The Periferal [Not Dead] Official 2026 NHL Draft Thread (June 26-27)

[Konk]

Quite a few nhl people saying Command going higher in the 10-15 range. Button has Command at 10 isles taking Cullen

I think I'd be ok with that. He has too much upside to ignore.

That said, can you imagine Barzal and Cullen together? The blind behind-the-back turnovers.

 

[scott99]

my first choice in the beginning was Belechetz, love his size and scoring....but the more you guys talk about the skating issues....I think I've changed my mind.

For me I would go first with the following in order, obviously this is if no one surprising slips. -Novotny, Hemming, Gustafsson, Morozov

I don’t think Belchetz has any skating issues. It’s not like Anders Lee when he was 18/19, he definitely had some skating issues. Belchetz is just massive for his age, so massive guys just seem to not be burners, but his skating is definitely good for his size. Definitely better than Anders Lee at the same age.

Some scouting reports:

“Belchetz is a towering forward who uses his long reach to his advantage offensively and defensively. He’s a strong skater who, when he gains the edge off the rush, is very hard to defend on his way to the crease. Belchetz leans goal scorer more than playmaker. His first instinct generally is to direct pucks on net. He has the hockey sense and ability to be deployed in a variety of roles.” – Jason Bukala, Sportsnet

“Belchetz constantly turns what should be 50:50 puck battles into advantages for him. He has already surpassed his goal total from last year in about half the time and is not far from his point totals. Belchetz is a player you see on cup contending teams (akin to Matthew Tkachuk) who not only impacts the game offensively but also physically in the trenches. Watch for Belchetz to climb even higher on draft boards if he proves to be a playoff performer this spring, as everybody expects him to.” – James Connelly, Dober Prospects

Obviously the playoffs were missed because of injury.

 

[doublechili]

I think I'd be ok with that. He has too much upside to ignore.

That said, can you imagine Barzal and Cullen together? The blind behind-the-back turnovers.

Cullen is an interesting one to me. He was 5'8" not too long ago and whatever he's done in the past year+ has to be viewed in the context of if being accomplished during a huge growth spurt. Once he settles in at his final height and starts filling out, with his talent he could end up being one of the best players to come out of the draft - or he could bust. Definitely a dice-roll to some extent. I'd almost put Hemming and Belchetz in a similar dice roll category. And Lin with his size concerns but undeniable talent. Lawrence too, but I don't want him to be the pick.

Then you have the guys who seem to be "safer" picks, but who you hope maybe have some upside too. I'll put Novotny, Suvanto, Command, even Pugachyov, in that category. If they don't become great, they seem like they'll be contributing NHLers. With one pick in the first three rounds, there's some incentive not to "miss".

BTW, I'm leaving guys like Bjorck and Gustafsson out of this since I don't think they'll be available at #13, but if they are they're my pick with no second thoughts.

A couple of random comments. I saw one commentator compare Daxon Rudolph to Dobson, so he's on my "do not draft" list. And Shcherbakov has his own category. I only really became aware of him when HockeyProspect ranked him at #14, and then I watched his videos and was super impressed with his level of skating and skill for a 6'5" defenseman. I read something else saying he's absolutely not physical and questioning if he'd always be as skinny as he is now. So definite concerns, but I watch his video and he looks like a top 10 talent.

 

[seafoam]

Considers himself pass first, not saying that's a bad thing but do want to point that out...