Color of Hockey: McKenna, Malhotra, Cover among top choices in 2026 NHL Draft

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he profiles players of color who are ranked by NHL Central Scouting for the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The first round is June 26 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) with rounds 2-7 on June 27 (10 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN).

They’re preparing for a party at the Äłät Nëhëjël community hall in Dawson City in Canada’s Yukon.

Proud members of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation and others plan to pack the hall in anticipation of Penn State forward Gavin McKenna being chosen in the first round of the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft that begins on Friday.

The partygoers won’t have long to wait. McKenna, who proudly displays his Indigenous roots on his right arm, could be the No. 1 pick in the draft after being on top of NHL Central Scouting’s ranking of North American skaters. 

“I think this is special because from interviews and stuff I’ve seen of Gavin McKenna, he’s very proud of being ‘TH’ (Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in),” said Alysha Van Bibber, who is helping to organize the watch party and designed a special temporary tattoo for attendees to wear. “I think it would be nice to be able to celebrate him and reflect that back.”

McKenna is among at least 15 players of color who’ll be waiting to hear their names called at the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft on Friday and Saturday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. 

The first round is June 26 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) with rounds 2-7 on June 27 (10 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN).

At least seven Black players, two Indigenous players, five players of Asian and South Asian descent, and a player of Native Hawaiian heritage are on Central Scouting’s lists of North American and International skaters.

Here are the players who could be selected in ranking order:

Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State (NCAA)

NHL Central Scouting: No. 1 (North American skaters)

McKenna (5-foot-11, 170 pounds) tied for fifth in the NCAA with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) and was second with 1.46 points per game in 35 games this season. The 18-year-old set nine Penn State records and ranked first in scoring in the Big Ten (38 points; 11 goals, 27 assists in 24 conference games). McKenna had a 54-game point streak with Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League in 2024-25, a modern CHL record dating to 2000. He was named the 2025 player of the year in the WHL and the Canadian Hockey League, becoming the third-youngest CHL Player of the Year award winner behind Sidney Crosby and John Tavares.

Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford (OHL)

NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 6 (North American skaters)

Malhotra (6-2, 185) was second among all Ontario Hockey League rookies in goals (29), assists (55) and points (84) in 67 regular-season games. The left-handed shot led all rookies and was fifth among all OHL playoff scorers with 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) in 15 games. His 13 postseason goals were the fourth-most by a rookie in OHL playoff history, behind Eric Lindros (18 in 1990), Lee Jinman (18 in 1994) and Brian Bellows (14 in 1981). Solid on face-offs, the 18-year-old won 50.1 percent of his draws (530-for-1,058). He is the son of former NHL forward Manny Malhotra, who was the League’s second player of South Asian descent. He made history again when he was named coach of the Vancouver Canucks on June 1.

Ryan Lin, D, Vancouver (WHL)

NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 16 (North American skaters)

Lin (5-11, 180) led Vancouver with 57 points (14 goals, 43 assists) in 53 games despite missing 15 games with a broken wrist. He recorded his 100th Western Hockey League career point in 100 games, the fastest defenseman in the league under 18 to do so since Scott Niedermayer with Kamloops in 1991. Lin was tied for the 2026 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship scoring lead among defenseman and tied for second on Team Canada with six points (one goal, five assists) in five games. The right-shot defenseman, whose father is Canadian of Japanese and Taiwanese descent, is committed to play for the University of Denver next season.

Arvin Jaswal, G, Barrie (OHL)

Central Scouting ranking: No. 18 (North American goalies)

Jaswal (6-1, 175) had a 13-game winning streak this season, the longest by an OHL goalie, and allowed two goals or fewer in 11 games of those games. The 18-year-old rookie from Pickering, Ontario, finished the season 18-3-3 with a 2.45 goals-against average, .922 save percentage and two shutouts in 24 games. 

Jaxon Cover, RW, London (OHL)

NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 29 (North American skaters)

Cover (6-2, 183) was third for London with 52 points (20 goals, 32 assists) in 67 games, and his six power-play goals were tied for second. The 18-year-old forward will spend another season with London and then is committed to play at Penn State. Cover began his career playing inline hockey while growing up in the Cayman Islands. He didn't transition to ice hockey until 2023.

Tyus Sparks, C, Spokane (WHL)

Central Scouting ranking: No. 37 (North American skaters)

Sparks (6-0, 190) hopes to become only the third NHL player born in Idaho, a state where elite hockey is so sparse that he commuted to play with Los Angeles Jr. Kings AAA teams on weekends for three seasons. The 18-year-old had 65 points (28 goals, 37 assists) in 69 games with Vancouver and Spokane of the WHL. He finished the regular season with more points than any other Spokane skater and was second in assists and power-play goals (eight), and had three points (two goals, one assist) in five WHL playoff games. Sparks comes from an athletic family; his father, Nate, was a quarterback with British Columbia of the Canadian Football League in 2000 and with Boise State University in 1997 and 1998. His mother, Debbie, a Minnesota native of Chinese, Swedish and Norwegian descent, was a gymnast at Boise State.

Pierce Mbuyi, LW, Owen Sound (OHL)

NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 56 (North American skaters)

Mbuyi (5-10, 160) led Owen Sound in points and goals (75 points; 32 goals, 43 assists) in 68 games. Team captain and the 2024-25 OHL rookie of the year, the 18-year-old also led the team in power play goals (19) and points (34). Mbuyi’s father, Joseph, was born in Russia, raised in Canada, and has family roots in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His late mother, Irene, was from Price Edward Island. Mbuyi is committed to Penn State next season.

Alofa Tunoa "Noa" Ta'amu, D, Edmonton (WHL)

Central Scouting ranking: No. 109 (North American skaters)

Ta’amu (6-2, 228) had 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 62 regular season games and one goal in seven playoff games with Edmonton this season. The 18-year-old left-shot defenseman is the son of Ed Ta’amu, a native Hawaiian who was a 335-pound offensive lineman and a fourth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL in 2002.

Andrew O'Neill, C, Edmonton (WHL)

Central Scouting ranking: No. 150 (North American skaters)

O’Neill (6-2, 193) had 43 points (20 goals, 23 assists) in 65 games with Edmonton. The 19-year-old from Fargo, North Dakota, skated for two seasons with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, tallying 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 56 games with the U18 team and two assists in three games with the U17 squad in 2024-25. He had 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 54 games with the U17 team in 2023-24. He won a bronze with the United States at the 2025 IIHF U18 Men's World Championship and silver at the 2023 U17 World Hockey Challenge. He’s committed to play at the University of North Dakota. 

Lukas Sawchyn, C, Edmonton (WHL)

Central Scouting ranking: No. 151 (North American skaters)

Sawchyn (5-10, 173) was tied for seventh in the WHL and led Edmonton with 88 points (27 goals, 61 assists) in 68 games. The 19-year-old, who is Metis from Grand Prairie, Alberta, was second on Edmonton with seven points (one goal, six assists) in seven playoff games. He’s the younger brother of forward Gracyn Sawchyn, a 2023 Florida Panthers second-round draft pick (No. 63) who played 35 games for Charlotte of the American Hockey League this season. 

Julian Brown, D, Owen Sound

Central Scouting ranking: No. 169 (North American skaters)

Brown (6-3, 224) had 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 60 games with London and Owen Sound. The 20-year-old left-shot from Montclair, New Jersey, was acquired by Owen Sound in a trade with London on Jan. 8 for two OHL priority selection picks and the rights to defenseman Jacob Vandeven, who is No. 190 on NHL Central Scouting’s list of North American skaters.

Jonas Woo, D, Medicine Hat (WHL)

Central Scouting ranking: No. 179 (North American skaters)

Woo (5-9, 175) led all WHL defensemen in assists (57) and points (86) and was second with 29 goals in 56 regular season games. He led the league with four short-handed goals and was third with 10 power-play goals. He set a Medicine Hat record for most points by a defenseman in a single season. The 19-year-old from Winnipeg is committed to play for Arizona State next season. He’s the younger brother of defenseman Jett Woo, who was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the second round (No. 37) of the 2018 NHL Draft and is now in the San Jose Sharks organization.  

Joe Iginla, RW, Vancouver (WHL)

NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 200 (North American skaters)

The 17-year-old son of Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla and younger brother of Utah Mammoth forward prospect Tij Iginla had 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 37 games with Edmonton and 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 22 games with Vancouver. Iginla (5-10, 170) was acquired in a trade with Vancouver on Jan. 5 along with a WHL third-round conditional draft pick in 2028 for forward Aaron Obobaifo and a conditional third-round pick in 2029.   

Rylan Singh, D, Guelph (OHL)

NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 201 (North American skaters)

Singh (6-0, 176) was second among Guelph defensemen with 23 points (four goals, 19 assists) and 116 shots on goal in 52 regular-season games. He missed 14 games because of an appendectomy, but returned to the lineup and scored one goal in four OHL playoff games. The 18-year-old from Pickering, Ontario, had a goal and an assist in the 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects game on Jan. 14.  

Jet Kwajah, D, Madison (USHL)

NHL Central Scouting ranking: No. 213 (North American skaters)

Kwajah (5-11, 177) was second among Madison defensemen with 27 points (seven goals, 20 assists) in 55 games. The 18-year-old right-shot from Etobicoke, Ontario, was third on Madison in assists, tied for third in power-play goals (three) and shared the team lead in power-play assists (11) with forward Michael Tang.