Multiple prospect experts have filed their first editions of the 2026 NHL mock draft. Here are a pair of youngsters who have been lined up to be selected by the Los Angeles Kings.
The NHL held its draft lottery on Tuesday. While the Toronto Maple Leafs and fellow state rivals, the San Jose Sharks, had great luck in the lottery, the Los Angeles Kings weren't a part of the fun since they qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Following a first-round exit thanks to a sweep from the Colorado Avalanche, the Kings have the next earliest pick after the 16 teams that didn't make the playoffs.
With the draft lottery results, a lot of the 2026 draft order is revealed, including Los Angeles getting the 17th pick.
With that, many prospect experts around the hockey media community have provided their mock drafts for the entire first round, even if the remaining order isn't sorted yet. But with the Kings in at 17th, here is who the experts think Los Angeles will take.
Ilia Morozov, C, Miami University (NCAA)
Scott Wheeler (The Athletic): 2026 NHL Mock Draft 1.0
Ilia Morozov has spent this past season in the NCAA, suiting up for the Miami University RedHawks. In 36 appearances for Miami University, the 17-year-old center scored eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points.
He tied for sixth on his team in scoring, but was also by far the youngest player on the team. The next youngest skater on the RedHawks this past season is three years older than Morozov, at 20 years old.
"Morozov would give (the Kings) a future middle-six C they can be confident is going to help them," Wheeler wrote of the 6-foot-3 youngster.
Before last season in the NCAA, Morozov played a season in the USHL for the Tri-City Storm. In that campaign, he featured in 59 games, scoring 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points.
The 2008-born center is a Moscow native and played his youth hockey with hometown club Orbita Zelenograd, according to eliteprospects.com. However, he also spent some of his minor hockey career on the outskirts of Chicago with the AAA team Windy City Storm at the U15 level in 2023-24.
The Hockey News prospect experts Ryan Kennedy and Tony Ferrari have Morozov ranked 26th and 28th, respectively, in their own prospect rankings.
Elton Hermansson, RW, Modo (Allsvenskan)
Steven Ellis (Daily Faceoff): 2026 NHL Mock Draft: Post-draft lottery top 32
Hannah Stuart (BleacherReport): Updated 2026 NHL Mock Draft After the Draft Lottery
Elton Hermansson is a highly-regarded player around the prospect community. The Swede is labelled as a sniper, as well as a great puckhandler.
Hermansson, 18, has spent this past season in Sweden's second division, Allsvenskan. He played 38 games for Modo, scoring 11 goals and 21 points.
That was good enough to place eighth in team scoring and fifth in goals. Also, he finished the campaign with the most points in the league by a U-18 junior player.
"He put up solid numbers in the second-tier Swedish league this year, which isn’t easy to do," Ellis wrote. "From an offensive standpoint, there’s a lot to love, especially on the power play."
The 6-foot-1 right winger had himself an impressive campaign at the 2026 U-18 World Junior Championship for Sweden. Hermansson tied the lead in scoring for the tournament with four goals and 12 points in seven games.
He helped Sweden win the gold medal at the tournament and was named to the tournament's all-star team and the best forward of the competition.
Kennedy and Ferrari have Hermansson higher on their lists. Kennedy listed him at No. 14, while Ferrari backs him at No. 12 in their rankings.
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