Senators’ Jaxon Cover becomes first player drafted from Cayman Islands

Jaxon Cover made NHL history on Friday night, as he became the first drafted player to come from the Cayman Islands when the Ottawa Senators selected him 32nd overall in the 2026 NHL Draft.

It was a bit of a surprise to see Cover taken in the first round, as he was roughly projected to go around 42nd overall amongst the major draft rankings. Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis was one of the lowest on Cover, as he had him ranked 60th in his final draft rankings.

What might be more surprising about Cover’s rise to a first-round pick is how he didn’t start playing competitive ice hockey until he was 13, as he grew up playing roller hockey. He spent a good chunk of his teenage years with the York Simcoe Express and St. Andrew’s College. Selected 64th overall in the fourth round of the Ontario Hockey League Draft by the London Knights, he didn’t join the OHL until later into the season, where he had two assists in three games.

But in 2025-26, he played a full season with the Knights, where he had 20 goals and 32 assists for 52 points in 67 games, which was third on his team in goals, assists and points. He followed that up with two goals and an assists for three points in five playoff games, which was tied for second on London in scoring.

Cover actually has an extensive background as far as countries go. On top of living in the Cayman Islands, he is also eligible to represent Canada at the international stage, while also initially being born in Miami, Florida in the United States.

Cover isn’t the only 2026 draft eligible to have spent time in the Cayman Islands. Ryder Cali, who was ranked 38th overall in Ellis’ draft ranking, also lived in the Cayman Islands as a kid, where he took up roller hockey until he moved to Canada. Cali isn’t able to represent the Cayman Islands on the international stage, but can for Canada and Switzerland, the latter country being where he was born.