2026 NHL Draft: The top 5 biggest fallers

Jun 21, 2026, 08:39 EDTUpdated: Jun 21, 2026, 08:40 EDT

2026 NHL Draft: The top 5 biggest fallers

Credit: (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)

So much can change in a draft year.

When you see early draft rankings, it’s meant to give you a quick idea of who to keep an eye on, knowing that so much will change throughout the season. As players grow and opportunities arise, it’s not uncommon to see drastic changes throughout the year.

We’ve already looked at 10 of the top risers. But today, we’re going to look at five of the biggest fallers. For the most part, the five players listed below seemed like early top 32 candidates, with even a few looking like first-round talents heading into Christmas. But whether it be too many flaws to overlook, inconsistent play, or the lack of a defining trait, these five players all fell in draft rankings throughout the season.

There’s still a good reason to keep an eye on them, though, because if they were highly regarded at one point, it might not take too much for them to get back into the good graces of NHL teams. These are the type of players that could end up becoming great value choices at some point in the future. Right now, it’s hard to feel too confident about them. But all five have some interesting skill sets that could lead to them having good NHL careers:

Alessandro Di Iorio, C (Sarnia Sting, OHL)

You can still count me as a Di Iorio fan, even if he’s nowhere close to the first-round talent he was once projected to be. The Sting forward started the year on the sidelines but ended up with just 31 points in 45 games. It felt like we never saw the two-way center take a big step forward this year, and he doesn’t have any high-end qualities to rely on. That being said, I still like his work ethic, and he plays a heavy game. Di Iorio also has quick hands that he’s not afraid to showcase against quality competition.

I still see Di Iorio making it a bottom-line, energy-forward. I’d argue he has the highest floor of anyone on this list because he plays a hard-working game away from the puck. I was just hoping to see more with the puck because it feels like he has the hockey sense to get himself into scoring lanes – but it just didn’t happen. Di Iorio’s ability to battle hard in tight will make an interesting third or fifth pick for a team seeking depth.

Šimon Katolický, LW (Tappara, Finland U-20)

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. Unfortunately, Katolický fell flat again at the U-18s with just one goal in six games. In the end, it was simply too difficult to defend his lack of impact.

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. He’s set to join the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, returning to the city where he impressed scouts at the 2024 U-17 World Challenge. I like his speed, and he has some legit upside in multiple areas. Maybe a fresh start will boost his confidence and thrust him back into the limelight. I hope so, because I know a lot of Czech fans were really high on him at one point, and he does show flashes of raw talent.

Marcus Nordmark, LW (Djurgarden, Sweden U-20)

Nordmark looked like a legitimate option to go in the top 15 early in the year, but only if scouts saw him improve his compete level and his own-zone play. He blends high-end skill and hockey sense to create high-quality chances in the offensive zone. He routinely picks apart opponents in his own age group and has been truly dominant internationally. But scouts are worried that he’s a ghost defensively and that if he doesn’t control play offensively, he won’t be good enough to crack the NHL. He has lazy habits that get him into trouble under pressure and it doesn’t feel like he’s taken enough steps forward to fix that throughout the year.

So he’s polarizing, which isn’t surprising for a 17-year-old with so much room to grow. Is he legit? Scouts aren’t sure yet. On one hand, he can clearly contribute offensively, and it wasn’t uncommon to see him dominate the offensive zone consistently. But between trying to deke out five guys at once, or inconsistent play away from the disk, it just feels like he’s a total boom-bust pick. Could Nordmark thrive on the power play? Absolutely. At his best, Nordmark can be one of the most skilled players in the draft – but his best just doesn’t happen enough. A team will definitely take a chance on him in the second or third round and bank on him becoming a high-impact player at the next level, and that’s fine. I just don’t see a world where he goes in the first round anymore.

Ryan Roobroeck, LW (Niagara IceDogs, OHL)

Roobroeck was once viewed as a safe bet to go in the top 10, and it’s easy to see why. His combination of size (6-foot-4, 216 pounds) and goal-scoring prowess (99 goals in 176 regular season games over three years) makes him incredibly intriguing. You don’t find many forwards who can command a play like he can at his absolute best, especially after producing at a high level throughout most of his career. But for a guy his size, he often lacks the intensity required to be a true difference-maker. Few players with Roobroeck’s level of talent fall asleep as frequently on plays, and it’s a shame. At the very least, Roobroeck should be able to excel on the power play, and he’s good as a net-front presence. But scouts are worried about his work ethic on the ice, which is why he doesn’t look likely to go in the first round.

Roobroeck has the highest floor of anyone on this list because of his proven scoring track record. But the biggest issue, of course, is his impact away from the puck when he isn’t firing pucks at the net. He knows that’s an area for improvement, and hopefully it’s something that brings him into total steal territory for the draft. For now, you can still count me as a believer, and I think a team could take a chance on him late in the first round to try and win big on his upside.

Braidy Wassilyn, LW (London Knights, OHL)

This is a very interesting player. Wassilyn has first-round talent, but the numbers never seemed to pan out this year, and his two-way game simply isn’t good enough. Wassilyn is a gifted offensive threat, with his puck control being among the best in his age group. He might not be huge, but he’s tenacious, showing a willingness to take on just about anyone. Wassilyn loves to drive to the net, and while his all-around game can be a bit iffy, he’s best when the pressure is on and you need to generate something, anything, late in a game.

Consistency is still a major issue, though, and I’m not sure he has the right tools to overcome it. With below-average skating and hockey sense, Wassilyn has to rely on his hands to do the most damage, and we didn’t see that consistently enough in the OHL. That being said, I like him on the power play and it does feel like he learned to play with a bit more urgency as the season wore on. Right now, though, I don’t know if he’s more than an AHLer with AAAA capabilities – look for him to fall beyond the third round after entering the season as a potential first-round candidate.

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