San Jose Sharks: Ivar Stenberg, LW/RW, Frolunda HC (SHL)
3. Vancouver Canucks: Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)
4. Chicago Blackhawks: Chase Reid, D, Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds
5. New York Rangers: Carson Carels, D, Prince George Cougars (WHL)
6. Calgary Flames: Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University (NCAA)
7. Seattle Kraken: Viggo Bjorck, C/RW, Djurgardens IF (SHL)
8. Winnipeg Jets: Keaton Verhoeff, D, University of North Dakota (NCAA)
9. Ottawa Senators (via FLA): Alberts Smits, D, Jukurit (Liiga)
10. Nashville Predators: Wyatt Cullen, LW, USNTDP
11. St. Louis Blues (via DET): Daxon Rudolph, D, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
12. New Jersey Devils: Malte Gustafsson, D, HV71 (SHL)
13. New York Islanders: Ryan Lin, D, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
14. Columbus Blue Jackets: Oscar Hemming, F, Boston College (NCAA)
15. St. Louis Blues (via DET): Adam Novotny, LW/RW, Peterborough Petes (OHL)
16. Washington Capitals: Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
17. Los Angeles Kings: Ilia Morozov, F, Miami University (NCAA)
18. Washington Capitals (via ANA): Nikita Klepov, LW, Saginaw Spirit
19. Utah Mammoth: Alexander Command, C, Orebro HK (SHL)
20. Buffalo Sabres (via EDM): Maddox Dagenais, C, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
21. Philadelphia Flyers: Oliver Suvanto, C, Tappara (Liiga)
22. Pittsburgh Penguins: Xavier Villeneuve, D, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL)
23. Boston Bruins: Elton Hermansson, RW/LW, MoDo Hockey (Hockey Allsvenskan)
24. Vancouver Canucks (via MIN): Mathis Preston, RW, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
25. Ottawa Senators (via FLA): Liam Ruck, RW, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
26. New York Rangers (via DAL): William Hakansson, D, Lulea HF (SHL)
27. San Jose Sharks (via BUF): JP Hurlbert, C, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
28. Montreal Canadiens: Tommy Bleyl, D, Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
29. St. Louis Blues (via COL): Marcus Nordmark, RW, Djurgardens IF U20 (U20 Nationell)
30. Calgary Flames (via VGK): Jack Hextall, C, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
31. Carolina Hurricanes: Jaxon Cover, LW, London Knights (OHL)
32. Ottawa Senators: Markus Ruck, C/LW, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
Strengths
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Gone are the days of defenders who are mean for the sake of meanness.
Carels uses his aggression to be a disruptor, breaking up opportunities and decimating puck carriers. His agility and edgework are terrific, as is his explosiveness, and he can shift smoothly from a disruptor to an effective attacker and distributor.
His physicality and menacing qualities are used effectively to turn defense into offense, rather than hitting someone just to hit. In a nutshell: He makes every minute on the ice miserable for his opponents.
Carels' skating allows him to implement that meanness in an effective and efficient way, and in fact underpins his entire game. He has excellent four-way mobility, with agility and edge work he pairs with real explosiveness. That mobility is crucial to the shutdown side of his game, allowing him to get to precisely where he wants to be.
His offensive instincts make him an effective attacker and distributor, and that intelligence drives his accuracy on both passes and shots. Something of note: Carels' controlled entry outcomes, in particular, were impressive, and we saw his puck retrievals improve across the season.
Too many skilled players, touted as "top prospects," lacked pace this season. Carels, on the other hand, has tenacity in spades. Any commentary that says he is "disengaged" or "lacks pace" should be disregarded immediately.
Weaknesses
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At present, the biggest weakness in Carels' play is consistency. While there were nights when he put all the elements together and had an outsized impact on the game, there were nights when game-management needs took precedence.
That is understandable, particularly given the minutes he played and game situations he was in.
But in doing so, he sacrificed some of the top elements of his play, shifting focus elsewhere. This tendency can improve with both time (especially when a player has his level of awareness) and better game environments—say, in a situation where Carels isn't expected to be The Only Guy and the workload can be more spread out.
He could also stand to further refine his playmaking; at the moment, he's prone to less creative and more straightforward options, and adding to that arsenal would only improve his play. But when we get down to critiques that are actually just opportunities, it's clear this isn't actually an issue overall.
When Carels does put it all together, he's got true number one defenseman potential.
Pro Comparison
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While Carels himself has made a comparison between his play and that of Jake Sanderson of the Ottawa Senators, two other NHL defensemen immediately jump to mind: Miro Heiskanen and Charlie McAvoy.
It's a combination of two things. The first is skating—all three have excellent agility and edge work that allow them to move efficiently, which is especially important for puck-moving defenders. Mobility like this is especially a benefit in transition, when getting those extra inches of space on an opponent is critical.
The ability to be a shutdown defenseman is the other quality these three share. Think of any of them, and one of the first plays to come to your mind is probably an impressive moment of smothering offense from the other side. They can also take on hefty minutes in any game situation, down to the most crucial, thanks to the two-way aspect of play.
Note: Out of the many players who are intended for college hockey in the fall, Carels is one I would put down as potentially signing a professional contract instead. He has the air of a player who could surprise everyone by pushing for an NHL job sooner than expected.
Draft Outlook
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While we have Carels ranked fifth on our board, there is every chance he's gone earlier—word has been floating around that some teams are higher on him than they are on Reid.
Case in point: Recent commentary from David Pagnotta that he doesn't expect the Vancouver Canucks to select Caleb Malhotra if he is available at third overall.
If they're looking for a defenseman—and they may not be—they are a team that could go for Carels over Reid.
Reid is similar enough, archetype-wise, to the elite defenseman that the Canucks just traded away that they may be tempted to go the other direction while still getting elite quality. In that scenario, Carels' two-way talent and proclivity for running over opponents would be appealing for sure.
Regardless, we don't anticipate Carels being available after pick 7 or so at the latest.
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