The 2026 NHL Draft is now just a week away, with the first round set for Friday night, June 26, in Buffalo. Rounds 2-7 will follow on Saturday, June 27.
The Boston Bruins suffered some draft-related disappointment at the lottery in May when they missed out on getting a top-10 pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs, who instead of sliding down actually won the lottery outright and now hold the first overall pick.
The Bruins still have their own first-round pick, though, which will be 23rd overall. That's not a spot where they'll be able to land the kind of blue-chip prospect they got last year, when they took James Hagens seventh overall. Historically, picks in the 20s come with much less certainty than picks in the top 10.
That said, it's still a range where you can find good players – forwards with top-six upside, or defensemen with top-four upside – if you hit. Famously, the Bruins got David Pastrnak 25th overall back in 2014.
They've made three other picks in the 20s since then, with varying levels of success. Trent Frederic (29th overall in 2016) became a good third-liner for them before they traded him in March 2025. Fabian Lysell (21st overall in 2021) has played just 12 NHL games to this point, and may very well be on his way out of the organization if he's not in the front office's plans for this coming season. Dean Letourneau (25th overall in 2024) once again looks like an exciting prospect after a massive bounce-back season as a sophomore at Boston College this year.
With that in mind, here are 10 players the Bruins could target with the 23rd pick, in the order I would rank them. Note: It's possible that only a few of these guys will actually still be available at 23, but it's also possible that any of them slide. There's a lot of variance in rankings this year once you get beyond the top 10-12.
1. Ryan Lin, RHD, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
Lin probably won't be there as a player widely ranked in the top 15… but, NHL teams do have a habit of being allergic to sub-6-foot defensemen on draft night, and Lin measures in at a hair over 5-foot-11. If he does slide, the Bruins should happily pounce, even if – or perhaps because – smaller defenders haven't been their type in recent drafts.
Skating and puck-moving ability from the back end are a must in today's NHL, and Lin has both in spades. He's also a very good defender, with a good stick, positioning and angling, and he's more physical than most defensemen his size. He had 57 points (14g, 43a) in 53 games for Vancouver this season, and added six points in five games while playing top minutes for Canada at the U18 World Championship in the spring. Lin is heading to the University of Denver, the reigning NCAA champions, this fall.
The wings
2. Nikita Klepov, LW, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
After Lin comes a group of talented wings, led by Klepov, whose 97 points (37g, 60a) in 67 games topped the OHL. He should be gone before 23, but for reasons I don't fully comprehend, there are a bunch of rankings and mock drafts that have him lingering into the 20s. Like Lin, that could pretty much be a "too good to be true" scenario for the Bruins.
Klepov, who was born in the U.S. and raised in Russia before moving back to the U.S. a few years ago, is a skilled playmaker with the puck on his stick. He's deceptive, has good vision, and can create scoring chances for both himself and teammates. I also think he's a hard worker, which gives him a higher floor than some other skill players in this range, to go along with a top-six ceiling. The knocks on Klepov are that he can force some plays, and he might not have one truly elite skill. Klepov will play at Michigan State this year.
3. Elton Hermansson, RW, MoDo (HockeyAllsvenskan)
Like Klepov, Hermansson is a really gifted creator from the wing. When he plays against his peers, he is constantly on the puck and making things happen in the offensive zone, as evidenced by his dominant performance at U18 Worlds this spring, where he led Sweden to gold with a tournament-best 12 points (4g, 8a) in seven games. He also has a very good shot, including a rocket one-timer.
In the regular season, Hermansson played against men in the HockeyAllsvenskan (Sweden's second-highest pro league) and put up 21 points (11g, 10a) in 38 games. That was the fourth-highest point total by a U18 player in league history, behind only Toronto star William Nylander, 2025 third overall pick Anton Frondell and – wait for it – David Pastrnak. He'll have some work to do when it comes to his play away from the puck, but there's clear top-six upside here.
4. J.P. Hurlbert, W/C, Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
Hurlbert has one of the best shots in the draft and projects as someone who will be able to score goals in the NHL. That alone makes him worthy of serious consideration at 23 if he's still on the board. Hurlbert also showed some real playmaking skill en route to amassing 97 points (42g, 55a) in 68 games this season, fourth-most in the WHL. He'll make the jump to college hockey this season with the University of Michigan.
There are some questions about Hurlbert's skating, physicality and defense, which is why he might still be available at 23. In fact, of the four wingers in this grouping (and I do think Hurlbert is more likely to be a wing than a center), he's probably the most likely to be on the board for Boston. I'm of the mindset that the Bruins should be targeting ceiling over floor, and Hurlbert's ceiling is a top-six scorer.
5. Adam Novotny, LW, Peterborough Petes (OHL)
Love Novotny's skillset. He's 6-foot-1, fast, smooth with the puck on his stick, a good passer, has a hard shot, and is active defensively. He's physical when he wants to be, especially on the forecheck and around the net, although there's room for more consistency there. Elite Prospects' scouts poll rated him as the fourth-best transition forward in the draft. He had 65 points (34g, 31a) in 58 regular-season games, which is really good even if not quite elite.
What gives me pause is that his production dried up in his biggest games this season. He had zero goals and three points in seven games for Czechia at World Juniors, and one point (no goals) in six OHL playoff games for Peterborough. He still had a lot of chances in those games, so part of me wants to think he was just a bit snakebitten. Another part of me thinks it's something that shouldn't be ignored. Either way, he would still be good value at 23.
2 more skilled defensemen
6. Xavier Villeneuve, LHD, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (QMJHL)
It is easy to watch Villeneuve and dream about him becoming the next Lane (or Cole) Hutson. He's an excellent skater, excellent puck-handler, very good passer, and he has that ankle-breaking shiftiness that so few defensemen possess. He also has a similar undersized frame at 5-foot-11, 162 pounds. Oh, and he's following the same path as the Hutson brothers by heading to Boston University this fall.
There are legitimate questions about Villeneuve's defending, though, and his draft year wasn't quite as dominant as many expected, in part because he missed time with an injury. Still, teams will be kicking themselves if Villeneuve reaches his ceiling, just as they have been after letting both Hutsons drop to the second round. Villeneuve would add a completely different skillset that the Bruins just don't have anywhere in their organization right now.
7. Tommy Bleyl, RHD, Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
Depending on what rankings you look at, taking Bleyl at 23 might seem like a bit of a reach. I don't see it that way at all, though. The New York native jumped from Cushing Academy to the QMJHL this season and flat-out dominated. His 81 points (13g, 68a) in 63 games were the most by a draft-eligible defenseman in the Q in 45 years. He was named the league's Rookie and Defenseman of the Year.
Bleyl is a terrific skater, rated as the best straight-line skater in the draft in Elite Prospects' scouts poll. Like Villeneuve, he has some of that ankle-breaking elusiveness and four-way mobility. Like Villeneuve, he'll have some work to do defensively. Unlike Villeneuve, he officially measures in at 6-feet even. His ceiling might be slightly lower than Villeneuve's overall, but they're very close for me. Bleyl might even have the higher floor. Bleyl is slated for another year in Moncton before heading to Michigan State in 2027, but I wonder if whoever drafts him would prefer to have him jump to college now.
The centers
8. Alexander Command, C, Orebro (U20 Nationell)
I'm probably a little lower on the centers in this range than some, mainly because I think they're all more likely to be third-liners than top-six guys. That said, it's hard not to love the way Command plays. He has an excellent motor, throws his body around, and wins a lot of battles, often playing bigger than his 6-foot, 186-pound frame might suggest.
Command's 44 points (17g, 27a) in 30 games this season were tops among draft-eligible players in the U20 Nationell (Sweden's top junior league), and in line with the likes of William Karlsson and Elias Lindholm at the same age in that league. He was also one of the top players, along with Hermansson, on the Swedish team that won gold at U18 Worlds this spring. Command is just a really smart, hard-working, two-way center, and those players tend to find homes in the NHL.
9. Maddox Dagenais, C, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)
Dagenais is another physical player, and he does it with a classic power forward frame (6-foot-4, 196 pounds, with room to put on even more muscle). Elite Prospects' scouts poll rates him as the third-hardest hitter in the class, and he makes especially good use of the reverse hit.
Dagenais's 62 points (30g, 32a) in 62 games this season were good not great, but he's a good skater and has a very good shot, so there might be room for more offensive growth. There are questions about his consistency and playmaking ability, and he might project more as a wing than a center in the NHL depending on how his two-way game evolves. Even if Dagenais never reaches top-six levels of offense, it's a fairly safe bet he'll be the kind of big, physical bottom-six forward that every team wants to have come playoff time.
10. Ilia Morozov, C, Miami (NCAA)
Morozov has had a fascinating career path to this point. He moved from Russia to the U.S. at age 14, and then accelerated through high school to play college hockey as a 17-year-old this past season, which is pretty much unheard of for a Russian or European player. He didn't go to a top program, but he did play big minutes (nearly 20 per game) as Miami's first-line center, and put up a respectable 8-12-20 line in 36 games. He was the youngest player in college hockey until projected top-15 picks Tynan Lawrence and Oscar Hemming joined BU and BC, respectively, midseason.
What really makes Morozov intriguing is his size (6-foot-3, 200 pounds), physicality and two-way play. Analytically, Morozov grades out as a legitimate shutdown center, arguably the best in the draft. Elite Prospects' scouts poll has him as the third-best "two-way forward" in the class behind projected top-10 picks Caleb Malhotra and Viggo Bjorck. Their NHL comps for Morozov are Jordan Staal and Adam Lowry, players who have earned a slew of Selke Trophy votes. Offensively, Morozov isn't the most skilled player, but he's good at protecting pucks, cycling, and getting to the front of the net for screens, tips and rebounds. That could translate to the kind of gritty production teams need in playoff hockey.
3 honorable mentions who just missed:
Liam Ruck, RW, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
Mathis Preston, RW, Vancouver Giants (WHL)
Yegor Shilov, C, Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)
5 second-round targets at 56 overall:
Alan Shaiklislamov, LW, Tolpar Ufa (MHL)
Jonah Sivertson, RW, Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
Lars Steiner, RW, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)
Jakub Vanecek, LHD, Tri-City Americans (WHL)
Mans Gudmundsson, RHD, Farjestad (U20 Nationell)
