2026 NHL Draft: Reid, Carels, Verhoeff among best defensemen

The Upper Deck 2026 NHL Draft will be held June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The first round will be held June 26 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) with rounds 2-7 on June 27 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, trying to determine the best defenseman in the 2026 NHL Draft. Full draft coverage can be found here.

If Penn State University left wing Gavin McKenna is the first pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the next stretch of picks could be defined by one question: Which defenseman goes first?

NHL Central Scouting's final rankings show just how loaded the position is, with Sault Ste. Marie's Chase Reid, No. 2 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, Carson Carels (No. 3) of Prince George, Keaton Verhoeff (No. 4) of the University of North Dakota and Daxon Rudolph (No. 5) of Prince Albert all stacked near the top among North American skaters.

Latvia-born defenseman Alberts Smits, No. 2 on Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters, is also in the mix.

It's the kind of year when teams picking high may simply choose the style of defenseman they prefer and trust they are getting a cornerstone either way.

"Carels is my choice to be the first defenseman off the board," TSN resident director of scouting and former NHL general manager Craig Button said. "Reid has a little bit more dynamic skill, whereas Carels is just that steady presence. Reid can jump into the play, and Carels wants to take away spots on the ice; take away what you have. They're both really good players and I understand why one might take Reid because you're betting on maybe more of that top end."

Button sees Reid and Carels as future No. 1 defensemen, and Verhoeff, Rudolph and Smits as future top-pairing defensemen.

There is a case for all of them as potential No. 1 blueliners. Verhoeff (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) handled NCAA hockey as the youngest defenseman in Division I men's hockey and kept growing into a significant role at North Dakota. Carels (6-1, 214) put together one of the best all-around seasons by a defenseman in the Western Hockey League with 73 points (20 goals, 53 assists) in 58 games, and Rudolph (6-2, 205) followed with 78 points (28 goals, 50 assists) in 68 games while tying the Prince Albert record for goals by a defenseman in a season.

Smits (6-3, 209) may have the strongest professional resume of the group after playing in Liiga, Finland's top professional men's league, and Munchen in Germany's top division. He also excelled for Latvia at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship and was the only 2026 NHL Draft-eligible player to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

But if the question is which defenseman has the best chance to hear his name called first, Reid may have the strongest argument.

"For me, it's Reid," Central Scouting senior eastern scout Jean-Francois Damphousse said. "I really like the way his game progressed and the impact he had on the world stage. For me, it proves he can probably be a No. 1 in the NHL and take over games, take over the direction that a franchise is going. I would take Reid."

The right-handed shot (6-2, 190) from the Greyhounds checks the most boxes after winning the CHL Top Prospect Award, which is presented annually to the top eligible prospect for the NHL Draft from the Canadian Hockey League. He skates at a high level, can transport the puck, defends with purpose and produces offense without sacrificing structure. He scored 18 goals in just 45 OHL games this season, despite missing 23 games with an injured right wrist. He still finished fifth among league defensemen in goals and was voted the top offensive defenseman and second-best defensive defenseman in the Western Conference OHL Coaches poll.

"I feel like you got to play defense before offense, even though offense is a lot more fun," Reid said. "You still have to play defense first. I feel like offense comes naturally, so I don't focus on offense too much. I do when the opportunity presents itself but just making sure that defense comes first."

Said Nick Smith of NHL Central Scouting: "Reid gives you everything. He's a big kid that skates so well. He has that glide and is a one-man breakout. Has a good feel for the game, knows when to jump into the play and is sort of a jack-of-all-trades type. Has a chance to be a No. 1 defenseman and the ceiling is really high. Has some bite to his game. Don’t see a lot of weaknesses."

His performance for the United States at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship only strengthened the case. Reid had four points (two goals, two assists) in five games and showed he could impact games against top peers on a fast, demanding stage, and particularly when defenseman Cole Hutson (Washington Capitals) was sidelined because of an upper-body injury.

What also makes Reid compelling is the path he took to get here. He was a seventh-round pick in the 2023 OHL Draft and was sent from the United States Hockey League to the North American Hockey League before emerging as one of the premier defense prospects of this draft class.

NHL.com asked each of the five top defensemen what separates him from the pack (listed alphabetically):

Carels: "One thing is I'm a left-handed shot. All the other North American defenders are righties -- usually it's the other way around. I think just that extra bite and aggressiveness I bring and how I want to win all the time. I have that playoff mentality all year and I feel that's something that separates me. Everyone has their own strengths and everybody does them extremely well among this defensive group, but I think I'm just one of the more complete players and complete defensemen that plays a two-way game."

Reid: "I feel like I have the ability to run a power play and be a first unit power-play quarterback. I feel like I definitely have really good skating, a shot that goes in, and is very accurate. I think I have a lot of confidence but also humbleness and that doesn't come around too often."

Rudolph: "I think the completeness to my game. At Hockey Canada events and things like that, I played more of a defensive role in those tournaments, and I think I've excelled in those situations. And then in Prince Albert, I can show my offensive game too. I think I kind of do things at all areas of the ice at a high level and that's something that I take a lot of pride in, and I think separates me from others."

Smits: "I believe that I'm the only one who's playing in professional leagues against men and also I played in a lot of international events, so I think there's a lot of things I have picked up that those other players don't have yet. It's little aspects of the game that you can use, like how you should handle the puck in different situations."

Verhoeff: "For me, I think the biggest thing I bring every single night is that compete level ... it's consistent every single day. I know everyone goes through ups and downs of the season and you're not always going to have your best game, and you're not always going to show up the way you want to. I just want to bring that consistent compete and that kind of character around the rink. Those are things that I really take great pride in."