Blues select Maddox Dagenais No. 16 overall at the 2026 NHL Draft
The St. Louis Blues have selected forward Maddox Dagenais with the No. 16 overall selection of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Dagenais was projected to be selected around 25th or 26th overall on average across all of the main draft rankings, going as high as 16th and as low as 37th. He was also ranked 15th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis projected him to go a bit below average at 30th overall.
Ellis had this to say about Dagenais in his most recent draft rankings:
“Dagenais has had a strong playoff run with Quebec, which definitely helps his draft stock. His play with Canada at the U-18s didn’t hurt, either. The son of former NHLer Pierre Dagenais managed to register a point per game in 62 outings with Quebec, often leading the team’s offensive push. He has an NHL caliber-frame at 6-foot-4 and 196 pounds, and he’s extremely reliable at both ends of the ice. Dagenais isn’t flashy, but he’s smart, toolsy and plays with a ton of power. At times, he’s able to dominate the puck better than most other big forwards in this draft class. Dagenais’ hockey IQ is impressive, and he’s a good skater for his size. I think he could be a solid middle-six guy.”
Dagenais spent the entirety of his 2025-26 season with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. He played in 62 games in the regular season, accumulating 30 goals and 32 assists for 62 points in 62 games as the Remparts finished fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 32-25-6-1 record. The Montreal product finished second on the Remparts in scoring behind Philadelphia Flyers‘ 2025 sixth-round pick Nathan Quinn, and was first among draft-eligible players.
Dagenais also had three goals and three assists for six points in 11 playoff games, as the Remparts were swept in the second round by the eventual Gilles-Courteau Trophy winners, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. He was tied for second on the Remparts in scoring, behind only Cal Uens.
Dagenais also represented Canada at the U18 World Championships, where he had a goal and an assist for two points in five games as Canada was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Sweden.