The 2026 NHL Draft is about a month out. For most teams the picture is already in: rosters have aged through another season, the prospect pool is what it is, and front offices know which slots they need to fill. This is the fourth and final article in the series, one per division, looking at every team through the same data lens: who qualifies as top-6, who qualifies as top-4, who is under 25, who is in the pipeline, and what that all says about the team's draft lean.
How to read the data
Each team gets a card below with four columns: Forwards, Defense, Goaltending, and Draft Lean. The Top-6: N and Top-4: N counts tell you how many players cleared the production bar at each position. The colored pill beside the count is the average age of that group: green for healthy, amber for trending older, red for aging out.
What it means to qualify
- Top-6 forward: 20+ games played AND at least 0.55 points per game this season.
- Top-4 defenseman: 20+ games played, at least 0.25 points per game, AND average ice time of 17:30 or more per game.
- Under 25: active NHL player under 25 years old, regardless of games played. Captures both the franchise-building tier (Power, Sanderson, Knies) and the call-ups.
- Top prospects: ranked from each team's prospect pool by current-season points within their league. Skater prospects are tiered AHL first, then NCAA, then KHL, then everything else. Goalie prospects stay in NCAA / AHL only, with OHL / WHL / QMJHL as a fallback if the team has fewer than two in primary leagues. Players with 20+ NHL games this season are filtered out as graduates.
The right-most column is the draft lean. It is never goaltending. In modern drafts only a goalie or two goes in round 1, so even teams with shaky goalie depth get pointed at forward or defense, with a "Watch G depth" note when it is warranted.
A full division-wide overview table sits at the bottom of the article if you want to scan everyone at a glance.
Team by team
Anaheim Ducks · BPA
Austin Burnevik NCAA 36gp · 20G · 38P
Roger McQueen NCAA 36gp · 11G · 27P
Anthony Allain Samake NCAA 38gp · 1G · 10P
Drew Schock NCAA 38gp · 1G · 10P
Husso (31) 20gp 0.884
Anaheim's rebuild has reached the fun part. The top-6 forward group qualifies at 6 with an average age of 26.7, and the under-25 column is the reason: Cutter Gauthier (22), Leo Carlsson (21), and Beckett Sennecke (20) are all on the roster and producing. The forward pipeline behind them stays healthy, with Judd Caulfield (38 points in the AHL), Austin Burnevik (20 goals in the NCAA), and Roger McQueen still developing in college.
The blue line matches it: four qualifying top-4 defensemen at an average age of 28.8, with Pavel Mintyukov (22) and Olen Zellweger (22) leading a genuinely young group and Tristan Luneau (41 points in the AHL) headlining the prospect pool. The one soft spot is the crease, where Lukas Dostal (.888 over 56 games) carries the net at 25 with Ville Husso behind him and no young netminder in the system. But the modern draft almost never rewards reaching for a goalie.
The bigger offseason story is one the data card does not show: Gauthier, Carlsson, Mintyukov, and Zellweger are all restricted free agents this summer, so a wave of big-money second contracts is coming before the cap picture settles. Mason McTavish is the other thread, his name swirling in trade chatter as the front office weighs how to pay everyone. None of it changes the draft plan, though. With no acute gap anywhere, this is a best-player-available year: take the highest-ceiling skater on the board, get the core signed, and keep building the most exciting young roster in the division.
Calgary Flames · Defense (priority)
William Stromgren AHL 66gp · 11G · 47P
Clark Bishop AHL 72gp · 14G · 27P
Axel Hurtig WHL 64gp · 6G · 19P
Cooley (28) 31gp 0.909
Calgary's data row carries one of the loudest single numbers in the league: zero defensemen cleared the top-4 production bar this season, and the qualifying top-6 forward group is down to one. This is a roster in the early, grinding stretch of a reset, and the blue line is the epicenter.
The reset does have pieces. The under-25 D column is full of upside, with Zayne Parekh (20), Hunter Brzustewicz (21), and Artem Kuznetsov (24) all in the system and Etienne Morin producing in the AHL behind them. The forward youth, Matt Coronato (23), Connor Zary (24), and Matvei Gridin (20), is real, and Dryden Hunt (63 AHL points) and William Stromgren (47) headline a productive farm. Dustin Wolf (.899 over 57 games) is a genuine 25-year-old answer in net, so goaltending is not the fire. The lean is defense, and it is a priority: the Flames need a blue-liner who projects into the top-4 minutes nobody currently fills.
Edmonton Oilers · Forward (priority), Watch G
James Hamblin AHL 64gp · 27G · 41P
Matvey Petrov AHL 38gp · 5G · 12P
Beau Akey AHL 42gp · 2G · 10P
Nikita Yevseyev KHL 61gp · 4G · 16P
Edmonton's window is wide open and the math behind it is getting older. The top-6 forward group qualifies at just 4 at an average age of 31.2, the kind of number that should worry a team built around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl's primes. The scoring depth thins out fast, and the under-25 forwards (Vasily Podkolzin at 24, Matthew Savoie at 22, Kirby Dach at 23) are useful but not yet the top-6 reinforcements the team needs.
The pipeline offers some help, with Quinn Hutson (30 goals, 63 points in the AHL) and James Hamblin (27 goals) producing, but neither is a lock for top-6 minutes. The top-4 defense is fine on paper (4 qualifying, average 30.5), though it carries no under-25 piece behind it, and it is less settled than the count suggests: Darnell Nurse is in trade rumors, with talk he may have asked for a move out of Edmonton. If that contract goes, the blue line thins in a hurry. Goaltending is the other flashing light, with Connor Ingram (.899 over 32 games) and no young netminder anywhere in the system. As always, you do not reach for a goalie in round 1, so the lean stays forward. Edmonton needs a young scorer who can graduate before the McDavid window closes, and with a late pick they take the best forward who slips, though a Nurse trade would push defense up the board in a hurry.
Los Angeles Kings · Forward (priority), Watch G
Forsberg (33) 36gp 0.910
Los Angeles just lost the player who defined the franchise: Anze Kopitar retired this year, and you do not replace two decades of first-line, two-way center play overnight. The top-6 forwards qualify at 5 and average 30.6, the forward pipeline is nearly empty (Alexander Dergachyov in the KHL is the only notable name), and the hole down the middle is now the team's defining question. Quinton Byfield (23) is the heir apparent at center, with Alex Laferriere (24) and Samuel Helenius (23) around him, but the Kings need the next wave and it is not obvious where it comes from internally.
The blue line is in better shape, with four qualifying top-4 at an average age of 29.2 and Brandt Clarke (23) already up and developing. Goaltending leans old, with Darcy Kuemper (.891 over 50 games at 36) and Anton Forsberg behind him, but that is a free-agency question, not a draft one. The lean is forward, and after Kopitar's exit it is a priority. With an aging top-6 and a bare cupboard, the Kings have to draft a center who can grow into the void he left, ideally one who reaches the NHL inside two or three seasons.
Seattle Kraken · Defense (lean)
Jagger Firkus AHL 63gp · 21G · 56P
Lleyton Roed AHL 65gp · 11G · 38P
Ty Nelson AHL 63gp · 11G · 35P
Ville Ottavainen AHL 53gp · 3G · 17P
Grubauer (34) 32gp 0.909
Nikke Kokko AHL 35gp · 0.901 SV% · 3.13 GAA
Seattle is a balanced, middling roster with one clear soft spot. The top-6 forwards qualify at 6 (average 29.0) and the forward pipeline is genuinely good: Logan Morrison (29 goals, 61 points), Jagger Firkus (21 goals, 56 points), and Lleyton Roed all producing in the AHL. Matty Beniers (23) and Shane Wright (22) anchor a solid under-25 core up front.
The blue line is where it thins. The top-4 D qualifies at 4 (average 29.5) but the under-25 column shows just one name, and the team has leaned on its forward and goalie pipelines while the defense aged in place. There is AHL depth, with Tyson Jugnauth (45 points) and Ty Nelson (35) as real prospects, but the lean is defense: Seattle should add a young blue-liner who can grow into the top-4 before the current group turns over. Goaltending is fine, with Joey Daccord (.897) signed and prospects Victor Ostman and Nikke Kokko in the system.
San Jose Sharks · Defense (priority)
Quentin Musty AHL 61gp · 21G · 45P
Kasper Halttunen AHL 69gp · 16G · 35P
Mattias Havelid AHL 44gp · 5G · 15P
Eric Pohlkamp NCAA 43gp · 18G · 39P
Nedeljkovic (30) 40gp 0.896
San Jose's rebuild has its centerpiece. Macklin Celebrini (19) is everything the 2024 first-overall pick was supposed to be, and the under-25 forward group around him, Will Smith (21) and William Eklund (23), gives the Sharks the youngest qualifying top-6 in the division at an average age of 25.2. The forward pipeline is loaded too: Filip Bystedt (60 AHL points), Quentin Musty (45), and Kasper Halttunen all developing.
The blue line is the lag. The top-4 D qualifies at just 3 and averages 31.3, the oldest number on a team that is young everywhere else. The under-25 D names are there, with Sam Dickinson (19), Luca Cagnoni (21), and Shakir Mukhamadullin (24) on the books and Cagnoni (43 AHL points) and Eric Pohlkamp (39 NCAA points) in the pipeline, but none is a finished top-4 piece. Yaroslav Askarov (23) is the goalie of the future already up and taking his lumps (.884 over 47 games), so the crease is spoken for. The lean is defense, and it is a priority: pair a young top-4 anchor with Celebrini and the rebuild has its spine.
Vancouver Canucks · Forward (priority)
Tolopilo (26) 21gp 0.881
Demko (30) 20gp 0.897
Vancouver's data row is lopsided. The top-6 forward group qualifies at just 3 (average 26.7) and the forward pipeline is essentially empty, with Joseph LaBate in the AHL the only listed name. The scoring core carries the load, and even that is in flux, with Jake DeBrusk's name floating in trade rumors as the front office weighs its options. The Canucks need young forward talent and have very little of it coming.
The blue line, by contrast, is a strength, and the future is taking shape there: the top-4 qualifies at 2 but averages just 24.0, and the under-25 D column is genuinely exciting, with Zeev Buium (20) looking like a cornerstone alongside Tom Willander (21) and the younger Elias Pettersson (22). Goaltending is a real concern, as Kevin Lankinen (.875) and Thatcher Demko (.897 over just 20 games) both had down years, but that is a free-agency and health story. The lean is forward, and Vancouver is positioned to act on it. Holding the third overall pick, they can land one of the best forwards in the class, and with a bare cupboard up front and the blue line already stocked with youth, the pick almost has to be a scorer.
Vegas Golden Knights · Defense (critical), Watch G
Matyas Sapovaliv AHL 72gp · 18G · 35P
Jakub Brabenec AHL 62gp · 12G · 31P
Noah Ellis NCAA 40gp · 9G · 19P
Hill (30) 27gp 0.871
Cameron Whitehead AHL 17gp · 0.873 SV% · 3.54 GAA
Vegas is built to win now, and the data shows the cost. The top-4 defense qualifies at just 3 (average 29.3) with zero under-25 defensemen on the roster, and the blue line does not renew without outside help. Rasmus Andersson is a pending free agent the Knights will likely push to re-sign, but bringing back a veteran patches the present without fixing the future. The forward group is fine, with 6 qualifying top-6 at an average age of 29.8 and AHL scorers in Ben Hemmerling (50 points) and Matyas Sapovaliv, but the back end is the problem.
This one is critical. The D prospect pool runs through Lukas Cormier (47 AHL points) and Noah Ellis, neither a sure top-4 fix, and Vegas's habit of trading futures for stars has left the cupboard thin where it matters most. Goaltending is the secondary watch, with Akira Schmid and Adin Hill (.871 over 27 games) splitting a shaky season, though there is real hope in 23-year-old Carl Lindbom (.926 in the AHL). The lean is defense and the Knights have to take it seriously: with no young blue line and a championship core that only gets older, the 2026 pick has to start restocking the back end.
The overview
The whole division at a glance, every team in one table.
Austin Burnevik NCAA 36gp · 20G · 38P
Roger McQueen NCAA 36gp · 11G · 27P
Anthony Allain Samake NCAA 38gp · 1G · 10P
Drew Schock NCAA 38gp · 1G · 10P
Husso (31) 20gp 0.884
William Stromgren AHL 66gp · 11G · 47P
Clark Bishop AHL 72gp · 14G · 27P
Axel Hurtig WHL 64gp · 6G · 19P
Cooley (28) 31gp 0.909
James Hamblin AHL 64gp · 27G · 41P
Matvey Petrov AHL 38gp · 5G · 12P
Beau Akey AHL 42gp · 2G · 10P
Nikita Yevseyev KHL 61gp · 4G · 16P
Forsberg (33) 36gp 0.910
Jagger Firkus AHL 63gp · 21G · 56P
Lleyton Roed AHL 65gp · 11G · 38P
Ty Nelson AHL 63gp · 11G · 35P
Ville Ottavainen AHL 53gp · 3G · 17P
Grubauer (34) 32gp 0.909
Nikke Kokko AHL 35gp · 0.901 SV% · 3.13 GAA
Quentin Musty AHL 61gp · 21G · 45P
Kasper Halttunen AHL 69gp · 16G · 35P
Mattias Havelid AHL 44gp · 5G · 15P
Eric Pohlkamp NCAA 43gp · 18G · 39P
Nedeljkovic (30) 40gp 0.896
Tolopilo (26) 21gp 0.881
Demko (30) 20gp 0.897
Matyas Sapovaliv AHL 72gp · 18G · 35P
Jakub Brabenec AHL 62gp · 12G · 31P
Noah Ellis NCAA 40gp · 9G · 19P
Hill (30) 27gp 0.871
Cameron Whitehead AHL 17gp · 0.873 SV% · 3.54 GAA
Up next
That wraps the four-part division series. If you missed any: Atlantic, Metro, and Central. From here the lens shifts from needs to names, with the draft itself just weeks away. The data behind every card lives in the Draft Center if you want to build your own board.
