The Chicago Blackhawks are going to make the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. They dropped two spots in the lottery, so they slot in behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, and Vancouver Canucks. It is expected that they are going to get a great prospect with this selection. There is a lot of dialogue around the hockey community when it comes to the top 10 in this draft. 3 forwards stick out above the rest, and four defensemen who project to lead the pack at that position. There is also a Latvian player that some team is going to take a chance on, and may be thankful they did years down the line. What will the order be when teams come up to make their selections? This mock draft goes through the 16 picks that were put through the lottery for non-playoff teams: 1. Toronto Maple Leafs - Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State The Toronto Maple Leafs, unless they go way off the board, are going to select Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. With big changes within the organization over the last 12 months, he will be a part of their fresh start. 2. San Jose Sharks - Chase Reid, D, Sault St. Marie Are the San Jose Sharks going to pass on the second-best talent in the draft for what they believe is the top defenseman in the draft? Chase Reid may be a star, and the Sharks need young defensemen in the organization much more than they need forwards. 3. Vancouver Canucks - Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford The Vancouver Canucks hired Caleb Malhotra's dad, Manny, to be their head coach this offseason. Now, they have a chance to select his son, who happens to be the best true center in the draft. 4. Chicago Blackhawks - Ivar Stenberg, LW, Frolunda With the Sharks valuing a defenseman and the Canucks going with the bloodline, Ivar Stenberg falls to the Chicago Blackhawks at 4th overall. He plans on playing in the NHL as soon as 2026-27, and the Blackhawks have room for him with one of Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, or his countryman Anton Frondell. 5. New York Rangers - Keaton Verhoeff, D, North Dakota The New York Rangers need everything to get back into contention after falling out of it. An offensive-minded defenseman with lots of skill makes sense for them as they move forward. Keaton Verhoeff would be a great addition to their future blue line. 6. Calgary Flames - Carson Carels, D, Prince George Carson Carels joining the elite farm system that exists within the Calgary Flames organization would be perfect for his development curve. There is an argument to be made that he is the best defenseman in the class, but he falls to six here. 7. Seattle Kraken - Alberts Smits, D, Jukurit Alberts Smits of Latvia seems to be the buffer between the top defensive prospects and the next tier. The Seattle Kraken taking a risk on him seems to be a great fit at this point, as they need a little bit of everything added to their roster. 8. Winnipeg Jets - Daxon Rudolph, D, Prince Albert Daxon Rudolph doesn't have the projected ceiling that the other defenseman already off the board have, but the Winnipeg Jets have been a master of developing blue-liners and turning them into stars. 9. Florida Panthers - Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University The Florida Panthers, who entered this season as the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, had one bad year due to injuries and will make the 9th overall pick. If they add Tynan Lawrence, who spent parts of this season as a projected top-three pick, they would only be improving their future, which is scary for the rest of the league. 10. Nashville Predators - Viggo Bjorck, RW, Djurgarden The hockey nation of Sweden is pumping out multiple high-end forward prospects these days, and Viggo Bjorck is one of them. He impressed at the World Junior Championships on a team that also had Anton Frondell and Ivar Stenberg. He was also great for Sweden at the Men's World Championships and solidified himself as a top-ten pick. The Nashville Predators could use a dynamic winger like him in their pipeline and possibly on their team. 11. St. Louis Blues - J.P. Hurlbert, LW, Kamloops The St. Louis Blues have two picks in the top 15. It might be wise for them to use both on forwards to improve their overall skill within the organization. Here at 11, J.P. Hurlbert of the Kamloops Blazers makes sense. He is committed to Michigan in the NCAA in 2026-27. 12. New Jersey Devils - Oscar Hemming, RW, Boston College Oscar Hemming, a Finnish forward, played 19 games for Boston College in 2025-26. The potential to play with one of Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier may help him take his game to another level if he ever makes it to the NHL. 13. New York Islanders - Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor The New York Islanders had a strong draft in 2025, including Matthew Schaefer with the number one overall pick. Now, they have a chance to add a stud forward in Ethan Belchetz, who spent the 2025-26 season with the Windsor Spitfires. Now, he will transition to play college hockey at Michigan State. 14. Columbus Blue Jackets - Adam Novotny, LW, Peterborough The Columbus Blue Jackets are close to being a playoff team, but they must continue adding to their prospect pool. Adam Novotny is a strong forward who can score goals with the best of them, as far as prospects are concerned. 15. St. Louis Blues via Detroit Red Wings - Brooks Rogowski, RW, Oshawa The St. Louis Blues have the 15th overall pick as a result of the Justin Faulk trade with the Detroit Red Wings. Brooks Rogowski, a winger, is the selection here for them. He is a winger who can make their middle six better with the potential of a top-line forward. 16. Washington Capitals - Ryan Lin, D, Vancouver The Washington Capitals no longer have John Carlson, so selecting a defenseman may be something they are interested in for their long-term future. Ryan Lin is an option for them at 16th overall. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/c8711421-b20e-4532-9a0a-d36b20547afd.jpeg] Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/] team site to stay up to date on the latest news [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-newshttps://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/latest-news], game-day [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/game-dayhttps://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/game-day] coverage, player features [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/playershttps://thehockeynews.com/nhl/chicago-blackhawks/players], and more. 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