This week, we’re rolling out my 2026 NHL Draft package at The Athletic in advance of my final draft board. On Wednesday, we released my ranking of the top 20 overagers in the class. Today, we release scouting reports for the 30 prospects who just missed the cut for my top 100. These prospects include the final cuts at forward, defense and goalie for my list and range from mid-to-late-round picks I’ve got plenty of time for to players who have an intriguing makeup or tool and even one who isn’t ranked by NHL Central Scouting.Consider them my honorable mentions. Some deep cuts, if you will.Note: Players are sorted alphabetically.Landon Amrhein, LW, 6-foot-4.5 (Calgary Hitmen)One of the final cuts for my board, Amrhein is a big, rangy, athletic player who can handle the puck. He doesn’t play the physical, bullish, powerful game you typically expect out of a player with his size, but he has some feel on the puck and can make plays. That should come as he fills out his frame (which still has room on it) and develops more of an identity, but he’s going to have to do that to find a niche up levels I’d expect because he’s not going to be a skill guy in the pros. It’s nice that he has that foundation of puck skill, though, and I think he skates well enough. He’s intriguing and will be a mid-round pick, and he’s an equivalent prospect to those who snuck into the final tier on my board.Axel Brøngel-Larsson, LHD, 6-foot-1 (Frolunda HC)Brøngel-Larsson is a physical and competitive late-birthday two-way defenseman who made his SHL debut last year and played at U18 worlds and the Hlinka with the draft class in front of him. He plays hard, battles for his ice, has penalty killed for club and country, wore a letter for Frolunda’s J20 team, moves pucks cleanly and flatly and offers a firmness to his game on both sides of the puck. The offense hasn’t come, but I’ve seen him show at least some poise and find his way out of trouble in his own zone when he needs to, or rip what looks like an NHL shot. He may well end up as a third-pairing SHL/AHL D, but his hardworking defensive game could earn him a selection as a potential what-you-see-is-what-you get depth option.Myles Brosnan, RHD, 6-foot (Dexter Southfield School)Brosnan, a Harvard commit, dominated the prep school circuit this year (he might have been the best D in it) and played a couple of games apiece with both Sioux City and the NTDP. He’s a pro-built right-shot D who has played a lot of both sides. He’s confident on the breakout and can both beat pressure or make a good first pass. He sees the ice really well and does a good job reading the play, both breaking pucks out and manning the point inside the offensive zone. He plays with sureness. And he defends well, with a good stick and a sturdiness on his feet in contact. He’s a late birthday who lacks higher-level experience, but he looked like a worthy late-round pick in my viewings.Callum Croskery, LHD, 6-foot-0.75 (Soo Greyhounds)The final cut on D for my top 100, I nearly ranked Croskery, a Boston College commit, in the 90s on my board. His draft year was delayed until November by a preseason wrist injury and then it took him some time to really come into his own as a rookie defenseman following the jump from the USHL with the Chicago Steel to the OHL with in the Soo, but he averaged 19-20 minutes per game to positive two-way results (his analytics were strong throughout) and finished strong both in the OHL playoffs and at U18 Worlds (where he played in Canada’s top four, was reliable, and made a huge play to tie the game at the buzzer of the second period against the Swedes in the semis). He’s very athletic and has a strong, muscular build. He skates well and can transition and move pucks. He defends primarily with his stick but is learning to use his strength more. I think he has more offense and offensive sense than his point totals (23 in 53 games) in the OHL this year indicated, too, and could see him take a big step next year. He’ll be a mid-round pick.Ilya Dolgopolov, LHD, 6-foot-1 (Dynamo St. Petersburg)Dolgopolov is a late birthday who led Dynamo St. Petersburg’s MHL team in points by a defenseman this year, registering nine goals and 24 points in 56 games and averaging 19 minutes per game for the season and 21 1/2 minutes per game in the playoffs as a go-to guy on both the power play and the penalty kill. He doesn’t have a dynamic quality, but he walks the line well, he keeps his head up, he has good instincts offensively and he puts a ton of pucks on net. And while he’s not particularly physical or hard, he also has good instincts defensively and uses his feet and stick to maintain disruptive gaps. His NHL Central Scouting slotting (No. 106 among international skaters) indicates he’s a fringe guy to get picked, and that checked out in my viewings, but I felt he was worthy of a mention here.Viktor Fedorov, C, 5-foot-10 (Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod)One of the last cuts on my list at forward, Fedorov is an all-situations center who was an important player for Nizhny Novgorod’s MHL team last year at 16 and 17 and has been a leader for the 2008 age group in Russia. This year, he played primarily pro and had some success in both the VHL and KHL, playing to positive two-way results. He has good speed and is a good athlete. He tracks and wins inside body positioning against bigger players and has a good stick. He’s a smart player on and off the puck, offensively and defensively. He goes to the net and stays around, but can also score from mid-range and make plays out wide. He has quick hands and puts a lot of pucks into space for his teammates. I’ve liked what I’ve seen. His challenge is that at his size, he lacks a dynamic trait, and while he’s a very well-rounded player, he’s not particularly physical or scrappy either.Colin Fitzgerald, C, 6-foot-2.25 (Soo Greyhounds)Fitzgerald is a heavy, competitive and physical pro-style center who was a top pick in the OHL and had a strong rookie season on a weak Petes team. His production didn’t take a step this season, though. After a trade to the Soo, he played better before leveling off there, too, playing a limited role in the playoffs. Fitzgerald tops out as a fourth-liner, but he has the makeup to get there if he can put it all together, which has kept him on boards. He has a hard shot, he hits hard and he can be a lot to handle when he gets going because he’s a strong north-south skater who can be fast when he has time to build a head of steam, whether that’s chasing a puck down the ice or pushing through the neutral zone/toward the net. He hasn’t been productive in more of a bottom-six role with Hockey Canada at U17s and the Hlinka, though, either, and eventually you have to start to score. With development, he has the makings of a depth type, but the ceiling is limited, and he’s not pacey enough.Layne Gallacher, C, 6-foot-1.25 (Guelph Storm)Gallacher registered 30 points in 53 games this year, split between the Bulldogs and the Storm, missing time due to injury between the two. He’s a player scouts have time for and was invited to the Scouting Combine as a result, even though NHL Central Scouting ranked him No. 119 in North America. He’s a strong-bodied, hardworking center who skates well and has grown and begun to fill out over the last couple of years, while still having room for both. He’s not the most physical player, but he’s committed and plays a pro style. He’s also good in the faceoff dot and can PK. He has some secondary skill, too, and I expect him to take a step next year playing for the 2027 Memorial Cup hosts.Samuel Hrenak, G, 6-foot-3 (Fargo Force)Hrenak was the final goalie cut for my list; he warrants mid-round consideration and should be a late-round pick at minimum. Statistically speaking, Hrenak had an impressive draft year, putting up good numbers domestically in Slovakia in the first half before finishing strong in the USHL (.918 and a 7-1-1 record with Fargo) and at U18 worlds (.925 to backstop Slovakia to just its second-ever silver). He gets high marks technically but also has the athleticism, confidence and competitiveness needed when things break down to come up big. I like his tracking, positioning and reads, too. That’s most of what makes up a goalie right there. I’ve heard good things about his practice habits, his maturity and his mentality as well.Michal Jakubec, C, 6-foot-1 (Dukla Trencin)Jakubec is a summer birthday whose speed caught my eye at U18 worlds. I decided to spend some more time watching him on tape after I got back from the tournament, and I was consistently impressed. He was noticeable with the national team (he started as the 4C at U18s but his role expanded as the tournament went on, and he averaged 17 minutes per game and was good game-to-game). He has quick feet and strength/power in his legs, which is a translatable combination. His numbers at Slovakia’s junior level (33 points in 37 games) don’t leap off the page, but he also held his own in limited usage with Trencin’s historic pro club, chipping in three goals and five points in 20 games while playing to positive defensive results. With his skating and work rate, I felt he deserved a mention here.Jiri Kamas, RHD, 6-foot-1.25 (Red Deer Rebels)It was an eventful year for Kamas, who made the jump from Czechia’s junior level to the WHL with Penticton and then was dealt at the deadline to Red Deer. And though the production with the Vees and the Rebels looks similar, he took a big step with the latter in the second half, often playing 25-30 minutes. He also played 21 minutes per game through the first two games of U18s with the Czechs before he got hurt on a high hit behind his net in the third game. He’s sturdy over his feet, defends firmly, can skate and plays an intentional style on both sides of the puck. He has some two-way attributes, and if his finish was any indication, he’s ready to take a step next year.