As the 2026 offseason progresses, many players within junior hockey remain without NCAA commitments. In this six part series, I will discuss the five top uncommitted players from each of the six best North American junior leagues following the 2025-26 season. Players will be listed alphabetically by last name. Logan Anderson: Forward, Youngstown Phantoms Youngstown's 2025 Tender [https://youngstownphantoms.com/news/2025/4/28/general-phantoms-sign-logan-anderson-to-tender-agreement.aspx]played an important bottom six role in his first year of junior hockey. The multifaceted forward notched 17 points (5 goals + 12 assists) in 59 games. Phantoms Co-General Manager Jason Deskins lauded Anderson's versatility when he signed in Youngstown. "Logan can change the game in one shift with his speed, skill, shot, and physicality," Deskins said "He is an elite skater who thinks the game at a high level and plays an extremely heavy game." I had a chance to watch Anderson play both in the regular season and playoffs this past year. Anderson shows no fear on the ice as a 17 year old, mixing it up with veteran opponents He battles hard in the corners, and consistently positions himself at the front of the net. Yes he's young, but that doesn't diminish the talent he has and the potential within. The Phantoms are a much younger team this coming season, which gives Anderson a chance to further spread his wings with a year of experience to draw upon. Anthony Bongo: Defenseman, Sioux Falls Stampede Anthony Bongo first appeared on my radar during his rookie year. From the broadcast booth, it was clear he had potential and elite mobility. The mobility is apparent in all three zones, where Bongo rarely appearing out of position. On the forecheck specifically, Bongo shifts laterally from point to point while pinching in at just the right times. I personally saw a rookie Bongo quarterback powerplays in 2024 better than experienced blueliners. He only got better in 2025-26, playing almost exclusively on the top pairing. The resulting production more than doubled to 30 points (5 goals + 25 assists) in 62 games. Anthony Bongo skates out of the tunnel at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center the Sioux Falls Stampede wear their frostbite alternate jerseys. Photo via @anthonybongo_ on Instagram [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/9fb5d14e-8100-4ba1-bd75-1b7e6084c9b5.jpeg] Anthony Bongo skates out of the tunnel at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center the Sioux Falls Stampede wear their frostbite alternate jerseys. Photo via @anthonybongo_ on Instagram Bongo's presence was so impactful that he was named a third captain by Head Coach Ryan Cruthers, wearing the "C" on the Stampede's Frostbite alternate jerseys. Sioux Falls went on to win the 2026 Clark Cup, with Bongo being an integral piece on the back end. Previously committed to Michigan [https://x.com/FutureBlueIce/status/2049628140478046299], the Wolverines' loss will be another school's gain as Bongo prepares for his third USHL third campaign. Vojtech Hambalek: Goaltender, Dubuque Fighting Saints It isn't easy to head overseas in your age out season, especially as a goaltender. However, Vojtech Hambalek managed to pull it off quite well with the Fighting Saints. After lighting up the Czech U20 League for three years on BĂlĂ TygĹi Liberec U20, Hambalek departed for Dubuque. In his sole year of USHL hockey, Hambalek put up a 28-13-1 record with 2 shutouts, a .903 save percentage and a 2.75 goals allowed average. Those 28 wins tied him for third league wide. EliteProspects called Hambalek, "Large and menacing in the goal, with a wide stance that takes up a ton of visual space." They added that, "He transitions in and out of the post smoother than other large goalies, and does a great job at preventing pucks from squeaking through from sharp angles." There are a number of schools that could put Hambalek's imposing 6 foot 4, 203 pound frame to good use. A few schools that come to mind St. Lawrence, Brown and Robert Morris, all of which struggled to keep the puck out of the net. Time will tell, but I expect Hambalek to find a home. Reese Lantz: Defenseman, Omaha Lancers Even on a struggling team, certain players stick out. Reese Lantz is one of those guys. He played top paring minutes for Omaha all season following his acquisition from the Muskegon Lumberjacks where he won the 2025 Clark Cup. LANCERS ACQUIRE TWO PLAYERS FROM MUSKEGON - Omaha Lancers [https://images.sidearmdev.com/fit?url=https%3a%2f%2fdxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net%2fsidearm.nextgen.sites%2fomahalancers.sidearmsports.com%2fimages%2f2025%2f11%2f22%2fmuskegon-omaha_trade.jpg&height=450&width=800&type=jpeg] LANCERS ACQUIRE TWO PLAYERS FROM MUSKEGON - Omaha Lancers The Omaha Lancers have acquired defenseman Reese Lantz and goaltender Brian Cooke from the Muskegon Lumberjacks in exchange for defenseman Branko Vukas and a fourth round pick in the 2026 Phase II USHL Draft. [https://lancers.com/news/2025/11/22/mens-ice-hockey-lancers-acquire-two-players-from-muskegon.aspx] "Reese Lantz is a high-impact defenseman who brings size, stability, offensive upside, and a championship background that fits exactly what we're building," said Head Coach Ron Fogarty." Reese immediately strengthens our blue line and elevates our overall competitiveness. Lantz led Lancers' defensemen in all three offensive categories by a substantial margin. In 57 contests, Lantz accumulated 26 points (3 goals + 26 assists) and 86 shots on goal. With the news that fellow blueliner Drake Gram is headed to the OHL [https://chl.ca/ohl-spitfires/article/spitfires-sign-2024-8th-round-pick-drake-gram-to-an-ohl-scholarship-and-development-agreement/], I imagine that Lantz will be given even more opportunities to grow in Omaha. NCAA institutions should extrapolate what he brings to their institution. Bode Laylin: Defenseman, Tri-City Storm Laylin is another guy that I have seen grow over his junior career. This offensive defenseman blossomed with in Tr-City over the past two years. Specifically, Laylin's offense greatly improved during the 2025-26 campaign. In his sophomore season with the Storm, Laylin racked up 38 points (11 goals + 27 assists) and 45 penalty minutes in 55 outings. Laylin dominated Tri-City's stat sheet, leading the team in assists, while finishing second in points and holding a tie for third place in penalty minutes. Silvertips sign Bode Laylin to WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement â Western Hockey League [https://assets.leaguestat.com/whl/logos/201.jpg] Silvertips sign Bode Laylin to WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement â Western Hockey League [https://chl.ca/whl/article/silvertips-sign-bode-laylin-to-whl-scholarship-and-development-agreement/] Unfortunately, for Tri-City, they won't have Laylin at their disposal in the fall. The Everett Silvertips of the WHL inked Laylin to a Scholarship and Development Agreement this past May. The former St. Thomas commit joins a Silvertips squad fresh off their first Memorial Cup Appearance. He won't have to look long for NCAA options.
