Blueshirt Banter 2026 NHL Mock Draft: Picks 23-32

Happy NHL Entry Draft week to all who celebrate!

The results of the first round are of special interest to New York Rangers fans this year as the team holds a pair of picks: one at the beginning of the round, and one closer to the end. To get ready for the main event, Chris and Roberto are back for their third annual full mock draft of the first round as they look to predict how each team's picks will unfold.

If you missed picks 1-10, you can check those out here, and you can find picks 11-22 here. Now, here's the middle of this year's mock draft.

23. Boston Bruins

Chris: Alexander Command - Center, Orebro HK, Swe

As much as I want this player to fall to the Rangers at 26th, the Bruins are just as much in need of centers as they are. There’s a good chance Command doesn’t even fall this far, but in the event he is still on the board at 23, I can see the Bruins being all over him. Command is a very good all-around center who, at best, can be a 2C, but is on paper an excellent third line center.  

Roberto: Tommy Bleyl - Defense, Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL

The Bruins need right-shot defenseman, and I think they'll opt for Bleyl with their first round pick due to his combination of size, skill, and production. The future Michigan State Spartan brings a whole lot to the lineup that the Bruins will love, and if they can walk away with a player of this caliber, the sting of the Maple Leafs winning the lottery won't hurt as much.

24. Vancouver Canucks (via Minnesota)  

Chris: Liam Ruck - Right Wing, Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL

Regardless of who the Canucks draft third overall, how can they not go for the Ruck twins? They may need to trade up a little bit from the 33rd overall pick to ensure they can get Markus, too, but Liam falls right around that 24th overall range, so assuming he’s available, the Canucks have to take him. With 104 points in the WHL this season, Liam has some Ryan Callahan to his game as he's ferocious on the puck, can kill penalties, and score plenty of goals.

Roberto: Xavier Villeneuve, Defense, Blainville Boisbriand Armada, QMJHL

Seeing Villeneuve almost fall to close to 26th overall only to be drafted moments before would break my heart, but realistically Chris Drury wouldn't likely draft a player of his profile anyways. Vancouver needs skilled players. They grabbed their forward at the top of the draft, and now they'll luck out in getting an excellent shifty defenseman who projects to be a Lane Hutson-type down the line if it all works out.

25. Ottawa Senators (via Seattle and Tampa Bay)  

Chris: Elton Hermansson - Forward, MoDo HK, Swe

Side note: This pick has been traded three times already. I believe the record for the most traded pick is either five or six. At any rate, it's primarily all about best overall player this deep in the draft and Hermansson is surely that. One of the best skilled players in the class, he's got great hands, a fantastic shot, and would be outstanding pick up for Ottawa, especially after taking a defenseman with their top ten pick.

Roberto: Ilia Morozov - Forward, University of Miami, NCAA

NHL size and a 200-foot game have a lot of scouts excited at the projections surrounding Morozov. I think it's likely he could be off the board already, but if he's still there when the Senators make their second pick of the day, he's an easy target.

26. New York Rangers (via Dallas Stars)

Chris:  Jack Hextall - Center, Youngstown Phantoms, USHL

I want to be extremely clear here: Jack Hextall is who I think the Rangers are going to take, but not who I necessarily want them to take. Just shy of a point-per-game player in the USHL this season, Hextall is competitive, plays a 200-foot game, has a high hockey IQ, and all the other characteristics Chris Drury and the New York Rangers seem to prioritize at this point. This may be mentioned in a separate story before or after this is published, but depending how the draft goes and if any big names fall, the Rangers should consider trading down. Specifically to a team with several second round picks.

Roberto: Niklas Aaram-Olsen - Forward, Orebro HK, Swe

I swear, almost every mock draft and draft rankings list I've read this year has ranked or selected Hextall at 26th overall, and I just find no excitement in it. There are players with more upside available, and I'm hoping Drury will find it within his hard-to-play-against-style heart that maybe, just maybe, he should draft a player with a higher ceiling. Aaram-Olsen fits that bill, and his impressive showing at the draft combine could be enough to open the Rangers' management team's eyes and garner a swing on draft day.

27. San Jose Sharks (via Buffalo)

Chris: Juho Piiparinen - Defense, Tappara Tampere, Liiga

There are plenty of positives to Piiparinen's game, but of all the defenseman projected to go in the first round, he's not one you're necessarily moving mountains to draft. However, the Sharks definitely need help on the back end. Trading for Michael Kesselring helps, but they need some prospects on their blue line. Given what they need and where they pick again, Piiparinen's a good value pick for them.

Roberto: Marcus Nordmark, Left Wing, Djurgårdens IF, SHL

It turns out that Grier and the Sharks will be coming away with a top-ranked Swedish prospect, just maybe not the one everyone expected (or maybe with two). That being said, Nordmark is an enigma, and if they can get him to commit to developing, training, and playing diligently, they have a possible draft-day steal on their hands. Nordmark has been described by many as one of the most skilled players in this draft, but his attitude and performance have been somewhat inconsistent, leading to him falling down the rankings.

28. Montreal Canadiens

Chris: Mathis Preston - Forward, Vancouver Giants, WHL

This is a player that I was high on earlier in the season and who was on pace for a potential 100 point campaign, but ended up dealing with significant injury. If it wasn't for that, there's a very real chance this player would be projected to go somewhere in the top 15. According to a poll Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, Preston is the second most skilled player in this draft. That has to mean something. He might be too much of a gamble for the Rangers at 26, but I could definitely see Montreal giving him a chance here.

Roberto: William Hakansson, Defense, Lulea HF, SHL

Montreal, oh Montreal. The envy of many in the NHL, but I'll say it here: I think they're impostors! They played above their means in the playoffs, but that doesn't mean they won't be a dangerous team down the road. They just have some big gaps to fill, and one of them is physical, mobile defensemen to play on their bottom pairs. Hakansson can fulfill that role without sacrificing any quality of performance for the up-and-coming Canadiens.

29. St. Louis Blues (via Colorado and New York Islanders)

Chris: J.P. Hurlbert - Forward, Kamloops Blazers, WHL

This would be an absolute steal this late in the draft, but it does seem like there is a chance of him falling based on how things could go. Another near hundred point player in the CHL this season, Hurlbert is listed as a left winger and has mainly played there while in Kamloops, but he shoots right and could even be a center option down the road. He has a great shot, is an offense-first player but doesn't let that compromise his defensive game, is great with the puck and could take huge strides with University of Michigan next year.  

Roberto: Jack Hextall - Center, Youngstown Phantoms, USHL

The Blues need centermen, and while they addressed other gaps with their earlier picks, Hextall does have great value at the end of the round and it's hard to imagine St. Louis passing on the opportunity of grabbing one of the last few bonafide round-one centers if they get the chance. He's a hard working player that can make an impact in any zone on the ice.

30. New Jersey Devils (via Vegas)

Chris: Ben Macbeath - Defense, Calgary Hitmen, WHL

This might be a reach—though it might not—but it certainly makes sense for Calgary. They have the high first round pick and, in this instance, can get a potential top center. At this point in the draft, you're just making the best bets you can, and Ben Macbeath might be that. His ceiling may be a bottom-pair defenseman, but he is headed to Denver next season, he's a Calgary kid. He's a puck-mover and can be used in a number of roles. There's a lot to like about him, but I'm just not sure he's a first rounder. But because it's Calgary, it makes sense here.  

Roberto: Maddox Dagenais - Center, Quebec Remparts, QMJHL

The Flames could go down a few different paths here, and I think the Calgary connection Chris spells out above is fun and feasible, but the big-bodied Dagenais is too enticing an option at the end of the first round. He is an aggressive forward who crashes the net hard, grabs rebounds, and often peppers the opposing goalie with shots. It's likely he shifts over to wing as he develops into an NHLer, but the kid has a real shot at going pro.

31. Carolina Hurricanes

Chris: Niklas Aaram-Olsen - Forward, Orebro HK, Swe

I stand by the belief that this player could be a secret weapon of sorts and turn into an absolute beast of a goal scorer down the road. He's projected as a fringe first-or-second rounder, reminds me a bit of Alexander Radulov, can play either wing, and if there's a team to make a pick with this kind of upside in mind, it's Carolina.

Roberto: Elton Hermansson - Forward, MoDo HK, Swe

Per usual, Carolina comes away with a great value pick in this draft. Hermansson is a phenomenally talented winger with excellent puck control and decent straight line speed. There have been multiple Swedish prospects that have outshone him, this past year, but Hermansson most certainly deserves his time in the spotlight, and he'll find it with Carolina.

32. Ottawa Senators

Chris: Ryan Roobroeck - Forward, Niagara Ice Dogs, OHL

Roobroeck has had quite the fall from grace, considering he was once projected to be a top-ten prospect in this draft class. He grew stagnant in junior this season and, at the time of writing, has no plans of making the jump to the NCAA next season. Even still, he has NHL-ready size, has a ceiling of a top-six forward, can play center, and plays that power forward role that I'm sure would be great for an Ottawa team looking to fill a power forward void. This is a pick that makes sense for Ottawa, but is certainly a gamble.

Roberto: Tobias Trejbal, Goaltender, Youngstown Phantoms, USHL

If you're telling yourself this doesn't make sense, you're absolutely correct. Ottawa has so many other problems they should probably be focusing on, but their plethora of picks has allowed them the confidence to grab one of the top ranked goalies in the draft. It's arguable that Trejbal should be the first goalie off the board, but to be frank with you I don't expect the Senators to make that right decision either. Should it have been Brady Knowling? Probably, but his timeline to turning pro may be a bit longer. A goalie not going in the first round of the draft feels morally wrong to me, so Trejbal to the Senators, who could use a top flight goaltending prospect, it is.