Top 2026 NHL Draft prospects reveal their superstar comparables
The NHL Draft Combine media availabilities will always, no matter what, get two of the same questions.
The most notable? Asking which wild questions the Montreal Canadiens brought up. The second? Your best player comparable. Neither is exactly groundbreaking, but it’s a good opportunity for a player to show a bit of personality and see where their head is at.
Throughout the season, at various events across North America, I have asked prospects to scout themselves. It’s always good to know your strengths and weaknesses, and players should ALWAYS be looking to learn from the game’s greats.
So, who do some of the top 2026 NHL Draft prospects look up to?
Gavin McKenna, LW (Penn State University, NCAA): Nikita Kucherov, Patrick Kane
McKenna (on Kucherov): “I think I play pretty similarly to him. I think we both see the ice pretty similarly and have the ability to slow the game down and speed it up.”
From a physical build perspective and, most importantly, from a skill and hockey sense perspective, both players make perfect sense for McKenna. The projected first overall pick has the best hands in the class and has the most elite hockey sense of any forward we’ve seen in recent memory. He has all the makings of a star NHLer – maybe not one who’ll put 50 goals on the board, but one who’ll dazzle with high-quality passes on a consistent basis. Nobody in this draft class can match McKenna’s hands and creativity.
Ivar Stenberg, LW (Djurgardens, SHL): Tim Stützle, Lucas Raymond
Stenberg: “Raymond is good, the stuff he brings to the game each night, I look at and try to pick up.”
I think the Stützle comparison makes the most sense. Stenberg has similar hockey sense, is a strong puck-handler and is a dynamic playmaker, by all accounts. Stenberg isn’t big, but he’s not afraid of bigger competition. He is also extremely deceptive, both as a shooter and a passer. I think the two-way play is more reminiscent of Raymond, who skated with Stenberg at the World Championship.
Carson Carels, LHD (Prince George Cougars, WHL): Jake Sanderson, Miro Heiskanen
Carels credits both players with being great skaters and serious two-way threats. Heiskanen is the best comparable, in my opinion. Carels is a mobile defender who makes smart decisions with the puck and plays a boatload of minutes in all situations. Carels was relied on heavily in Prince George, and he’ll be tasked with heavy minutes once he gets to the NHL, too. I like how Carels handles playing under pressure, and I think he’s extremely reliable defensively, just like Heiskanen.
Keaton Verhoeff, RHD (University of North Dakota, NCAA): Drew Doughty, Thomas Harley
Verhoeff (on Harley): “He’s a big Canadian defenseman. He’s a two-way player and is reliable in the D-zone and can create offense. Coaches obviously trust him in all situations.”
Verhoeff has said multiple times throughout the past two years that he grew up idolizing Doughty (even when Verhoeff was a goaltender). Today, he likes to watch Harley the most. They have similar physical builds, and both showed a high willingness to move the puck and generate high-quality plays in major junior. It took Harley a few years to wrangle in his puck-playing capabilities, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Verhoeff follow a similar route.
Viggo Björck, C (Djurgardens, SHL): Sidney Crosby
Might as well shoot for the stars, right? Björck knows it’s hard to fully replicate one of the best players of all time. But he likes the two-way habits, the hard-nosed play around the net and the high-end hockey sense, especially under pressure. I think Nick Suzuki is a better comparable, though – there’s a ton of creativity between the two, and Suzuki has proven you don’t need to be 6-foot-1 to be an effective, strong center and consistently win battles.
Chase Reid, RHD (Soo Greyhounds, OHL) and Daxon Rudolph, LHD (Prince Albert Raiders, WHL): Zach Werenski
Reid: “He’s very good on the blueline, very good defensively, good stick. He can move very well on the offensive blueline and just shuts plays down and transitions fast.”
I like this one, for both of them, but more so for Reid. Both Reid and Rudolph are excellent, fluid skaters and do much of their damage by ensuring they never give the puck away under pressure. Reid has the higher hockey sense – and many scouts would cite Werenski as one of the top processors in the NHL. Award voters agreed this year, too – Werenski took home the Norris, after all. It’s worth noting that Werenski really started to hit his peak after he turned 25 – so if Reid or Rudolph doesn’t light the NHL on fire immediately, just be patient.
Tynan Lawrence, C (Boston University, NCAA): Nick Suzuki
Lawrence: “He’s a smart player who can kind of play in all situations. He’s very trusted by his teammates and his coach, and he’s very reliable. He can put up points but also keep the puck out of your net when you need it the most.”
Lawrence doesn’t have the 90-100-point potential that has made Suzuki so valuable in Montreal. But from a work ethic standpoint, I believe it. Lawrence has built a reputation of being a reliable two-way forward who can play hard in any situation. I think there’s still some serious untapped offensive potential that he’ll figure out after another year of college, too.
Caleb Malhotra, C (Brantford Bulldogs, OHL): Patrice Bergeron
Malhotra has cited Bergeron as a big influence in his career, and I get it. Scouts have talked about Malhotra being a leader and a guy so many respect in the locker room. He’s also a 200-foot player who is willing to do whatever it takes to win an individual shift. The hockey sense is comparable, as well. I’d also throw Jonathan Toews’ name out there: Malhotra isn’t flashy, but he gets himself where he needs to be more often than not.
Alberts Šmits, LHD (München, DEL): He doesn’t like anyone
Šmits: “I don’t have favorite players.”
Hey, at least he’s honest. Šmits told reporters at the World Juniors he doesn’t like to model his game after anyone – he wants to be himself. There are some similarities in the way he defends to that of Mortiz Seider, but scouts have shouted the name Mike Matheson a few times, too. I could see Šmits becoming similar to Seider if Šmits works on his puck-handling.
Ethan Belchetz, LW (Windsor Spitfires, OHL): Brady Tkachuk, Jamie Benn, Miko Rantenen, Rick Nash
Belchetz on Nash: “He’s the ultimate power forward, he’s my favorite. He was great around the net, had a hard shot, always worked hard.”
It’s no secret Belchetz loves Nash – he wears No. 61, after all. It was also the guy OHL scouts compared Belchetz to when he first arrived on the scene. Beyond that, though, he plays a bit like prime Benn in how he uses his brute force to power through the middle of the ice to create scoring chances. By all accounts, Belchetz will be a power forward in the NHL, but he needs to focus on his skating, still.
Oliver Suvanto, C (Tappara, Liiga): Aleksander Barkov
Suvanto: “He’s also big, and strong with the puck. Two-way player.”
A Finnish player idolizing Barkov isn’t exactly a novel concept. But if you’re going to model your game after anyone, it makes sense to choose a reliable two-way center like him.
Ryan Lin, LHD (Vancouver Giants, WHL): Quinn Hughes
Lin (July 2025): Being in Vancouver. I basically watch every Canucks game, and Quinn Hughes is my guy. I love his game so much. His turns and skating, and I really try to model my game after him.”
I noted the date of this one in particular, given Hughes got traded a few months later. Lin has also compared his game to Josh Morrissey’s and Drew Doughty’s at points this year, too. But the similarities to Hughes are intriguing. Lin is an outstanding skater, allowing himself to move, start and stop on a dime. He’s so elusive with the puck, and he’s got incredible vision, too. He’s often described as a one-man breakout – one of the better descriptors an undersized defender can get.
Wyatt Cullen, LW (USNTDP): Jack Hughes
Cullen has talked a few times about Hughes being his favorite player – and it’s a guy scouts compare him to, as well. Cullen is definitely bigger and stronger than Hughes – Cullen was one of the top performers in all the NHL Draft combine testing. He was listed at 6-foot-1 and 183 pounds – a massive upgrade from his 5-foot-8 and 146-pound measurements from 2024-25. Cullen prides himself on playing a reliable, two-way game, and he’s an excellent skater. His deceptiveness with the puck – both as a shooter and a passer – is remarkable.
Xavier Villeneuve, LHD (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, QMJHL): Lane Hutson
Villeneuve: “He’s unbelievable what he’s doing right now. I think I’m a bit bigger than him, but what he’s doing is so impressive.”
Villeneuve is 5-foot-11 and 163 pounds, so, yes, he is a bit bigger. But it doesn’t change the fact that Villeneuve’s game has been knocked for his lack of size. Still, he’s a high-end puck-moving defender with fantastic mobility and legit puck manipulation. He’ll need to be better at defending if he’s going to thrive at the next level, but few CHL defenders can skate or dangle anywhere close to what he can.
Simas Ignatavičius, RW (Geneve-Servette, NL): Matthew Tkachuk
Ignatavičius: “It’s big shoes to fill… He’s a physical forward. I can play both ends. He’s not scared to go into dirty areas in front of the net, not scared to be in guys’ faces. He’s a guy who’s willing to do whatever it takes for team success. So I tried doing the same things, and I think when I do that, that’s when I play the best.”
It’s common for a bigger guy to want to play a lot like Tkachuk, one of the premier power forwards in the NHL. I don’t think we’ll ever see Ignatavičius match the level, but I still like him. He’s so versatile, finding so many different ways to impact the play both with and without the puck. He’s good defensively, has a great shot release, has obvious muscle and is incredibly skilled, too.
Matias Vanhanen, LW (Everett Silvertips, WHL): Logan Cooley
Vanhanen: “He’s super competitive, loves to win and is a good skater. Head’s always up, makes plays and always moving, wants the puck a lot.”
Vanhanen is one of the premier re-entry picks this year – someone I really believe in. He’s always looking for the right pass and is truly one of the better playmakers in this draft class. I’m not sure he’s physically strong enough to be a high-impact guy. But I like his energy and still think he can be a decent second or third-line player in the NHL who can outthink his opponents in tight spots.
Elton Hermansson, RW (Modo, Sweden U-20): Artemi Panarin, William Nylander
Hermansson: “There are two franchise players who (are) the top of the top. I think I’m pretty similar, skating-wise, to Panarin, and then all the offensive stuff like shooting and passing and the hockey sense like both of them.”
Hermansson’s game is all about high-quality offensive situations, especially on the power play. His game away from the puck has improved over the past few months, too, but his gameplay is more focused on dominating puck possession and getting chances on net by any means necessary. There’s a bit of a “boom or bust” style to his game, but many scouts think he’s one of the better shot generators and can thrive in the right situation.
Nick Bogas, LHD (USNTDP): Nick Kronwall
Bogas: “He’s good, he can skate, he’s the same size as me. He’s physical, makes a good first pass.”
This was a fun one, given Kronwall retired when Bogas was 11 years old. But, for a Michigan native, it’s also understandable. Bogas didn’t show much offense this year, but he was one of the more terrifying USNTDP players, given how often he was seen trying to flatten someone. It feels like his skating has become quicker and more dynamic over the past few months, too. He isn’t high on many draft boards, but he plays physical and defensively sound enough to earn some love later in the draft.
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