With a new NHL season less than a month away, a new draft season begins, and the 2026 draft class is an exciting one. Gavin McKenna has been on the radar of NHL teams and hockey fans for a few years now, torching the WHL and asserting himself as one of the top players for Canada at various events such as the World Junior Championship and the World Under-18s.

With McKenna suiting up for Penn State in the NCAA this upcoming season, it will be interesting to see how the generational scorer adapts to quite a large step up in competition. The NCAA is bigger, faster and stronger while also playing a more structured game at both ends of the ice.

Those are all things that will benefit McKenna in the long run because if there is a knock on his game, it’s that he can be a bit lackadaisical defensively and his physicality is a work in progress. No one is looking for him to blow guys up in open ice but he will need to develop stronger board play and the ability to win puck battles.

McKenna’s game is built on being the most skilled player on the ice at all times. His puck handling is direct and lightning-quick. McKenna is a quick, agile, and evasive skater, but he’s not a blazer with elite-level top-end speed. His best work is done when the puck is on his stick and he’s in space, creating with lateral movement and quick decisions. Putting it simply, McKenna is an offensive dynamo.

Discussions around who will go first overall at the 2026 NHL draft have started and mostly ended with McKenna. Now that the 2026 NHL draft season has arrived, that is still very much the prevailing thought. McKenna isn’t Connor McDavid, though, and challengers to the throne of first-overall rise up every season. Let’s take a look at a few of the players who could challenge McKenna for first overall, sorted into categories from contenders to long shots.

Biggest Threat

Ivar Stenberg, LW/RW, Frolunda (Swe)

The most legitimate challenger to McKenna for the first overall pick is Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg. If either were a true center, this may not be as close a competition, but with the top two prospects for the draft both being high-octane wingers, it’s a fun debate.

Stenberg is an attacker who plays at a breakneck pace. His puck skill is elite, and he understands how to attack defenders in a variety of positions, whether he is attacking downhill, to the outside of cutting across laterally. He is a lethal shooter who has excellent vision as a passer as well. What truly makes him special is his hockey sense. Stenberg’s ability to process the game is at a higher level than just about anyone in the draft class.

Sneaky Sleepers

Tynan Lawrence, C, Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)

One of the more intense players in the class, Lawrence is a bit more of a raw prospect than some of the others, but the process is just so strong that if he can figure out how to refine the little things, he could be a stud. He’s a center, so that is going to be a big factor as well. With few other true top-end centers, Lawrence could bring the skill and intensity that teams love at the top of the draft.

Mathis Preston, RW/LW, Spokane (WHL)

The craftiness that Preston plays with is matched by his deceptiveness and intensity. When he is at the top of his game, he always manages to be the most impressive player on the ice. Preston is always making excellent decisions with the puck, setting teammates up for grade A chances around the net. He loves to get to the slot himself and create chances for himself as well. The upside is certainly there, but Preston is a 5-foot-10 winger, and that might hold him outside of the first-overall pick conversation.

Big Bodied Defenders

Keaton Verhoeff, D, University Of North Dakota (NCAA)

A big, mobile defender who has grown into quite the two-way force, Verhoeff will be taking on the task of playing NCAA hockey in his draft year just like McKenna. He has the ability to fill just about any role asked on the blueline. He can play a defensive role if needed, move the puck up ice in transition, or create offense as a passer. It’s going to be interesting to see how his transition to college hockey is going to go.

Malte Gustafsson, D, HV71 (Swe.)

Coming into the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, there were murmurs of Gustafsson being a player to keep an eye on, and his performance at the summer U-18 tournament lived up to expectations. His mobility was impressive, and his willingness to get involved when his team had possession of the puck was encouraging for a player who had traditionally been a more defensive-leaning blueliner. If Gustafsson can continue adding layers offensively, he could quietly assert himself as the class’ top defenseman.

Long Shots

Ryan Roobroeck, C, Niagara (OHL)

He’s one of the oldest players in the draft class, so his scoring explosion in the OHL last year isn’t exactly shocking, but it’s notable to say the least. Roobroeck is a very solid scorer who has a great shot, but sometimes he leaves a bit to be desired outside of being an offensive threat. He’s a solid off-puck attacker and doesn’t shy away from using his shooting talent, but he has some work to do in rounding out his game. Being a center is going to help his stock as always.

Ethan Belchetz, LW/RW, Windsor (OHL)

The hype around Belchetz has always been interesting. He’s obviously big, skilled, and he has flashed some truly high-end moments, but his mobility and engagement are issues at times. He’s capable of going off and having a big game, but he can also disappear at times. His development over the summer is going to be the biggest factor in whether he can challenge for a top-end pick. He’s capable of it, but there are steps that need to happen.

Viggo Bjorck, C/W, Djurgardens (Swe.)

One of the most dynamic and skilled players in the draft, Bjorck has been highly productive whenever he has taken the ice. The issue is that he’s a bit of a smaller player, and he likely winds up on the wing at the next level, which hampers his value in the eyes of NHL teams. He has some of the most entertaining highlight reels, but he needs to add substance and show that he can do the little things that coaches love.

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