2026 NHL Draft: Five prospects who could boost stock at U-18 World Championship

Apr 20, 2026, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 20, 2026, 09:18 EDT

2026 NHL Draft: Five prospects who could boost stock at U-18 World Championship

Credit: Steven Ellis

This is it.

The U-18 World Championship kicks off on Wednesday, with many of the top 2026 NHL Draft prospects looking to prove themselves in front of scouts one last time. Gavin McKenna, Chase Reid and Ivar Stenberg have all aged out, and a few other top names are still active in their domestic league playoffs.

That leaves the door open for many others to steal the spotlight and potentially rise up the ranks. This is the most important event any prospect will play this season, so it’s an opportunity they won’t want to waste.

Last week, we published our latest NHL Draft rankings. Of them, two players listed below were featured in the second round. Both will look to play big roles and potentially spring themselves into the first-round conversation. For the others, they’re looking to prove that they’re better than just a mid-round selection.

Here’s a look at five prospects worth keeping an eye on as potential draft sleepers:

Jean-Cristoph Lemieux, C (Canada)

Lemieux was very impressive at the 2024 U-17 World Challenge, helping Canada White win gold. His numbers were a bit underwhelming the rest of the season in Windsor, and that didn’t change this year, either. He was eventually moved to Sudbury, which helped spark interest in him as a draft prospect again after once being viewed as a potential first-round pick.

With many of Canada’s top players still busy in the CHL playoffs, this could be a perfect opportunity for Lemieux to build upon his second-half success. He finished the season as one of Sudbury’s most important players, especially during the postseason. Lemieux plays with speed, and he’s a relentless forechecker. He’s not going to be a point-producer in the NHL, but he has the potential to be a legitimately dangerous bottom-six forward who can kill penalties. As a two-way force, there’s a lot to like – but a bit of offense in Slovakia over the next few weeks wouldn’t hurt, either.

Šimon Katolický, LW (Czechia)

At one point, Katolický looked like a potential first-round pick. He’s a 6-foot-4 winger who looked great against his age group last year, putting up some of the best numbers in the Finnish U-18 junior league. But between underwhelming numbers in the Finnish U-20 ranks, and some near-invisible performances with Czechia internationally, Katolický looks more like a late-round selection, at best.

Katolický has the potential to be a difference-maker on this Czech team, but he really needs to step it up in a way we haven’t seen this year. Given his size, he needs to focus on using his muscles to win more battles. He has a good shot, and he’s not afraid to fire it from anywhere when he’s confident. But when he looks a little out of sorts, he can be a bit too timid. Katolický is a promising prospect, and I like the idea of him being a bottom-six NHLer. But if he falls quiet in Slovakia, I’d be hesitant to use a pick on him.

Niklas Aaram-Olsen, RW (Norway)

Aaram-Olsen always shines internationally, and he’ll be leaned on heavily again for Norway. But it comes at a time when scouts are less excited about him as a first-round pick, so he has a perfect opportunity to change that. Aaram-Olsen is a pure goal-scorer, and he often dominates his own age group. I love him on the power play, where it feels like he does a good job of cycling the puck and then firing quick one-timers. Against men, though, Aaram-Olsen has left a lot to be desired, and scouts have knocked him for having a lack of high-end tools outside of his shot.

If he can play with more pace and learn to dominate play through the middle, Aaram-Olsen could be a great selection. I like the upside, even if some scouts aren’t as convinced. Fortunately, NOA is a tournament veteran – this will be his third top-division U-18s. He was excellent a year ago, and was one of the top players at the recent Division IA World Junior tournament that saw the Norwegians promoted to the top event this coming winter. Anything short of being Norway’s top scorer will be surprising.

Axel Elofsson, RHD (Sweden)

Elofsson has intrigued me for a few years now. He’s truly one of the most fascinating puck-movers in this draft class – he reminds me of Lane Hutson, but without the elite-level skating and hockey sense. But with the puck, Elofsson is outstanding. The numbers have been incredible in both domestic and international competition. When he’s at his best, he can lead the power play and create quality chances through traffic. He’s very elusive with the puck overall. Defensively, though, he needs work, and he’s undersized at 5-foot-11.

Smaller defenders still don’t have it easy in the NHL. But the Hutson brothers, in particular, have shown what is possible if you’re sub six-foot. You have to be a high-end skater with great puck skills, and Elofsson is fully capable of that. Sweden is going to need someone to be a leader from the point – and after directing the offense at the Hlinka Gretzky last spring, he looks destined to resume that role in Slovakia. If all goes well, he could easily solidify him as a second-round pick – or, perhaps, his skill will be too much to ignore outside of the first round.

Parker Trottier, LW (USA)

USA’s roster isn’t overly flashy this year, with some of the same high-end talent we became accustomed to seeing year after year. The days of the Americans entering this tournament as clear favorites are definitely on pause. But for someone like Trottier, this is the perfect opportunity to prove why scouts should be excited about him. The grandson of Bryan Trottier, Parker has a clear path forward as a rough-and-tumble bottom-six forward with an excellent shot release – and scouts think he could be a decent late-round target.

Trottier is a tough, tough dude. He’s not massive by any means, but he plays a rough-and-tumble game where he tries to separate opponents from the puck. The University of Notre Dame commit will never impress you with his puck game, but he moves all the time and does an excellent job of supporting his teammates on the rush. He’s the type of guy teams love as a potential bottom-six player.

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