Overview
- Published mock drafts and The Hockey News’ final Top 120 on Friday show Gavin McKenna as the clear consensus No. 1 prospect for the June 26–27 draft in Buffalo.
- Ivar Stenberg and Chase Reid join McKenna as the class headliners, with coverage framing the top of the board around two high-end wingers and a dynamic puck‑moving defenseman.
- Scouts and analysts emphasize that the top five defense prospects are largely interchangeable, so club preference and fit are likely to determine their draft order.
- The class has limited center depth, which raises projection risk and means teams may prioritize positional need or trade to address center shortages.
- Teams used recent combine meetings and in‑person visits to vet players’ character and medicals, and those checks plus possible draft‑day trades remain the main variables that could reshuffle current projections.