Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Gavin McKenna places on a sweater beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and singer Justin Bieber after being chosen with the primary choose within the first spherical of the 2026 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs at KeyBank Heart. Necessary Credit score: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Photos A brand new season is simply across the nook.
A brand new crop of future stars.
With the shorter pre-season, there are fewer possibilities for kids to state their case for NHL employment, however there are nonetheless loads of up-and-comers to maintain shut tabs on between now the puck drop on the 2026-27 marketing campaign.
Listed below are a half-dozen we’re most curious to observe:
Gavin McKenna, Toronto Maple Leafs
This 12 months’s prime draft choose not solely has elite expertise, however the alternative to make his mark with as little stress as potential in a media-heavy market. McKenna won’t have the burden to be large canine on a Toronto squad that boasts a number of proficient forwards, notably Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares.
The pre-season will likely be an opportunity to see the place to fit the left winger. Probably, he’ll find yourself with Tavares and Nylander, but it surely stands to cause seeing how he fares with Matthews and sure Jack Roslovic.
Ivar Stenberg, San Jose Sharks
Stenberg, the second choose this 12 months, is the newest uber-talented skater to hitch a Sharks membership anticipated to vault into playoff rivalry.
The ahead able to enjoying each wings made a whale of a debut in his first rookie-class recreation by scoring a pair of targets 25 seconds aside in a rout of the Los Angeles Kings hopefuls on Saturday.
It is going to be fascinating to see within the coming video games how he’s used on a membership that has a number of younger forwards, notably facilities Macklin Celebrini and Michael Misa, and already confirmed wingers in Will Smith and Collin Graf, plus second-year NHLer Igor Chernyshov.
Cole Hutson, Washington Capitals
The youthful brother of 2024-25 Calder Trophy winner, Lane, is because of make his mark. Cole, additionally a defenseman, confirmed properly in a 14-game stint final season after his sophomore 12 months at Boston College, netting three targets and 7 assists for a Washington membership that missed the playoffs by 4 factors.
Washington took daring strikes within the low season to shore up, however it’s apparent Hutson is a key to the longer term. With John Carlson’s departure, Hutson will likely be given his likelihood to offer much-needed offense from the blueline.
Porter Martone, Philadelphia Flyers
Martone make an enormous splash when he joined the Flyers after his lone season at Michigan State and picked up 15 factors (six targets, 9 assists) in 19 mixed regular-season and playoff contests.
The facility ahead will likely be given each likelihood to be a top-line proper winger. Key will likely be how he fares over a protracted season towards the league’s large our bodies, however the pre-season is a golden likelihood to set himself up for an enormous marketing campaign.
Roman Kantserov/Anton Frondell, Chicago Blackhawks
Frondell and Kantserov are pegged to lastly give Connor Bedard much-needed younger offensive assist for the floundering Blackhawks.
Frondell, the third choose of the 2025 draft, netted 9 factors (three targets, six assists) in a dozen video games for Chicago final season. Kantserov (forty fourth general in 2023) notched 36 targets and 64 factors for Magnitogorsk of the KHL final season.
Bedard might miss the primary month, which provides the pair of forwards a possibility to seek out their footing in an even bigger function for a membership that has missed the playoffs seven consecutive seasons.
