Mock drafts and pre-draft rankings are flawed, but they are all we have.
In an effort to determine potential Pittsburgh Penguins potential selections for the 2026 NHL Draft, we're using averages of eight major outlets and scouting rags, and tossing the mass data into a figurative blender to create a singular list. Call it the "Wisdom of the Crowd" Penguins list.
Even then, they're not perfect, especially when trying to keep up with Penguins GM Kyle Dubas and vice president of player personnel Wes Clark.
Last year, Nick Kypreos for Sportsnet had the highest pre-draft rating on Ben Kindel , and only placed him 15th, becoming an outlier in the cavalcade of mock drafts and draft rankings, including the NHL's Central Scouting, that put Kindel in the mid 20s.
Of course, the Penguins selected Kindel with the 11th overall pick, and the 18-year-old not only showed well in training camp but was one of only three draftees to play a full NHL season. The others were Matthew Schaefer , selected first overall by the New York Islanders , and Michael Misa , who was selected second overall by the San Jose Sharks .
Kindel, who turned 19 in April, played 77 games and scored 18 goals with 35 points, making him the second-highest scoring player in the draft class behind only Schaefer, who won the Calder Trophy and received consideration for the Norris Trophy as well.
With hindsight, we can look back and see that only Kypreos kept up with Kindel's upward trend, but we won't know who this year's wild misses will be until a few GMs show their hand by announcing their selections during the NHL Draft on June 26-27.
Unfortunately for the Penguins, it appears one of the fast risers is Wyatt Cullen of the US National Development Team Program. Cullen is the son of former Penguins player Matt Cullen , who hoisted a pair of Stanley Cups with the organization, first in 2016 and then in 2017.
Wyatt was just a youngster then, but his homeschooling program was at the Penguins practice rink, so he was around the Penguins players often.
However, his ranking has shot up to an average of 18.9 when combining the rankings published on the major outlets and widely recognized independent scouts. Further, the ranking will probably climb as more lists get updated following last weekend's NHL scouting combine.
As a side note, first-round picks will be able to play in the AHL next season regardless of their previous team or league affiliation.
Rankings the players based on their average from eight lists, beginning with TSN's Craig Button, independent scout Chris Peters, and ending with Sportsnet's prospect writers Jason Bukala and Sam Costentino, which several others in the middle.
We've included the 18th through 25th rated players, with a couple of honorable mentions.
18: Xavier Villeneuve (LHD, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada , QMJHL). The Penguins scouts have likely gotten an in-depth look at Villeneuve because he is teammates with 2025 Penguins' first-round pick Bill Zonnon . Villeneueve is a mobile, offensive defenseman who has put up one point more than a point per game in each of the last two seasons. Size is his drawback (5-foot-11, 162 pounds).
19. Oliver Suvanto (C, Tappara Tampere, SM-Liiga). He won't turn 18 until early September, but he's already 6-foot-3, 207 pounds. He played in Finland's pro league this season, with 11 points (2-9-11) in 48 games. Scouts loved his defensive acumen and project him into a middle-six, two-way center.
20. Elton Hermansson (F, MoDo Hockey Ornskoldsvik, Swe-1). Hands. The winger graduated from his Swedish junior team, played in Sweden's top division (essentially the Swedish AHL). The book on Hermansson is that he has slick mitts and perhaps some of the best hands in the draft. Perhaps Dubas and crew got an in-depth look at him when the organization was in Stockholm for the Global Series Games last November.
In 38 Swe-1 games, Hermansson had 21 points, including 11 goals. He's 6-foot-1, 181 pounds.
21. Nikita Klepov (RW/LW Saginaw Spirit, OHL). Klepov will turn 18 in July and made the jump from the USHL to the OHL this season. The move paid off, and he put up a monster season with Saginaw, notching 97 points with 37 goals in just 67 games.
He's a lefty playing the right side, and fittingly has a wicked one-timer. Scouts use words like "dynamic" and "electric" to describe the 6-foot, 180-pound winger.
22. Alexander Command (C, Orebro , Sweden)A solid two-way center with real offensive upside. After 30 games with the Orebro junior team, Orebro recalled Command for six games with the Swedish High League team. He didn't have any points at the top level, but he had 44 points, including 17 goals at the junior level.
Command is 6-foot-1, 183 pounds, and the cumulative scouting report might fit the Dubas/Clark model to perfection. His compete level and hockey IQ are the featured attractions. The lefty is also good on the faceoff dot and projects as a responsible middle-six center.
23. Liam Ruck (RW, Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL). — Ruck, 18, had a huge year in the WHL, which is the same junior league from which the Penguins have selected two first-rounders and two second rounders in the last three years (Braden Yeager (1), Tanner Howe (2), Harrison Brunicke (2), Ben Kindel (1), respectively).
Ruck, 18, scored an impressive 45 goals in 68 games in his third junior season and totaled 104 points for Medicine Hat. He also had eight goals in 14 playoff games. He's 6-foot-1, 177 pounds and will turn 19 in February.
24. Oscar Hemming (LW, Boston College, NCAA). Hemming is a big, skilled forward with a big shot from Finland who battled international rules to play in North America. First, his parents tried to terminate his Finnish contract with Kiekko-Espoo so he could move to North America, but the team was able to deny his transfer to the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL. Without a hockey home, he attempted to play in the BCHL, which is when the IIHF stepped in to deny him, threatening a three-year international ban.
The political deck was stacked against him. So, he graduated early and beat a system that Kitchener GM Mike McKenzie called corrupt, and was able to land with Boston College and play for former Penguins forward Greg Brown (1993-94).
Interstingly, Brown paired the 6-foot-4, 193-pound Hemming with 6-foot-7 Dean Letourneau, who was the Boston Bruins ' 2024 first-round pick (25th overall). Hemming would be a project pick in the mold of Will Horcoff. He has size and boasts a heavy shot.
Many of the independent scouts have him well into the top-20, but a few low rankings drop his average.
25. Maddox Dagenais (C, Quebec Ramparts, QMJHL). A big, left-handed center who took a big step forward in his second junior season. Dagenais, 18, produced a healthy 30 goals and 62 points in 60 games this season.
He's an attractive blend of size (6-foot-4, 196 pounds), speed, and relentless energy, which is quite unique for big players. His draft ratings are all over the map, with some projecting him in the first half of Round One, while others view him as a late first-rounder or second rounder.
Tommy Bleyl (D, QMJHL/NCAA)— An elite skating right-handed defenseman playing for Moncton of the Q this season and next before planning to go to Michigan State in 2027-28. He's 6-foot, 170 pounds and couldn't be stopped this season. Bleyl had 81 points (13-68-81) in 63 games, and made the US U18 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup team.
Yegor Shilov (C, Victoriaville Tigres, QMJHL). Shilovs, 18, is a playmaking center who can shoot. Scouts raved about his ability to orchestrate the game, and he notched 82 points with 32 goals in 63 games this season. Most of the independent rankings have him in the mid-20s. He is 6-foot-1, 176 pounds.
J.P. Hurlbert (F, Kamloops Blazers, WHL)— The only prospect to wear a suit to the NHL Scouting Combine, Hurlbert, 18, is an offensive force who finds open space through his skating and a natural feel for the O-Zone, and then he lets it rip. The Penguins likely got a good look at the 6-foot-1, 183-pound right-handed winger because he was teammates with defenseman Harrison Brunicke .
Hurlbert lit the lamp 42 times in 68 games and finished with 97 points. He was the WHL Rookie of the Year, and wore a suit to the Combine every day because he said NHL teams deserved the respect.
The post Potential Penguins Draft Targets: Scouting Averages, & Who is Out of Reach appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
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