The 2026 NHL Draft will have no shortage of high draft picks on the defensive side of the puck. Perhaps the first d-man taken off the board will be Chase Reid of the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds. Cut from both the Team USA Hlinka Gretzky Cup squad and the USHL’s Waterloo Wolves a season ago, Reid now sits firmly in the conversation to be a top 5 pick. In fact, Reid passed North Dakota University’s Keaton Verhoeff as the first d-man to be taken in this draft (3rd overall) in TSN analyst Craig Button’s most recent mock draft. This most certainly caught my attention, as Verhoeff has been roundly considered the best d-man in the draft. Below is a link to Button’s mock draft, in which Verhoeff still is listed in the top 10 (#6).
Also challenging Verhoeff for the top spot will be Latvia’s Albert Smits of Jukurit in Finland’s Liiga, as well as Carson Carels of the WHL’s Prince George Cougars. Smits had a solid point-per-game showing at the World Junior Championship, and now is preparing to compete for Latvia at the Olympics. Carels earned a rating of +3 for Team Canada at the WJC, and has amassed 39 points (12G 27A) in 36 games for Prince George this season.
Yet another high-end WHL d-man prospect is Prince Albert’s Daxon Rudolph. Renowned for his poise and vision with the puck and overall mobility, NHL central scouting lists him as the 6th-ranked North American skater in this draft. Also, last week Rudolph was the WHL Player of the Week upon registering six points (2G 4A) in helping the Raiders to a 3-0-0 record.
Last but definitely not least, the QMJHL has considerable talent at the d-man position as well. Of course, this group is led by standout Xavier Villeneuve of Blainville-Boisbriand, who central scouting ranks at #15 among North American skaters. Villeneuve is the consummate offensive d-man, and is nothing short of a magician with the puck. However, taking over the scoring lead from Villeneuve among QMJHL d-men is Moncton’s Tommy Bleyl (48 points in 40 games on 7 goals & 41 assists). Lightly regarded to start the season, with his 2025-26 performance Bleyl has shot up the rankings to become the 35th-ranked North American skater. Not as flashy as Villeneuve or Bleyl but held in very high esteem for his defensive prowess is Quebec’s Charlie Morrison. Having had the opportunity to view him at the CHL USA Prospects Challenge, his on-ice presence and ability to affect the play are definitely noticeable. The rangy (6’3″) and physical Morrison is the 29th-ranked North American skater, and comes in at #40 on the attached mock draft.
https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/article/craigs-list-mckenna-stays-no-1-reid-emerges-as-top-defenceman