WSBU 88.3fm "The Buzz"

1. Toronto Maple Leafs – Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State  

Death, taxes, and Gavin McKenna going first overall. 

2. San Jose Sharks – Ivar Stenberg, LW, Frolunda  

While the bottom-feeding Sharks desperately need a defenseman, I believe they’ll opt to trade for a proven talent, leaving them to take the best player available in pro-ready Stenberg. 

3. Vancouver Canucks – Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford  

Even though some could see it as a conflict of interest, I believe the Canucks’ new head coach won’t pass up the opportunity to coach his son, ushering in a post-Hughes, full-blown Malhotra era in Vancouver. 

4. Toronto Maple Leafs (from CHI via BUF) – Chase Reid, RHD, Sault Ste. Marie  

With Buffalo channeling their inner Seth Rollins and pulling off the heist of the century flipping Bo Byram for the 4^th overall pick, I suspect they’ll try to flip the pick for a top winger to fill the hole left by Alex Tuch. While my personal pipe dream is Anaheim’s Mason McTavish, I suspect the Sabres will go after Maple Leaf winger Matthew Knies, leaving Toronto with two top five picks.  

After boosting their forward group with the McKenna selection, Toronto should look to acquire a puck-moving defenseman in Chase Reid. 

5. New York Rangers – Alberts Šmits, LHD, Munchen  

Sitting at 5^th overall, the Rangers have a lot of choices when it comes to the top defensemen in the class. There are cases to be made for Carels, Verhoeff and even center Viggo Bjork here. However, I believe the left-handed Šmits would make a perfect pair alongside assistant captain Adam Fox. 

6. Calgary Flames – Carson Carels, LHD, Prince George  

The Flames traded for Simon Nemec on Tuesday, bolstering the right side of their defense even more, with Nemec joining Zach Whitecloud and rising star Zayne Parekh. However, they still need help on the left side of the blue line, leaving a 6-foot-2 hole for Carson Carels to fill.  

7. Seattle Kraken – Keaton Verhoeff, RHD, North Dakota  

For Seattle, nabbing a blue-chip defenseman to give some size and physicality to a defensive group that, on average, allowed 3.69 goals a game after the Olympic break would be a dream come true.  

8. Winnipeg Jets – Viggo Björk, C, Djurgårdens IF 

Winnipeg’s average age of their top three centers comes out to around 34 years old. For a group not getting any younger, Viggo Bjork plays much bigger than his size suggests and would be a great fit for the Jets. 

9. San Jose Sharks (from FLA via OTT) – Daxon Rudolph, RHD, Prince Albert 

The Sharks front office would exchange a hearty round of high-fives if Rudolph fell this far. Standing at 6-foot-3, Rudolph is ranked as the 5^th best North American skater in this class, and the Sharks would have a case for the strongest first round in the league before the top 10 was even over. 

10. Nashville Predators – Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor 

In the words of new Preds GM Chris MacFarland, “there’s a lot of different ways to skin the cat [at pick 10.]” He looks to draft a “true franchise player” with this pick, which leaves the door wide open for former Jack Ferguson award-winner Belchetz. 

11. St. Louis Blues – Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University 

Lawrence’s performance after making the jump to Boston University left a lot to be desired. However, at just 17 years old, his two-way play and the Blues’ need for deeper center talent make him a great fit in the Gateway to the West. 

12. New Jersey Devils – Wyatt Cullen, LW, United States National Team Development Program  

Wyatt Cullen just barely makes the September 15, 2008 eligibility cutoff point, born just a week prior. New Jersey needs depth on their wings and with Belchetz off the board, they’ll be happy to let Cullen develop for a while longer after his commitment to the Minnesota Golden Gophers. 

13. New York Islanders – Oliver Suvanto, C, Tappara 

The Isles face a similar problem to Winnipeg: they need youth in their center group. Bo Horvat is the youngest of the group at 31 years old, which leads me to believe they’ll select Suvanto, with a suggested pro comparison of Aleksander Barkov. 

14. Columbus Blue Jackets – Ryan Lin, RHD, Vancouver 

Columbus has reportedly been open to trading this pick away, but for the sake of this mock, I’ll wager that Columbus sticks and picks a much-needed right-side defender in Ryan Lin. Personally, Lin is one of my favorite prospects in this draft. Even if he’s a little undersized, his game is so cerebral, and he has great offensive upside as well. 

15. St. Louis Blues (from DET) – Oscar Hemming, LW, Boston College 

The Blues have back-to-back picks here following Tuesday’s dealing of Jordan Kyrou to the Capitals. Hemming, the 6-foot-4 power forward, had an interesting start to the year after his attempt to join the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL was blocked, causing him to miss months of games and try to make up for lost time at Boston College. His combination of size and speed, however, gives Hemming a ton of upside, and the Blues will love to scoop him up to eventually fill the hole Kyrou leaves. 

16. St. Louis Blues (via WSH) – Malte Gustafsson, LHD, HV71 

After supplying their pipeline with some offensive firepower, the Blues will look to bolster the left side of their blue line. Another 6-foot-4 powerhouse, Gustafsson comes off a gold medal with Sweden at the U-18 World Championship, where he recorded 5 points in 6 games. Between Lawrence, Hemming, and Gustafsson, the Blues might be singing a different tune soon enough as they look to bounce back from a disappointing 25-26 campaign. 

17. Los Angeles Kings – Alexander Command, C, Orebro Jr. 

Anze Kopitar’s retirement leaves a glaring hole at center for the Kings. Command, a teammate of Gustafsson during Sweden’s aforementioned gold medal performance, put on quite the performance himself, including a 2-point come-from-behind performance that saved Sweden from elimination in the semifinals. Needless to say, Command is no stranger to clutch moments and the Kings will hope he can give them a few in La La Land. 

18. Washington Capitals (from ANA) – Maddox Dagenais, C, Quebec 

Dagenais had himself a season in the QMJHL, averaging a point per game. The Capitals, with the clock ticking on Alexander Ovechkin, need to add some center depth to their pipeline, and Dagenais offers elite size and a nose for the net. 

19. Utah Mammoth – Thomas Blyel, RHD, Moncton  

A two-way player by his own admission, Blyel had an 81-point season for the Wildcats and quarterbacked the team’s powerplay unit, thanks in part to his 90% passing efficiency. It just so happens that a powerplay quarterback is exactly what the Mammoth need after an abysmal 1-for-16 performance in the playoffs. This is a match made in hockey heaven. 

20. Buffalo Sabres (from EDM via SJS) – JP Hurlbert, LW, Kamloops 

There are plenty of wingers for Buffalo to add to their pipeline, all with their own strengths and weaknesses. However, none is more interesting, in my opinion, than JP Hurlbert. 97 points during the 25-26 campaign was good for 4^th best scoring in the WHL, and the high-octane edge to his game could make him a prime target for Jarmo Kekäläinen at pick 20. 

21. Philadelphia Flyers – Ilia Morozov, C, Miami University 

Flyers GM and former Sabres legend Daniel Brière returns to the Keybank Center, in need of some center help. Morozov began the 25-26 season as the youngest player in college hockey, but he certainly didn’t play like it, averaging netting multiple game winning goals over the course of the year. With great defensive awareness being a big part of his game, I say the Flyers take a shot at the Redhawk. 

22. Pittsburgh Penguins – Nikita Klepov, RW, Saginaw 

As much as it pains me to say, Sidney Crosby is in the back 9 of his career, as is Evgeni Malkin. This points to the Penguins using their 22^nd pick to stock up on forwards in the pipeline, and the Florida native Klepov would be the perfect way to kick off their youth movement. 

23. Boston Bruins – Liam Ruck, RW, Medicine Hat  

One of the “mirror twins” with his brother Markus, Liam Ruck was one of the WHL’s leading scorers this past season. His top-six potential should be all too enticing to the Bruins, who will be weighing between him and his brother with this selection. For my money, I say they go with the better “pure finisher.” 

24. Vancouver Canucks (from MIN) – Adam Novotný, LW, Peterborough 

After selecting Caleb Malhotra with pick #3, I believe the Canucks will go right back to the offensive well with their second 1^st-round selection. Adam Novotný nearly broke the record for pull-ups at this past NHL Combine with 18 and paired with his 60-point rookie season; he could be an exciting player to watch alongside Malhotra. 

25. Philadelphia Flyers (from TBL via SEA via FLA via OTT) – William Håkansson, LHD, Luleå  

Ottawa is looking for immediate roster help that a developmental prospect at this point in the draft cannot offer. They’ve reportedly been interested in the Flyers’ Rasmus Ristolainen, who’s price has been set as a “first-round pick and then some.” Coincidentally, that’s exactly what the Senators have to offer, so I think this is a deal that gets done on draft night. With the pick, Philly will look to add some size to their blue line and continue the youthful rejuvenation they’ve had with players like Jamie Drysdale. 

26. New York Rangers (from DAL via CAR) – Markus Ruck, C, Medicine Hat  

Much to Liam’s dismay, he most likely won’t get to play alongside his brother in the NHL, as the Rangers scoop him up with this pick. In need of a center and already drafting a standout defenseman, the Rangers would be very pleased to get the 108-point player in Markus Ruck.  

27. San Jose Sharks (from BUF) – Xavier Villenueve, LHD, Blainville-Boisbriand  

San Jose continues the defensive rebuild with Villenueve, who is a polarizing player in this draft. Some view his size as a major issue, while others simply cannot ignore the combined 100 points he’s put up in the last two seasons. Since they already drafted a more sure-fire prospect in Rudolph earlier in this mock, I think the Sharks would be happy to take a swing on the left-hander. 

28. Montreal Canadiens – Juho Piiparinen, RHD, Tappara  

The Finnish defenseman could be just what the doctor ordered for a Habs team needing a boost to the right side of their blue line. A true 3-zone defender, the cerebral Piiparinen could eventually slot right into the Canadiens’ top-four, joining the likes of Lane Hutson and Noah Dobson. 

29. St. Louis Blues (from COL via NYI) – Elton Hermansson, RW, MoDo 

Having four first round picks means the Blues can take a chance on a more boom-or-bust type prospect here at 29. Hermansson is the ultimate prospect in that category. A joy to watch with the puck on his stick, his lackluster game away from the puck casts doubt on his ability to make the jump to the NHL level. If he can’t, the Blues will have to make do with their three other, more stable selections. If he can, Hermansson could be a standout star in the league. 

30. Calgary Flames (from VGK) Mathis Preston, RW, Vancouver  

Mathis Preston, childhood friends with the Ruck brothers, has certainly seen his fair share of success. Bouncing back from a knee injury he suffered just two games after being traded to the Vancouver Giants, Preston had a great performance for Team Canada at the U18 World Championships; he tallied 6 points in his 5 games there. For a team in need of skilled forwards, Preston could stoke the flames for Calgary and give them some much needed firepower. 

31. Carolina Hurricanes – Jack Hextall, C, Youngstown 

Hextall’s breakout campaign with Team USA at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup made him stick out to scouts around the world. The Canes, in need of a boost to both defense and their middle six, will opt to go for the middle six route here, getting a complete, competent player in Hextall, who’s been described by his coaches at Youngstown as having a “200-foot game.” 

32. Ottawa Senators – Egor Shilov, C, Victoriaville 

The Sens will finally make their first selection here, as the NHL is blocking them from trading it away – punishment for their mishandling of Evgenii Dadonov’s no-trade clause. In need of a center underneath Sebastian Aho, I think Ottawa will look to grab the 82-point methodical center, closing out Day 1 of the Draft with the Russian native.