2026 NHL Entry Draft – Top 10 Centers – The Hockey Writers –

The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is approaching quickly, so it’s time to take a look at some of the top prospects available. Just about every team goes into the draft with the same goal, finding an impactful center, so here’s a breakdown of the top names to know going into draft day. 

The 2026 Draft is not particularly heavy on high-end center prospects, though a few talented players have turned up throughout the year. This isn’t as strong of a center class as last year (the 2025 Draft had Anton Frondell, Michael Misa, James Hagens and more), but there are still many players worth following in the late first and early second rounds.

10. Maddox Dagenais, C, Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 15th (North American Skaters)

Maddox Dagenais has been a fascinating prospect to follow ever since he went first overall in the 2024 QMJHL Draft. He is a 6-foot-4 center with great hands and a powerful wrist shot, but there are many questions past those skills. Dagenais has had several concussions over the past few years that have really slowed him down, but his lack of pace and consistent effort are the biggest questions for me. He has the frame to be more physical and to drive down the middle of the ice, but he gets pushed to the perimeter more than you’d expect. The potential is significant though, which is why he could be one of the first five or six centers drafted in June.

9. Adam Valentini, C, University of Michigan (NCAA)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 86th (NA Skaters)

Adam Valentini is a great skating center prospect who is likely to go in the second round or later due to his size. That, in my opinion, could be a mistake. Valentini is an excellent skater, a reliable defensive player, and a driver of his line. For a 5-foot-10 center he’s excellent at protecting the puck and keeps himself involved in the play all the time.

He led all U18 players in NCAA scoring this year as well with 11 goals and 27 points (both Ilia Morozov and Keaton Verhoeff had 20 points). He’s a hard enough worker that I think he’ll take the necessary steps to become a full time NHLer.

8. Egor Shilov, C, Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 19th (NA Skaters)

After a promising transition to North America last season, Egor Shilov was a prolific scorer in the QMJHL in his draft year, playing in all situations for Victoriaville. Shilov makes great plays with the puck, can score from in close in a ton of different ways, and receives passes super cleanly. There are questions about his pace and skating, which are massive issues for NHL prospects, so any team that takes him in the late first round will need to feel confident that they can help him develop in those areas to become a middle-six scorer. 

7. Tomas Chrenko, C, HK Nitra (Slovakia)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 24th (European Skaters)

Tomas Chrenko has an NHL quality shot that he used to great effect in Slovakia’s top pro league as an 18-year-old, scoring 31 points in 44 games at 18 y/o (next most points by a U20 player was 15). He’s a goal scorer who will feature prominently on an NHL power play someday, and I think he’s got a bit of a nastiness to him that should make him a successful playoff scorer as well. 

6. Ilia Morozov, C, Miami University (NCAA)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 10th (NA Skaters)

Ilia Morozov is a big, physical center who plays the kind of hard-nosed game that NHL teams love. He scored at a torrid pace to begin the season in the NCAA, but his points rate came back down to earth over the course of the full season. Morozov forechecks hard, plays a smart defensive game, and has some potential as an NHL goalscorer. I expect he’ll be a first rounder in June. 

5. Alexander Command, C, Orebro (SHL)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 11th (EU Skaters)

Alexander Command is going to be one of the draft’s biggest risers coming out of the U18 World Championships. He was great for Sweden en-route to a gold medal, rising up the lineup all-tournament long until he was their 1C and one of their most consistent two-way pieces. He’s on the younger end of the draft class (June birthday) but is already quite capable physically.

Command isn’t a high-end offensive player, but he’s strong on pucks, wins lots of battles, and drives play down the middle. I think he could be a good middle-six center in the NHL, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he went in the first half of round one to a team that thinks he has more in the tank offensively. 

4. Oliver Suvanto, C, Tappara (Liiga)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 3rd (EU Skaters)

Oliver Suvanto is a big, skilled center who has had an up-and-down draft season. He has been impressive in Liiga as a 17-year-old (a few weeks away from being a 2027 Draft eligible), spending nearly his entire season as a pro player. Suvanto was excellent at the World Juniors in December, and was even named one of Finland’s top three players of the tourney despite being eligible for two more years. 

However, as the season wore on, some holes started showing in his game. Suvanto is far bigger and more skilled than most of his true peers (there aren’t many junior players in Finland who can match his 6-foot-3 stature and hands), but he has struggled to turn that into points on the board, scoring just three points at the U18s. There’s a lot to like in his game, but Suvanto isn’t likely to become a high-end NHL center like some thought early in the year.

3. Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University (NCAA)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 7th (NA Skaters)

After drawing tons of attention in the USHL playoffs last Spring, Tynan Lawrence’s stock has dwindled slowly but steadily. There is no doubt he is a good player who plays a likeable, reliable game, but he lacks the ability to make the high end plays necessary to be drafted super early. 

Lawrence’s uninspiring run in the NCAA with Boston University was one thing, but it was hardly the only reason for his slide. Through two separate tournaments with Hockey Canada (Hlinka Gretzky and U18s), as well as games in both the USHL and college, it became clear that Lawrence’s offensive game lacks the pop to be a top line center, and the best case scenario for him is likely to top out as a 2C in the NHL, possibly as a Matty Beniers type. Not bad by any means, but much lower than expectations had been coming into this season.

2. Viggo Bjorck, C, Djurgärdens HC (SHL)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 4th (EU Skaters)

Viggo Bjorck is a highly skilled center who works hard and is difficult for defenders to pin down. I think I’m in the slight minority having Bjorck this high, but I’m just not that worried about his size despite his 5-foot-9 measurement from NHL Central Scouting. His older brother Wilson Bjorck is a Canucks prospect who measures at 6-feet, and their dad is even taller so I wouldn’t be surprised if Viggo catches up in height a bit.

Regardless, Bjorck has a ton of versatility attacking off the rush, creating for himself and others with a level of hockey sense that I believe will make him an NHL center despite his frame. At the junior level, Bjorck has killed penalties, taken tons of faceoffs, and reads the play better than nearly all of his peers. It’s hard to watch him and not think about recent prospects like Zach Benson or Logan Stankoven who are both excelling in the playoffs this year despite being quite undersized. 

1. Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)

NHL Central Scouting Ranking: 6th (NA Skaters)

Caleb Malhotra has been a massive riser this season, playing on the best team in the OHL. He is a two-way center who doesn’t project as a massive offensive creator, but he does all the little things well and has looked better and better as the year has worn on. The talent pool in the CHL was watered down a little this season with many of the older players in the league moving on to the NCAA, but don’t assume Malholtra has a low ceiling just because he’s good defensively.

Malhotra scored 1.25 points per game and has been closer to two point per game in the OHL playoffs to this point. He isn’t likely to be a star center in the NHL, but he has taken clear hold of the title of top center in this year’s Draft and is almost certainly going to be selected in the top-5. Believers in Malhotra project him as a Nico Hischier type of player, capable of playing difficult minutes in all situations, but not likely to be the focal point of his team’s offense.