Anaheim transformed their roster through significant trades, moving young players to land the OHL’s top scorer, a tenacious playmaker renowned for elite deception and high-level offensive transition.
The Anaheim Ducks woke up on Draft Day 2026 with six draft picks, one in each of the last six rounds (2-7). They added three more before the day was over, acquiring the 45th overall pick from the Buffalo Sabres in a trade along with forward Anton Wahlberg in exchange for defenseman Olen Zellweger.
They added two more halfway through the first round when they parted with forward Mason McTavish in a trade with the St. Louis Blues in exchange for picks 15 and 29 overall.
With the 15th overall pick, the Ducks took Nikita Klepov, a forward from the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL. Klepov led the OHL in scoring in 2026-27 with 97 points (37-60=97) in 67 regular season games and added five more (1-4=5) in four playoff games.
Klepov has an elite skill set and drives plays in transition and in the offensive zone. Despite his 6-foot, 180-pound frame, he finds his way to the middle of the ice smartly and tenaciously. He’s a shifty skater, utilizing a mohawk stride to freeze defenders, displaying high-level deception.
He’s involved in every play, winning board battles or causing them when he doesn’t have possession.
Klepov will leave the CHL and join fellow Ducks prospect Eric Nilson at the University of Michigan in the NCAA in the 2026-27 season.
