Ivar Stenberg Emerging As Potential First Overall Pick
Entering the 2025-26 season, the scouting community following NHL draft prospects generally shared a clear consensus: the top prospect for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft was WHL star Gavin McKenna. McKenna, who was an otherworldly scorer with the Medicine Hat Tigers, was slated to begin his NCAA career with Penn State. Most believed he’d ride a highly productive college season all the way into the summer, where he’d become the No. 1 overall pick.
So far, things haven’t quite played out that way, and the tide has begun to shift at the top of public-facing NHL draft rankings. The early rumblings began on Nov. 18, when The Athletic’s Corey Pronman wrote that McKenna’s path to becoming the No. 1 pick was now “in question.”
At the time, he cited a lack of clear alternatives for the No. 1 slot as a reason why he believed McKenna was still likely to be the No. 1 pick, even if he was no longer a lock. Then, in his rankings on Dec. 10, he ranked McKenna No. 4 in the class, behind center Tynan Lawrence, defenseman Keaton Verhoeff, and winger Ivar Stenberg.
It was the World Junior Championships later that month that provided the stage for a true alternative to McKenna to emerge as a candidate to become the No. 1 pick: Stenberg, a winger in the SHL.
Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala, who is a former NHL scouting director, wrote on Jan. 13 that Stenberg was his new No. 1 prospect in the 2026 class. Yesterday, two of the more prominent public-facing NHL draft rankings were released, coming from The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler and the team at Elite Prospects. Both Wheeler and Elite Prospects ranked Stenberg as their No. 1 prospect, in both cases overtaking McKenna, who fell to No. 2.
This emerging trend in public-facing rankings is, without question, the storyline to watch regarding the upcoming entry draft. McKenna, as mentioned, entered the season as not only the consensus No. 1 player, but a skater widely believed to be a future No. 1 pick of above-average quality relative to other players selected at that slot. An exceptional status player who entered the CHL at the age of 15, McKenna managed 97 points as a 16-year-old winger for Medicine Hat, and was absolutely brilliant in 2024-25, scoring 129 points in 56 regular-season games and 38 points in 16 postseason contests.
That production hasn’t translated to the same extent to the NCAA, where McKenna has 24 points in 20 games. While that’s still very impressive production for a freshman player, to be clear, it remains below what many expected of McKenna. 
Other top prospects in the past have had more productive freshman campaigns, such as Adam Fantilli (65 points in 36 games during his draft year) and Jack Eichel (71 points in 40 games). McKenna was widely believed to be of that caliber as a prospect, so the fact that his production, while still good, isn’t on that level, appears to have hurt him in the rankings.
Wheeler wrote in his rankings this week that McKenna “increasingly has frustrated evaluators” this season.
It is worth noting, when considering McKenna’s production, that the NCAA isn’t what it has been in the past. That is to say, the quality of competition in college hockey has reached new heights thanks to a recent rule change that allowed players with CHL experience (and even pro experience, in some cases) to play college hockey. That massive influx of new, higher-level talent into the collegiate ranks has likely made it more difficult for younger players such as McKenna to excel to the same extent that Fantilli and Eichel, for example, were able to.
But one factor totally outside of McKenna’s control that appears to have impacted his odds of becoming the No. 1 pick considerably has been the emergence of Stenberg. The Swedish winger is having one of the best seasons by a draft-eligible SHL forward in the recent history of the draft process. The 18-year-old has 26 points in 27 games for Frölunda, and he added alongside that 10 points in seven games at the World Juniors, leading Sweden to a gold medal.
The key aspects of Stenberg’s game, according to public-facing scouts, that have allowed him to close the gap on McKenna and emerge as a real contender to be the No. 1 pick are his competitiveness, physical development, and ability to impact the game away from the puck.
Elite Prospects wrote that Stenberg “looks ready to make an NHL impact as soon as next fall,” and Wheeler noted in his own rankings that Stenberg is “very, very strong in hockey terms” and “wins a ton of battles along the boards.” When it comes to predicting whether a teenage player will be able to make an impact at the NHL level quickly after being drafted, those are key traits that come into focus. That Stenberg has made those traits some of the standout elements of his game is, per the indications of the public scouting sphere, one of the key factors as to why he’s become a potential No. 1 pick.
Of course, there is still quite a bit of time before any player hears his name called in Buffalo at the 2026 draft. There’s still more than enough time for evaluations to change, for other players to stand out and make a push for the No. 1 slot (such as defenders Verhoeff or Chase Reid, for example). There’s also enough time for McKenna to address some of scouts’ concerns about his game and make a push for the No. 1 status Stenberg appears to have now grabbed hold of.
But at this point, the tide appears to be changing in the public scouting sphere, and it’s entirely possible if not likely, that the tide could also be changing in the eyes of NHL scouts. A Swedish player has not gone No. 1 overall at the NHL draft since Rasmus Dahlin in 2018, and Dahlin was the first since 1989’s Mats Sundin.
Photos courtesy of Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Morning Notes: Shea, Kuemper, Malenstyn
The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a better season than most expected of them in 2025-26, and it’s been elevated contributions from players throughout the lineup that have powered them to this point. (Alongside to-be-expected star-level performances from players such as Sidney Crosby.) One player who has meaningfully improved his NHL stock as a Penguin is defenseman Ryan Shea. The Athletic’s Josh Yohe wrote yesterday that “the Penguins would like to keep [Shea] around,” and that he is a real candidate to receive a contract extension that keeps him from hitting the open market as a UFA this upcoming summer.
Shea is a textbook illustration of one of Penguins GM Kyle Dubas’ standout traits — his ability to work the margins of NHL rosters to uncover quality players, players he can acquire for very little and hand over to his coaching staff, who promptly turn them into legitimate NHLers. Dubas signed Shea to a one-year, league-minimum deal in 2023, handing the player a one-way contract despite him having zero NHL experience to that point. Shea rewarded Dubas with 31 NHL games played in his first year in Pittsburgh, and this season he’s emerged as a full-time NHLer. He’s scored 16 points in 48 games and is averaging 18:57 time on ice per game, including 2:07 on the penalty kill. Given how he’s earned head coach Dan Muse’s trust as a defensive defenseman, it’s no surprise Pittsburgh appears to want to keep him from hitting the open market as a UFA.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Los Angeles Kings starting netminder Darcy Kuemper left the team’s victory over the New York Rangers last night early after appearing shaken up by a collision with Rangers forward Jonny Brodzinski. The Kings announced his exit was due to an upper-body injury. It’s worth noting that Kuemper missed some time earlier this month with an upper-body injury. Kuemper has been solid for Los Angeles this season, though not quite as brilliant as 2024-25. He has a .904 save percentage in 32 games played.
- Buffalo Sabres forward Beck Malenstyn left the team’s victory over the Nashville Predators early after blocking a shot, and while the team did not announce any injury to the player, his status is nonetheless worth monitoring. The 27-year-old is a key bottom-six player for head coach Lindy Ruff, offering aggressive forechecking and physicality on a nightly basis. He has seven points in 48 games this season playing fourth-line minutes, with a regular role in the team’s rotation of penalty killers.
Panthers’ Jack Studnicka Clears Waivers, Reassigned To AHL
Jan. 21st: Although it’s come a day later than expected, the Panthers officially reassigned Studnicka to AHL Charlotte today.
Jan. 20th: As expected, Studnicka has made it through waivers unscathed per Friedman. The Panthers are expected to assign Studnicka to AHL Charlotte at some point today.
Jan. 19th: Now that Matthew Tkachuk is back in action for the Florida Panthers, the team was likely to clear a forward from their active roster. They have done just that, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that they’ve placed Jack Studnicka on waivers.
Studnicka, 26, has been on the Panthers roster since December 1st. He’s been in an extremely isolated role since, going scoreless in 18 games with a -6 rating, averaging 7:04 of ice time. Furthermore, given his 46.3% CorsiFor% and 85.2% on-ice SV% at even strength, Studnicka provided little to no value to Florida’s lineup even when he was playing.
Still, there wasn’t much indication that the Panthers needed much more from Studnicka, anyway. He signed a one-year, league minimum deal with the organization last summer, meaning it was always likely he would exclusively serve as an injury replacement. Given how many injuries the Panthers have dealt with this year, Studnicka got a longer stay on the NHL roster than he may have expected.
Despite offering little production at the NHL level, the same can’t be said for his play in the AHL. Last season, while playing for the AHL’s Ontario Reign, Studnicka scored 16 goals and totaled 45 points in 72 games, finishing with a +4 rating. Before being recalled by the Panthers this year, he scored one goal and six points in eight games for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
Evening Notes: Cirelli, Doughty, Merzlikins
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli sustained an undisclosed injury in tonight’s win over San Jose, and after the game, Head Coach Jon Cooper had no further updates, as reported by Eduardo A. Encina of The Tampa Bay Times. Cooper went on to say “we’ll see tomorrow”, but avoided more details.
Despite just one shift in the entire third period, Cirelli still recorded 13:22 of ice time, indicative of the extent of which the team has had to lean on him during Brayden Point’s absence. Impressively, the wins keep coming for the Bolts, thin not only down the middle but also on the blueline. They’ve vaulted themselves into second place in the league after tremendous play, including a franchise best-tying 11-game winning streak recently.
Tampa Bay is back at it on Friday in Chicago, and Cirelli’s status until then will be closely watched. The 28-year-old has 30 points in 44 games this season, and with a center group which is missing their #1 in Point, the Lightning have had to rely on Dominic James as a 2C, a 23-year-old in his first professional season. Already down Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh along with Point, losing Cirelli for any considerable time would be another major hurdle.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Ahead of their game against the Rangers, the Los Angeles Kings announced that Drew Doughty would not play due to illness. The stalwart had appeared in 41 of the team’s 48 games prior to tonight, and will need just two more to hit the 1,250 mark, all with his original club. With the game faster than ever, naturally it has not come so easy for Doughty, who turned 36 in December. The veteran continues to play heavy minutes, as his 22:51 average is good for most on the team, but he has just 13 points in 41 games, production not seen since his rookie campaign in 2008-09. Doughty was activated from injured reserve in early December from a leg/foot injury, and is still working to find his stride. He will look to return by Saturday against the Blues, but as for tonight, depth lefty Jacob Moverare has slotted in on the third pairing.
- Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins left tonight’s game after the first period due to illness, per the team, and did not return. The 31-year-old had allowed two goals on seven shots, leaving Jet Greaves to take over in a 2-1 game. The Jackets ended up losing 4-1 to Ottawa. Now in his seventh year with Columbus, Merzlikins has lost the crease to Greaves full time this season, as he continues to struggle to find consistency. The Latvia native has an .882 save percentage along with a 3.81 goals-against-average so far on the year, with an 8-8-1 record. Unfortunately, such numbers are more of the same over his last few seasons. Merzlikins will look to be healthy again by Thursday, as the group hosts Dallas.
Snapshots: Texier, Soucy, Dube
The Montreal Canadiens shared earlier today that Alexandre Texier is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. As expected, the forward was not in the lineup tonight against Minnesota, as Kirby Dach, activated earlier today from LTIR, is back in the fold.
It is not immediately clear where the injury came from, as Texier finished last Saturday’s win over Ottawa without apparent issue. Since coming over to Montreal in November, Texier has found new life, with 16 points in 27 games as he’s enjoying a top six role. Although still a small sample size, such production is the best in his career, as his best campaign to this point was a 30-point effort as a Blue Jacket in 2023-24. The 26-year-old could be back as soon as Thursday, as the Habs host Buffalo.
Elsewhere across the league:
- The New York Rangers will welcome back Carson Soucy tonight in Los Angeles, as Head Coach Mike Sullivan told reporters, including Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Soucy missed the team’s last two games, a win and loss split, due to personal reasons (maternity). The 31-year-old has skated in 44 games so far this season, averaging 17:18 per night in a second-pairing role. With the team on the brink of another shake-up, Soucy, a pending unrestricted free agent, has been speculated as a trade candidate at some point. In the meantime, Urho Vaakanainen is expected to drop out of the lineup for Soucy.
- Former Washington Capitals forward Pierrick Dube is headed back to North America, as first reported by Patrick Williams of TheAHL.com. Dube has signed with the Bridgeport Islanders to a standard player contract, as announced by the team. The 25-year-old left the AHL for the KHL this season, spending time with Chelyabinsk Traktor and St. Petersburg SKA, posting 16 points across 28 total games. While abroad on the two teams, Dube played alongside fellow former NHLers including Josh Leivo and Rocco Grimaldi. A Calder Cup Champion with three NHL games under his belt, Dube will join the 24th-ranked Islanders, in need of forward help. The France native is an accomplished AHL player, with a career-best 48 points in 66 games with the Hershey Bears in 2023-24.
Nashville Predators Activate Ozzy Wiesblatt From Injured Reserve
Ahead of tonight’s game against Buffalo, the Nashville Predators announced that Ozzy Wiesblatt has been activated off injured reserve. The forward had missed the team’s last 21 games due to an upper-body injury. As they reassigned Reid Schaefer to AHL Milwaukee earlier today, no corresponding transaction is required.
A first round selection of San Jose in 2020 (31st overall), Wiesblatt returns to the lineup with the Predators unexpectedly back into the playoff hunt, having found their game in the last month. With it becoming apparent that his offensive upside was not panning out with the San Jose Barracuda, Wiesblatt was loaned to the Predators’ affiliate in Milwaukee, where he caught their attention, and was subsequently traded to Nashville in exchange for Egor Afanaseyev in June 2024.
After his best season as a pro in 2024-25, where he recorded 40 points in 64 AHL contests, Wiesblatt broke through with the Predators. Since then, he’s brought energy to the team’s fourth line, a nice fit alongside tall grinders Cole Smith and Michael McCarron. Wiesblatt was actually injured by his own center in McCarron, as they collided against Florida on December 4, costing him action for the last month and a half.
Before going down, Wiesblatt notched four points in 24 games, output actually surpassed by Schaefer in his absence, but the smaller winger offers more speed and skill, while Schaefer goes back down for now.
Signed through next season, the 23-year-old could be a mainstay on the Preds’ bottom six for years to come. Despite their success without him, the Alberta native is back into the lineup tonight as the Predators continue to push for Wild Card territory.
Central Notes: Rantanen, Nichushkin, Predators
The Dallas Stars are the latest team struck by the flu, as Mikko Rantanen will not play tonight as a result of the illness, as first reported by Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas News. In a skid of late where they’ve dropped six of their last 10, including three in a row, the Stars will host the surging Bruins without their leading scorer, who has 63 points in 48 games.
Rantanen will look ahead to later in the week, as his Stars are in action Thursday and Friday, but do not play in the upcoming weekend. For now, Nathan Bastian will slot into the lineup, the 28-year-old posting three goals in 22 games this season in limited fourth line duty.
Elsewhere across the division:
- Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin also missed action for abnormal reasons; he was involved in a car accident while heading to the rink before last night’s contest, Head Coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Corey Masisak of The Denver Post. Unfortunately, Nichushkin came away with minor injuries, and is considered questionable for tomorrow against Anaheim. The Russian has continued to be a valuable secondary scorer for the Avs with 27 points in 38 games, and could return as soon as tomorrow against Anaheim. Even without him, Colorado handled business last night, defeating Washington 5-2.
- Nashville Predators GM Barry Trotz told reporters, including Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Pucks, that he has yet to speak to pending unrestricted free agents Michael Bunting, Michael McCarron, and Cole Smith. All aged 30 as the Predators build for the future, Bunting especially could bring intrigue to contenders, although he has a $4.5MM cap hit. The agitating winger has continued his steady offensive output this season, on pace for 20 goals. Bunting has also stayed out of the penalty box, an improvement from previous seasons. On the other hand, McCarron and Smith are both pillars on Nashville’s fourth line, and could be candidates for reasonable extensions rather than Trotz taking limited trade returns for his towering role players.
Bruins Place Vladislav Kolyachonok On Waivers
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet shared earlier today that the Boston Bruins have waived Vladislav Kolyachonok. The defenseman finds himself back on the wire after being claimed by the Bruins from Dallas in mid-December.
A second-round selection of the Panthers in 2019, Kolyachonok was picked up due to an abundance of injuries to Boston defenders last month, not seeming to be in the long-term plans. The 24-year-old managed to get into two games in late December, deployed on the third pairing alongside Mason Lohrei. Kolyachonok, facing the challenge of playing in his off side on a new team, averaged just over 12 minutes between the two, and was a -1. Boston dropped both contests, and were outscored 10-3.
Since then, the team has reeled off a six game winning streak, and with Hampus Lindholm activated three days ago, Kolyachonok finds himself the odd man out again. The young Belarus native is no stranger to transactions, a part of trades involving notable names in Anton Strålman and Mathew Dumba in prior years, along with another waiver claim last February, taking him from Utah to Pittsburgh.
Kolyachonok offers a stay-at-home game, to this point hampered by a lack of offense to stick in the highest level consistently. In his 87 career NHL appearances across four organizations, he has 17 points. Kolyachonok had solid production in 11 games for Dallas to start the season, but was passed over in favor of veteran Kyle Capobianco, the team hoping he’d clear before Boston took a flyer.
If unclaimed, the 6’2″ lefty would be a welcome addition to the Providence Bruins, who are currently ranked third in the AHL. However, with limited opportunities in Boston moving forward, he could favor an opportunity elsewhere.
Lost by Dallas after they’d sought him out in the Dumba deal, Kolyachonok could find himself back where he’d started the campaign. If the Stars would be the only team to submit a claim, they could assign him to the AHL immediately, the 26th-ranked Texas Stars in need of help on the blueline. Besides other teams who could show interest ahead of them, the Stars have an intriguing chance to take him back, which would end a short stop in Boston.
Kolyachonok is a pending restricted free agent this season, and still offering untapped potential as a bottom pairing option, he figures to garner attention from other teams in the next 24 hours.
Flames Prospect Cullen Potter Sustains Season-Ending Injury
The Calgary Flames have been dealt bad news for a 2025 first-round pick. Arizona State University centerman Cullen Potter, the 32nd-overall pick in last year’s draft, sustained a season-ending upper-body injury in a January 10th match against Miami University. The injury occured on a hard hit from 2026 draft prospect Kocha Delic. Potter will undergo surgery and face a three-to-four month recovery process, head coach Greg Powers told reporters including Gabriella Chernoff of the Sun Devil Source.
Potter was a feature piece of a strong Sun Devils offense this season. He leads the team with 12 goals and has 26 points in 24 games. His season has been an encore to the breakout freshman season Potter had at ASU last season. He bought out of his contract with the U.S. National Team Development Program before his U18 season, opting instead to go to college for his draft season. The move seemed like a tall bet for the undersized, skilled-scorer but Potter stood up to the test. He scored 13 goals and 22 points in 35 games, second-most of all draft eligibles in college behind James Hagens.
Potter is the son of Jenny Potter, a former star of Team USA’s women’s national team. The elder Potter won one Olympic Gold, four World Championship Golds, and nine other international medals through a 20-year career that began when she was named an Olympian at 19. She was a high-speed, high-finesse scorer with a knack for filling all roles on offense. The younger Potter plays a similar style to his mom, bringing explosive speed and high skill to the offense.
Those talents have made Potter one of Calgary’s top prospects, a status that’s sure to stick even through an early end to his sophomore season. He will return to a starring role with the Sun Devils next season, flanked by fellow NHL draft picks and incoming recruits Benjamin Kevan, Nathan Behm, Brandon Gorzynski.
Penguins’ Kris Letang Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without both of their star defensemen for the short-term. After facing an injury to Erik Karlsson, the Penguins have announced that Kris Letang is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Letang missed practice on Tuesday and will be questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Calgary Flames.
It is not clear when Letang’s injury occured. He played 22 minutes of ice time and recorded a plus-three in Monday’s win over the Seattle Kraken. The Penguins still have three games on their road trip through the Pacific Northwest before returning home to host the Chicago Blackhawks on January 29th.
Letang has filled a major role in the lineup since Karlsson’s injury, averaging more than 24 minutes of ice time in the last four games. He has recorded three assists in that stretch, bringing his season scoring up to 25 points in 48 games. Even in his age-38 season, Letang has continued to answer the bell as a top offensive-defenseman for the Penguins. His role will be impossible to replace, particularly so for a Penguins blue-line that hasn’t been known for depth in recent years.
Ryan Shea seems set to benefit most from the extra minutes. He recorded 20:14 in ice time on Monday, marking his 15th game this season with more than 20 minutes of ice time. In Letang’s absence, Shea – a left-handed defender who has played on the right-hand side – could assume top-pair duties next to Brett Kulak.
That shift will bring right-defenseman Jack St. Ivany down from the press box. St. Ivany has scored three assist in 14 games this season. His plus-three ranks third on the blue-line, behind Shea (plus-14) and Letang (plus-five). Pittsburgh also has left-defenseman Ilya Solovyov on the active roster.