Simas Ignatavicius- 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Profile – The Hockey Writers – NHL Entry Draft

Simas Ignatavicius

2025-26 Team: Genéve Servette HC (NL)
Date of Birth: Oct. 22, 2007
Place of Birth: Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Ht: 6-foot-3 Wt: 198 pounds
Shoots: Right
Position: Right Wing
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2026 first-year eligible

Rankings

Coming from an area that does not normally see high-end NHL Draft prospects, Simas Ignatavicius has caught the eye of many in the hockey world while playing in Switzerland. In his draft-year season, the Lithuanian-American dual citizen has put his game on display in Switzerland’s top league, the NL. The first thing that stands out in Ignatavicius’ game is his size. Standing 6-foot-3, he has the size to dominate a game and has shown the skills to do so. Not only does he succeed on the outside of the offensive zone, but he has zero problem going to the interior of the zone to make a play. He uses his size to work to the middle of the ice to get to high-danger areas to set himself or teammates up for better chances.

When Ignatavicius has the puck on his stick, he has both the passing ability and the shot to be a threat. He has the vision and wherewithal to scan the ice and find a teammate if he sees he does not have the lane to take a shot, and he also has great release and accuracy in his shot, allowing him to balance being a facilitator and a goal-scorer. Where he does tend to have problems is in forcing plays, making ill-advised passes, and playing with the puck on his stick.

Away from the puck, Ignatavicius has the awareness and vision to get himself into open ice as an outlet or option for his teammates, and when tasked with recovering the puck, has no problem going to the dirty areas of the ice to battle opponents. The one major area for improvement in his overall game is his skating. He is not a bad skater by any means, but he could use some work on his first few steps in gaining speed to help keep up with more talented competition as he continues to move around the ranks. He is great in open space once he gets going, though, so the refinement should not be a hard one for him to accomplish.

On the defensive side of the puck, his motor and tenacity to battle and get physical with opponents remain, and he is a sound, responsible player in his own end of the ice. He more often than not positions himself well to take away lanes, whether it is shooting or passing, and then turns his strong defense into a quick first pass to lead a breakout.

Overall, Ignatavicius has a chance to become just the third Lithuanian player to be drafted in the NHL (Darius Kasparaitis and Dainius Zubrus), and after being great for Lithuania on the international scene the past few years, continues to open the eyes of many around the hockey world.

Other THW Draft Profiles

Simas Ignatavicius- NHL Draft Projection

While he may not have the flash or flare that some of the other players do in this year’s draft class with the league he played in, Ignatavicius should catch the eye of an NHL organization in the early rounds of the 2026 Draft. Hearing his name in the second round is certainly not out of the question.

Quotables

“After a few moves between leagues, he has emerged in Switzerland’s second pro league as a plug-and-play shooter with a ton of versatility. Ignatavicius gets to his spots and creates dangerous chances out of most systems. Off the cycle, off the rush, low in the slot – Ignatavicius has the size, skill, and fight to create dangerous chances.”- Gabriel Foley

“He’s a tall, fast winger with very good hands who projects to play and create chances at an NHL pace. His vision is fine, and he’s not overly physical. His compete level is a minor issue on his projection, but the toolkit is so good that he could still be a middle-six winger.”- Corey Pronman, The Athletic (from ‘2026 NHL Draft prospects: Chase Reid, Gavin McKenna and Keaton Verhoeff top Pronman’s ranking’ The Athletic – 10/03/2026)

“Defensively, Ignatavicius displays good situational awareness and scanning habits. In the neutral zone, he positions himself effectively along the boards to clog space and force dump-ins rather than controlled entries. In-zone, he is capable of relieving pressure by identifying cross-ice outlets instead of forcing pucks up congested boards.”- Josh Tessler, SMAHT Scouting

Strengths

• Solid two-way player
• Responsible defensively and positions himself well
• Strong skater in the open ice
• Skill set to be a distributor or goal-scorer
• Quick release with his shot
• Strong forechecker
• Strong awareness and vision at both ends of the ice

Under Construction/ Improvements to Make

• Skating speed is an area where he needs to work on, as he does not get off to the quickest starts
• Execution is lacking at times in the offensive zone
• Forces plays periodically and makes ill-advised passes in the process

NHL Potential

The skills that Ignatavicius has in his arsenal, as well as his size, give him the potential to become a middle-six forward at the NHL level if he can continue to refine his game and work on the aforementioned areas of improvement. With the playmaking and goal-scoring abilities he has, he could work his way into being a second-unit power play player as well.

Risk- Reward Analysis

Risk: 2/5 Reward: 4/5

Fantasy Hockey Potential

Offense: 6/10 Defense: 6/10

Awards/Achievements

• 2022 U18 WJC (Division 2A) Gold Medal- Lithuania
• 2023 U18 WJC (Division 1B) Silver Medal
• 2024 U20 WJC (Division 2A) Silver Medal
• 2025 U18 WJC (Division 1B) Silver Medal
• 2025 U20 WJC (Division 2A) Gold Medal
• 2025 U20 WJC (Division 2A) Best Forward Award

Simas Ignatavicius Stats

Videos

🔥 𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐔𝐒 a fait parler la 𝑷𝑶𝑼𝑫𝑹𝑬 hier soir face à Bienne (U20) ! 🏒 💥#GVAMADE pic.twitter.com/ukTb0Mwj01

— Genève-Servette HC (@officialGSHC) March 13, 2025

Simas Ignatavicius scored twice in just 71 seconds in the 3rd period to break tie against Korea at the #U18MensWorlds Division 1B.🇱🇹 pic.twitter.com/WfenBp12J4

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) April 18, 2024