To wrap up my 2026 NHL Draft coverage, here’s a ranking of the top 15 prospects who passed through this year’s draft, plus four honorable mentions.These are players I’d either keep an eye on moving forward as re-entry options for 2027, or would consider for development camp invites. Among them are five players from my final top 100 draft board (ranked 74, 95, 97, 99 and 100).1. Dayne Beuker, C, 5-foot-10.25 (U.S. NTDP)Beuker, a Denver commit, was a top prospect in minor hockey who chose the NTDP over being a top pick in the WHL. And while he didn’t hold that status in his time at the program, he was still a good player for their ’08 age group, centered their first line into U18 worlds and finished strong. He’s a smart, heady forward who will go to the net or find open space, who finds his linemates when they’re doing that and who blends vision with some hesitation elements, stops and starts and a good, adjustable release. I’d like for him to be a little quicker at his size (he can lose those short races from a standstill in the offensive or defensive zones), but he has a good motor, competes, keeps his feet moving and sees the game well on both sides. I expect him to become a very good college player for the Pioneers, and he profiled as a mid-to-late-round pick for me.2. Braidy Wassilyn, LW, 5-foot-11 (London Knights)Wassilyn, a BU commit, started the year with a minor injury, missing the first three weeks of the season with Niagara in the OHL. He played well enough in my viewings after, though, both to start with Niagara and following a trade to London. The No. 4 pick in his OHL draft year, Wassilyn had a respectable season a year ago and was one of the last cuts for Canada’s Hlinka team. He was viewed as a top-two-rounds guy coming into the year. He finished the year with 46 points in 62 games and played to positive results, but struggled against tougher competition in the playoffs. He’s a decent skater who can turn opposing D off the rush. He has a good feel around the ice for where to be and how to use spacing, but will also go to the dirty areas and plays a pesky, competitive game for a 5-foot-11 forward, standing up for himself and playing hard even if the penalty minute totals look small. He’s also stocky. He has a strong one-timer and is a better shooter than his goal totals (which have started to come a little more with the Knights) indicate, though his game tilts toward passing. He has very good stick skills that are lauded by his peers. Though he used to be a center, he played the wing in both Niagara and London and is viewed that way, which makes him a tricky player to project as a sturdy 5-foot-11 guy without high-end production. I’ve thought of Max Domi a little when I’ve watched him, but Domi was more productive at his age.3. Niko Tournas, RW, 6-foot-2 (Moncton Wildcats)Tournas, 20, is a late-blooming double overager who led the NAHL in scoring last year and then made the jump to the Q this year. He was one of Moncton’s best forwards for much of the year, too, and finished his rookie season with 49 goals and 92 points in 85 combined regular-season and playoff games, leading the Wildcats in goals. Despite his age, he’s still raw. By all accounts, he’s dedicated to getting better and has the tools, including a hard NHL shot and good size. He didn’t penalty kill for the Wildcats this year, but he played nearly four minutes per game on the power play and scored goals in a lot of different ways (off the flank, rebounds, dekes, catch-and-release, bad angles, backdoor, tips, jam plays, drives). He’s currently committed to the University of New Hampshire for next season but could consider a return to the Q for his final year and then turning pro if the team that drafts him wants him to go that direction. He has to improve his pace and reads/decision-making, but there’s an interesting skill-shot-size combination there, and he clearly still has runway despite his age.4. Jean Cristoph-Lemieux, LW, 5-foot-11.25 (Sudbury Wolves)Lemieux is a Hockey Canada favorite who began the year with the Windsor Spitfires before being dealt to the Sudbury Wolves. He’s an average-sized summer birthday with a real identity. He works and plays hard. He has quick and active feet. He’s good on the PK, and his good instincts defensively. He’s physical and plays a pesky style. But he also has some sneaky opportunism to his game offensively and will occasionally try things. A strong finish with Sudbury in a more prominent role in the second half and Team Canada at U18s (where he started on the third line before being elevated to the first line) showed me enough to put him on my board, even if it’s tough to be a bottom-six checker at his size.5. Max Isaksson, C, 6-foot (Växjö Lakers)Isaksson is a playmaking two-way forward who wore the “C” for Sweden at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup but played a very limited role in their gold medal run at U18 worlds. He’s not a penalty killer or checker, per se, but he plays a well-rounded game, can be relied upon, knows how to support his linemates offensively and defensively, and can play both center (which is his listing with NHL Central Scouting, and he has played for Sweden) and the wing (which he played in J20 this year). He’s also an agile skater (though I’ve wondered at times about his overall pace) who can build speed and cross over. He also has good hands laterally on D and one-on-one with goalies, regularly beating guys with the puck and navigating through traffic. He has a slick release from mid-range. He made some pretty plays at the J20 level this year inside the offensive zone, rounding corners and attacking into the slot (though the production didn’t quite match the eye test). And he’s a thinker of the game who knows where to be and go, will make the heady right play, and sees the ice well as a passer. I have liked watching him, but I do wonder about his projection.