Evening Notes: Blueger, Fowler, McKenna
The Vancouver Canucks are expected to have a high asking price for potential rental center Teddy Blueger, as written by Thomas Drance in an article with The Athletic from last week.
The 31-year-old had to miss a large portion of the season with an undisclosed injury, but since being activated on January 21, he’s been on a hot streak with five points in his last five games. Never notching more than 28 points in a campaign, Blueger is more of a penalty killing role player, but especially in such a thin center market, with a $1.8MM cap hit, he will come at a premium.
Nearly three years ago, Blueger was traded from Pittsburgh to Vegas for a third round pick, then catching on with Vancouver as a free agent. It’s hard to imagine the Canucks will part with him for less than that, considering demand and his strong play of late.
Contenders will have a chance to watch Blueger play a large role against elite competition on the global stage. He is helping lead Team Latvia in the Olympic Games, before coming back to the bottom ranked Canucks heading into the Trade Deadline season.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Montreal Canadiens top goalie prospect Jacob Fowler will miss AHL All Star festivities due to an upper-body injury, the Laval Rocket shared. The 21-year-old has proven to be a steal, chosen in the third round of the 2023 draft out of Boston College and now one of the league’s premier goaltender prospects. Fowler has a .914 save percentage, good for fourth in the AHL, on the sixth-ranked Rocket. Still early in his professional career, the Florida native already appeared in 10 games with the big club this season and performed well. The Rocket noted that he will still “remain on the bench” so it is likely precautionary and no cause for real concern.
- Top 2026 draft prospect Gavin McKenna is expected to return this weekend, according to Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald. NHL scouts were apparently notified that the Penn State star will be in action at Michigan in a huge matchup between the two top five ranked Big 10 teams. McKenna has had an eventful February, starting with an arrest and felony aggravated assault charges, which were eventually withdrawn. He still faces a misdemeanor charge, but an initial court date tomorrow has been postponed, meaning the 18-year-old can focus fully on the Wolverines.
2026 NHL Draft Star Gavin McKenna Facing Misdemeanor Charges
Feb. 6: The felony charge against McKenna has been withdrawn by Pennsylvania prosecutors, according to Ryan Graffius and Gary Sinderson of WJAC. He is still facing a misdemeanor charge of simple assault and summary offenses for harassment and disorderly conduct.
Feb. 5: McKenna’s court date will be Wednesday, February 11, per a media release from the State College, Pennsylvania, police department.
Feb. 4: Projected 2026 first-overall pick and Penn State University winger Gavin McKenna was arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault on Saturday night, per court documents obtained by The Athletic. McKenna reportedly got into an altercation with another individual during a private team event on Saturday night, says Mike McMahon of College Hockey News. McMahon further reported in his newsletter that McKenna broke the other individual’s jaw with a punch. No information has been released on McKenna’s court arraignment – and no statement has been released by the school.
McKenna is a Nittany Lions star who currently leads the school’s men’s hockey team in scoring with 32 points in 24 games. He is in his freshman season and on a record-setting NIL deal after winning the WHL Championship with the Medicine Hat Tigers last season. McKenna scored 41 goals and 129 points in 56 games in his final WHL season. He became the third U18 player to score 120 points in the WHL since 2000, joining Connor Bedard (143 points, 2023) and Nic Petan (120 points, 2013). Those marks made McKenna the first blue-chip recruit to pursue the NCAA after the league began allowing CHL talent.
Now, it appears the remainder of McKenna’s draft season could be drawn into question. The dynamic winger is a star scorer when he’s on the ice, with flashy stickhandling and sharp vision. He has improved his ability to play a physical, 200-foot game as part of the Big Ten, though that growth could soon be overshadowed by pressing legal challenges. Pro Hockey Rumors will update this story with further information as it becomes available.
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
2026 NHL Draft Eligible Players At World Juniors
The World Junior Championships kicked off early on Friday. The tournament brings together the top U20 players from 10 countries around the world. Rosters typically contain a mix of NHL players, NHL prospects, undrafted players looking for a second chance, and future draftees hoping for a good first impression. Pro Hockey Rumors has compiled a list of all 75 players eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft competing in this year’s World Junior Championship tournament:
Team Canada
D Carson Carels
D Ethan MacKenzie
F Gavin McKenna
D Keaton Verhoeff
Team Czechia
D Vladimír Dravecký
F Adam Novotny
D Jakub Vanecek
Team Denmark
F Lasse Bærentsen
D Jesper Bank Olesen (re-entry candidate)
D Jeppe Bertram (re-entry candidate)
F Elias Borup Olsen (re-entry candidate)
F William Bundgaard (re-entry candidate)
F Lucas Cilan Hjorth Jensen
D Viggo Damgaard (re-entry candidate)
F Oliver Dejbjerg Larsen (re-entry candidate)
F Oliver Green
F Albert Grossmann (re-entry candidate)
D Emil Saaby Jakobsen
D Markus Jakobsen (re-entry candidate)
D Frederik Rundh (re-entry candidate)
F Martinus Uggerhøj Schioldan
Team Finland
F Onni Kalto (re-entry candidate)
F Jasper Kuhta (re-entry candidate)
D Juho Piiparinen
F Oliver Suvanto
D Arttu Välilä (re-entry candidate)
F Matias Vanhanen (re-entry candidate)
Team Germany
D Max Bleicher (re-entry candidate)
F Lenny Boos (re-entry candidate)
F Gustavs Griva (re-entry candidate)
D Fabio Kose (re-entry candidate)
F Timo Kose (re-entry candidate)
F Elias Schneider (re-entry candidate)
D Finn Serikow (re-entry candidate)
F Mateu Späth (re-entry candidate)
F Dustin Willhöft (re-entry candidate)
Team Latvia
F Rudolfs Berzkalns
F Dmitrijs Dilevka (re-entry candidate)
F Karlis Flugins
F Roberts Janis Polis
F Martins Klaucans
F Olivers Murnieks
D Rolands Naglis (re-entry candidate)
F Bruno Osmanis (re-entry candidate)
D Krisjanis Sarts (re-entry candidate)
F Daniels Serkins (re-entry candidate)
D Alberts Smits
F Kristians Utnans (re-entry candidate)
Team Sweden
F Viggo Björck
D William Håkansson
F Casper Juustovaara Karlsson
F Ivar Stenberg
Team Slovakia
D Michal Capos (re-entry candidate)
F Tomas Chrenko
F Jakub Dubravik (re-entry candidate)
D Adam Goljer
D Adam Kalman (re-entry candidate)
D Matus Lisy (re-entry candidate)
F Alex Misiak (re-entry candidate)
F Samuel Murin (re-entry candidate)
F Adam Nemec
F Tomas Pobezal (re-entry candidate)
D Luka Radivojevic (re-entry candidate)
F Andreas Straka (re-entry candidate)
F Tobias Tomik
F Lukas Tomka (re-entry candidate)
Team Switzerland
F Mike Aeschlimann (re-entry candidate)
F Lenny Giger (re-entry candidate)
F Cyrill Henry (re-entry candidate)
F Kimi Körbler (re-entry candidate)
D Nik Lehmann
F Paul Mottard (re-entry candidate)
F Lars Steiner
D Guus Van der Kaaij (re-entry candidate)
Team United States
D Chase Reid
D Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen (re-entry candidate)
Morning Notes: McKenna, Karlsson, Laughton
17-year-old Gavin McKenna is one of the top prospects in hockey and the presumptive No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft. Currently playing NCAA hockey for the Penn State Nittany Lions, he’s gotten off to a productive start, scoring 14 points in 12 games. But even with that production, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler has indicated that McKenna’s performances in college hockey thus far have some left NHL teams wanting more.
Wheeler reported yesterday that after McKenna’s Penn State dropped back-to-back games against Michigan State in East Lansing, “the gathering collection of scouts and hockey folks weren’t kind to” McKenna in their thoughts postgame. Wheeler reported that “multiple NHL scouts” commented to The Athletic on McKenna’s “work rate off the puck, a number of backchecks he appeared to give up on,” and perhaps most distressingly for McKenna’s draft stock, “an ongoing desire for more effort.” Wheeler stopped short of saying that McKenna’s status as 2026’s top prospect was truly under threat; he is still a point-per-game NCAA freshman, after all, and his incredible skill level is still evident. But Wheeler did note that “this college hockey season has revealed” that McKenna is right now “a flawed player” whose flaws were better masked when he was playing in, and dominating, the WHL.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Injury issues have once again surfaced for Vegas Golden Knights veteran William Karlsson, who left last night’s loss to the Anaheim Ducks with an injury. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger relayed word from Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy last night, who guessed that Karlsson would be out on a day-to-day basis, but did also note that they don’t know for sure the extent of his injury. Since Vegas is not on the ice today, the earliest an update on Karlsson’s status is likely to be released is Monday. Karlsson played in just 53 games last season due to injury and has seven points through 14 games in 2025-26.
- Toronto Maple Leafs veteran forward Scott Laughton left last night’s loss against the Boston Bruins with an upper-body injury after finding himself on the wrong end of a Nikita Zadorov body check. Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube told the media after the game, including The Hockey News’ David Alter, that the severity of Laughton’s injury is currently still being evaluated, but he did note that the player will miss the Maple Leafs’ game Sunday. Per TSN’s Mark Masters, Berube expressed frustration regarding the hit that injured Laughton, saying postgame “I thought it was a head shot.” Injuries have limited Laughton to just two games played this season, his first coming on Nov. 5.
Morning Notes: Stockselius, Camper, McKenna
Calgary Flames 2025 second-round pick Theo Stockselius had his WHL rights traded on Friday, with the Calgary Hitmen trading several draft picks to the Seattle Thunderbirds, including conditional rights to the team’s 2027 first-rounder. Regarding the trade, Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson reported that Stockselius won’t be heading to the Hitmen for now – he’ll remain with the SHL’s Djurgårdens – but that this trade paves the way for Stockselius to have the option of starting his career in North America close to his eventual pro landing spot.
The move is an intriguing one for the Flames, as the team’s parent company (Calgary Sports and Entertainment) are the owners of the Hitmen and have the Hitmen play out their home schedule in the Scotiabank Saddledome. Should Stockselius eventually land with the Flames, it would allow Calgary brass to keep a very close eye on his development and likely give them the ability to exert more control over his developmental process. Stockselius began this season with Djurgårdens’ J20 Nationell side, scoring seven points in five games. That performance earned him his first-ever SHL call-up, and he skated in just over seven minutes of the team’s 5-2 Saturday win over Malmö. Scouts generally project Stockselius, a rangy 6’3 center, as a potential middle-six NHL pivot.
Some other notes from around the hockey world:
- Former college hockey star and longtime pro player Carter Camper announced his retirement on social media Friday, bringing to a close a 14-year career in professional hockey. While the 37-year-old only managed three NHL games, he did have a long, highly successful career in the AHL and later, the SHL. The former Hobey Baker Award finalist for Miami (OH) scored 421 points across 551 AHL games and 121 points in 137 SHL games, and also won the Liiga championship in his lone season in Finland’s top pro circuit with Tappara Tampere. Now with his career in hockey finished, Camper announced that he’s transitioning to a career as a financial advisor at global financial services company Morgan Stanley.
- Top prospect Gavin McKenna made his NCAA debut for Penn State this weekend, and his performance only served to underscore his overwhelming likelihood to be the 2026 number-one overall pick, writes FloHockey’s Chris Peters. While McKenna was perhaps not the standout player from Penn State’s weekend series at Arizona State University (that honor would have to go to Carolina Hurricanes 2025 second-rounder Charlie Cerrato who managed six points in the two games played) he still found his way to make his mark. McKenna had two assists in his debut game and scored a game-winning goal in the second game of the series, an extremely impressive start for one of the youngest players in college hockey. Widely ranked as the 2026 draft class’ top player for several years now, this weekend’s series suggests that isn’t likely to change anytime soon, and that McKenna could potentially follow in 2024 top pick Macklin Celebrini‘s footsteps in winning the Hobey Baker Award as a draft-eligible true freshman player.
Gavin McKenna To Commit To Penn State
According to multiple reports, Gavin McKenna — the projected first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft — is expected to commit to Penn State University for the 2025-26 season. Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects first broke the news, which was later confirmed by Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek.
Consider one of the best prospects in recent memory, McKenna is undoubtedly the biggest get in Penn State program history and arguably the biggest prospect to commit to play in the NCAA. While it was previously believed that McKenna would commit to playing collegiately, it was unknown which program he would select. On his 32 Thoughts podcast, host Elliotte Friedman previously noted that McKenna completed interviews with Penn State, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Denver. In the end, it appears the upstart Penn State program won the sweepstakes for hockey’s most coveted prospect.
Although Penn State didn’t rejoin the NCAA until 2012, the program has made a meteoric rise in success, popularity, and its ability to attract top-end prospects. The Nittany Lions went 22-14-4 last season, but went on a tear to reach the school’s first-ever Frozen Four. Recent commits to the program include newly drafted prospects Jackson Smith and Luke Misa. Luke’s brother, Michael Misa, the 2025 second overall pick, could also join the program if he doesn’t make the San Jose Sharks out of training camp.
McKenna’s status as a surefire first overall pick is backed by his WHL stats from last season. In 56 games last season for the Medicine Hat Tigers, McKenna produced 41 goals and 129 points, and a plus-60 rating. He added another nine goals and 38 points in 16 postseason contests en route to a league championship. His 2.304 points per game were the third-highest total for a 17-year-old in league history, trailing only Conor Bedard (2022-23) and Rob Brown (1985-86). McKenna scored 244 points in 133 WHL games.
To put McKenna’s season into perspective, Connor McDavid scored 28 goals and 99 points in 56 games for the OHL’s Erie Otters in his age-17 season, with another four goals and 19 points in 14 postseason games.
Snapshots: McKenna, Peterka, Dobson, Pacioretty
Although the 2025 NHL Draft is only a few days away, the projected first overall pick of the 2026 NHL Draft is already making waves. The expectation is that Gavin McKenna, currently rostered with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, will play in the NCAA for the 2025-26 season.
In this week’s rendition of 32 Thoughts, podcast host Elliotte Friedman shared that McKenna has completed interviews with Penn State University, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Denver. Friedman lists the former two as the perceived favorites, but all four programs are expected to compete for a National Championship next season.
Any program that lands McKenna will have successfully recruited a generational talent. McKenna scored 41 goals and 129 points in 56 games for the Tigers this season, with another nine goals and 38 points in 16 postseason contests en route to a Memorial Cup Final finish. To put McKenna’s season into perspective, Connor McDavid scored 28 goals and 99 points in 56 games for the OHL’s Erie Otters in his age-17 season, with another four goals and 19 points in 14 postseason games.
Other snapshots:
- According to Frank Seravalli in the DFO Rundown podcast, the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders have had loose trade negotiations regarding forward JJ Peterka and defenseman Noah Dobson. A one-for-one swap would fill an area of need for both organizations, with the Sabres prioritizing a right-handed defenseman and the Islanders looking to jumpstart a lethargic offense. Still, both teams are continuing to gauge the market for each player, and a trade isn’t considered imminent.
- Nick Alberga of The Leafs Nation reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs remain interested in re-signing winger Max Pacioretty for next season. Despite a solid postseason performance, Pacioretty should warrant a relatively cheaper contract, given he missed more than half of the season due to injury. Still, Alberga notes that Pacioretty is prioritizing remaining close to his family in Michigan, meaning his desired employer will come down to the Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings.
Who Is The Best Player Currently Playing Outside The NHL?
With Ivan Demidov recently joining the Montreal Canadiens, Alexander Nikishin joining the Hurricanes for practice, and Zeev Buium debuting with the Minnesota Wild, the list of top prospects playing outside the NHL has shrunk. This raises the question: Who is the top player in the world not playing in the NHL?
Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Josh Leivo tore up the KHL this season, setting a single-season goal record with 49. The 31-year-old also led the KHL scoring with 80 points in 62 games on his way to a career season, and at one point had four hat tricks in a month.
Leivo is no stranger to the NHL, having played 265 career games over 10 seasons, tallying 42 goals and 51 assists. The Innisfil, Ontario, native last played in the NHL during the 2022-23 season, scoring four goals and adding 12 assists in 51 games with the St. Louis Blues. Since then, Leivo has posted elite numbers in the KHL, but it would be challenging to anoint him as the top player outside the NHL, especially since this was the first season in which he’s played at that level.
Vladimir Tkachev is another KHL star who could make a case for being the best player in the world currently outside of the NHL. The 29-year-old had a cup of coffee in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings during the 2021-22 season, chipping in two helpers in four games. At the AHL level, Tkachev had seven goals and 22 assists in 41 games with the Ontario Reign that season, before returning to Russia.
Since linking up with Avangard Omsk of the KHL, Tkachev has been an elite scorer, posting a better-than-a-point-per-game average, including last year, when he registered 20 goals and 55 assists in 58 games. This past year, Tkachev missed seven months after suffering a ruptured Achilles and played in just four games. At 29, Tkachev is what he is in his bid to be the best player outside of the NHL. Still, given that his sample size from last season is so small, and he only has one elite professional season under his belt, it is hard to anoint him as the holder of that title now.
Regarding goaltenders outside the NHL, Sharks prospect Yaroslav Askarov is as good as it gets. The 11th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft has had a terrific AHL career thus far and was dominant this season, posting a .923 save percentage with four shutouts in 22 games. Askarov was a highly touted prospect before being drafted, drawing comparisons to Carey Price. He has good size, tracks the puck well, and has terrific athleticism. He is also very calm in the crease, which explains the comparisons to Price.
Askarov has all the makings of a franchise goalie, but at 22, he has yet to break through to the NHL full-time. He did play well in 13 NHL games this season, registering 1.7 goals saved above expected (as per MoneyPuck), and should leap full-time next year. Which begs the question: Is he the best player outside the NHL? The answer is probably no, but he should be included in the conversation. It won’t be long until he plays NHL hockey full-time, and if he establishes his game at the same time as the Sharks’ other top prospects, he could do some pretty remarkable things in San Jose.
The next name that comes to mind is another former NHLer, Nikita Gusev. The 32-year-old Gusev had a solid rookie season with New Jersey back in 2019-2020, posting 13 goals and 31 assists in 66 games. However, he followed it up with a subpar 2020-21 season, which led him to leave the NHL for the KHL. Since departing for Russia, Gusev has been a point-per-game player, even setting a new KHL single-season scoring record with 89 points in 68 games during the 2023-24 season. Given his consistency in recent seasons, a strong case could be made that Gusev is the top player in the world currently playing outside of the NHL until we discuss the last name on the list.
For many people, the first name that comes to mind is 17-year-old Gavin McKenna, and for good reason. McKenna is the projected first overall pick in 2026 and just finished a phenomenal season with the Medicine Hat Tigers, producing 41 goals and 88 assists in 56 games. McKenna has another season in junior hockey before he is drafted, and he will no doubt draw comparisons not just to recent first-overall selections Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, but also to a decade-defining talent like Connor McDavid, as well.
While he undoubtedly has the highest upside of any player currently playing outside of the NHL, it’s hard to say he is the definitive number one, but it is also hard to dispute it. He isn’t playing against men yet, and all the other players are competing in professional hockey in the world’s second- or third-best leagues. The comparison isn’t exactly apples to apples, but there can’t be one.
The debate likely comes down to Gusev and McKenna for being the best in the world outside the NHL. While the title is unofficial, it was previously held by Gusev before he made the move to the NHL. However, given McKenna’s historic season, he has completed arguably one of the best seasons ever in the CHL for a 17-year-old, and he makes the best case for the best player in the world outside of the NHL.
Big Hype Prospects: Fowler, McKenna, Lardis, Frondell
Mid-March is rolling around and hockey seasons are entering their waning point. Many college seasons are already concluded, while plenty of players in junior hockey are beginning to prepare for long playoff runs or springtime international hockey. It’s the final wave of action before the season comes to an end, so let’s take the chance to once again borrow from MLB Trade Rumors’ Big Hype Prospect series to bring you four of the hottest U21 players in hockey.
Four Big Hype Prospects
Jacob Fowler, G, Boston College (NCAA Hockey East, ’23 Montreal Canadiens)
32 GP – 24-5-2 – 0.941 Sv% – 1.62 GAA
Another season is coming to its end, which means it’s time for Jacob Fowler to receive his annual flowers. He’s won MVP awards and (or) championship rings in every single season of his junior hockey journey, and this year proved no exception. Fowler posted an incredibly .941 save percentage this season, the second highest in all of college behind 24-year-old junior Alex Tracy (.944). That masterclass performance was recognized on Thursday when Fowler unanimously won the Hockey East goalie of the year award. He beat out fantastic competition, namely Maine’s brick wall Albin Boija. The 20-year-old Fowler took a major stride forward from his 32-6-1 record and .926 Sv% last season – which was itself a continuation of the pair of above-.920 seasons he posted in the USHL. Fowler now holds the record for U17 save percentage in the USHL, won the USHL playoff MVP in a 2023 championship run, and now just matched Connor Hellebuyck‘s save percentage in his age-20 season. Fowler is cool, calm, collected – and above all else – amazingly consistent. He’s proven to be a star at Boston College, and likely won’t be long from trying to do the same in the NHL.
Gavin McKenna, C, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL, 2026 NHL Draft)
53 GP – 34 G – 80 A – 114 TP – 17 PIM – +51
This is now Gavin McKenna‘s third mention in our big hype prospects series – but there is simply no other player worth such acclaim. McKenna has continued to show his superstardom, dazzling even without standout centerman and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Cayden Lindstrom and Calgary Flames prospect Andrew Basha. He extended his active scoring streak to 37 games on Friday, tying thee Sidney Crosby for the second-longest point streak among CHL players since 2000-01. He’s only behind Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan, who stretched his streak to 65 games. McKenna has taken to a more prominent center role this season, to great effect. It’s pushed him to be more physical, or find even niftier ways to beat defenders. He’s slick on the puck and makes incredibly intelligent plays – capable of beating defenders with some of the simplest, but most effective, punch stops and quick cuts. There’s been no doubt that McKenna was going to be the first-overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft – but his performance this season, and namely this calendar year, have cemented that fact in a way that hasn’t been rivaled since Rasmus Dahlin, Auston Matthews, and Connor McDavid. McKenna is thee clear-cut star of his age group – and still has a year of junior (or collegiate) hockey to find yet another gear to his game.
Nick Lardis, LW/C, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL, ’23 Chicago Blackhawks)
63 GP – 71 G – 44 A – 115 TP – 16 PIM – +20
Continuing the conversation of record-setting seasons is Blackhawks wing prospect Nick Lardis, who sits just one goal back from all-time heights. His 71 goals this season are the second-highest in the OHL since 2000 – and just one back from what former exceptional status superstar John Tavares managed in the 2006-07 season. Lardis has taken an incredible stride forward after potting 29 goals and 50 points in 37 games last year; and 25 goals and 46 points in 33 games of 2022-23. He’s developed a knack for the scoring imbalance, finding more goals than assists on the back of great positioning around the net, hard-nosed puck battles, and a killer wrist shot. Lardis simply can’t be left alone in the lower two-thirds of the offensive zone – which has proven a major challenge considering defenders also have to monitor teammate and fellow Blackhawks prospect Marek Vanacker. The mix of Vanacker’s nifty hands and ability to control space, and Lardis’ hot-shot scoring, has been simply too much to bear for OHL defenses. With both players in their pipeline, Chicago has a real chance to ensure that their chemistry remains overwhelming for NHL opponents as well.
Anton Frondell, RW/C, Djurgardens IF (HockeyAllsvenskan, 2025 NHL Draft)
29 GP – 11 G – 14 A – 25 TP – 16 PIM – +11
Health has been the obstacle for star 2025 NHL Draft prospect Anton Frondell. He’s missed big chunks of games in October, November, December, and February of this season – intercut with spot starts. But when he’s healthy, there may be no international talent that rivals Frondell in this draft class. He has a simply jaw-dropping 14 points in his last eight games in the HA – Sweden’s second-tier pros. That scoring includes a four-point night and a three-point night in what is a very competitive, and often low-scoring, pro league. Finally, with his feet and his health under him, Frondell’s offense is exploding. He may be dancing a little too late for the crowd, but his ability to control the puck and work through space on the boards is incredible. Frondell has a powerful frame and drives hard to the slot – or steps back for hard wrist shots when defenders block his lanes. He’s a lethal threat north of the red line, with the positioning and grit to stay effective on the defensive side as well. Frondell will – or, should – be a top-10 pick in the upcoming draft. If he keeps up this recent performance, that number could rise north of top-five. The World U18 Championships will be his best chance to prove his worth to NHL brass. That tournament begins on April 23rd.