Devils select Nikita Shcherbakov No. 44 overall in 2026 NHL Draft

One of the top blueliners in this year’s NHL prospect pool has been called.

The New Jersey Devils selected defenseman Nikita Shcherbakov with the No. 44 pick at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft Friday night at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

Shcherbakov played a few games with Ufa Salavat Yulayev of the KHL last season, but he spent most of the 2025-26 campaign with Neftekamsk Toros of the VHL, Russia’s second-highest domestic league. In 35 VHL games, he scored four goals and added six assists for 10 points, as well as 24 penalty minutes.

A native of Chelyabinsk, Russia, the 6-foot-5 defender has represented his home country on several occasions, dressing in 39 games with the Under-17 squad and recording six goals and 20 assists for 26 points. He’s also posted four goals and 10 assists for 14 points in 34 games with the U-16 team.

Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis ranked Shcherbakov No. 32 in his final 2026 NHL Draft Rankings, saying he expects the left-handed blueliner to be taken either late in the first round or early in the second.

“He’s strong, but he moves well – which is important for a guy his size. Shcherbakov has definitely grown on me a bit over the past few months, especially after watching him play well against his own age group,” Ellis wrote. “His game lacks high-end thinking, and he’ll likely slot in as a third-pairing defender. But he should be a reliable one at that.”

Ellis, who also ranked Shcherbakov No. 12 on his list of the top defensemen in this year’s draft, said he would be more excited about his game if the 18-year-old could add more offense to his repertoire.

“But not every defender needs to be a wizard with the puck – especially when they’re defensively sound like Shcherbakov,” he added.