Stenberg potential No. 1 pick in 2026 Draft after eventful season for Sweden

The 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The first round will be June 26 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and 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, a look at forward Ivar Stenberg from Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

Robert Ohlsson knew he was seeing something special the first time he watched Ivar Stenberg play.

Ohlsson was attending a game in Sweden's junior league when he saw Stenberg, who was starring for Frolunda's team.

"I remember I watched the junior games, the U-20 team, last year, and I was like, 'Wow, this guy really can play,'" Ohlsson said.

Ohlsson got to see just how right he was this season as Stenberg's coach with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League.

The 18-year-old had 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 43 games, the fifth-most points ever by an 18-year-old SHL player, and most since Daniel Sedin (42 points) and Henrik Sedin (34 points) in 1998-99. He's No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters and a possibility to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft ahead of Penn State forward Gavin McKenna, the projected favorite to be selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"I would say I can play a really good two-way game that you don't see too often," Stenberg said. "I have good offensive skills, and I'm good in D zone. That's a really rare combo nowadays, and that's something that's good."

Despite his age, Stenberg (5-foot-11, 190 pounds) felt confident he would be able to showcase his full skill set this season.

"His blend of speed, first-step quickness and balance makes him a dangerous, dynamic skater who can both create and finish plays," NHL Director of European Scouting Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen said. "Offensively, he displays elite hockey IQ and patience with the puck, often distributing with precision on the power play and in tight spaces. His vision and timing enable him to open up lanes and create high-quality scoring chances."

And he's managed to do that against opponents at all levels this season.

In addition to his standout SHL play, he helped Sweden win the gold medal at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. He tied for the team lead with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in seven games, with arguably his best performance coming in the gold medal game against Czechia.

He assisted on Victor Eklund's second-period power-play goal and then turned in one of the strongest individual efforts of the tournament to set up a goal by Sascha Boumedienne. 

Stenberg skated the puck the length of the ice, cut back in the left corner, circled back to the blue line, skated across the top of the offensive zone and found Boumedienne for a one-timer that held up as the game-winning goal in a 4-2 victory, one Stenberg sealed with an empty-net goal with eight seconds remaining.

"The guy's unreal," Boumedienne said. "He does whatever he wants out there. He has a sense of urgency, but a calm at the same time. He's such a cool mind and knows exactly what to do at all times. It's pretty impressive. It's fun to watch."

There was more of the same at the 2026 IIHF World Championship, when he had eight points (four goals, four assists) in eight games, including another highlight-reel play against Czechia during the preliminary round. He picked up the puck in the neutral zone with speed, drove through the middle of the ice, slammed on the breaks to lose a defender, and fired a shot from the top of the circles.

Stenberg played on the top line all eight games and was voted one of Sweden's three best players at the tournament.

"It was awesome to be around NHL guys and be with them every day," Stenberg said. "It was super fun and something I will remember for the rest of my life."

Ohlsson said he saw Stenberg play the same confident style at Worlds that he did in the SHL.

"He doesn't get shy or he doesn't hide, he still has that give-me-the-puck mentality that is always nice to see," he said. 

Among the many following along was Ivar's older brother, Otto Stenberg. The forward prospect, chosen by the St. Louis Blues in the first round (No. 25) of the 2023 NHL Draft, was playing for Springfield in the American Hockey League playoffs but made sure to watch as much of Ivar's games as he could.

"It's a great tournament and playing with such great players on a line like Lucas Raymond, I think he can learn a lot from all the NHL guys and maybe ask a lot of questions," Otto said. "I'm pretty sure they helped a lot. The whole experience to play against great players, play for your country, and also play with some pretty good NHL players, that's things can help him a lot."

Otto and Ivar get along much better now than when they were younger. The Stenberg hockey family is a large one. Their father, David Stenberg, had a short professional hockey career in the lower levels of Sweden. And along with Otto, 21, Ivar has a younger brother, Knut, who is a 16-year-old defenseman who played for Frolunda's team in Sweden's under-18 league this season. They also have three cousins around their age who played at various levels.

It made the Stenberg home in Stenungsund, Sweden, a popular one for pickup hockey games.

"It was a lot of hockey," Otto said. "We played a lot in our backyard and on the streets. We used to compete against each other, with each other, and played a lot of different sports. But a lot of street hockey and inline hockey and stuff. So, yeah, it's been a lot of hockey where we grew up. It's been a lot of fun." 

All the battles certainly have helped each progress in his own career. Otto made his NHL debut this season with 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 32 games. Knut is a 2027 NHL Draft prospect who likely will play in Sweden's under-20 league next season.

Meanwhile, Ivar is poised to potentially play in the NHL as soon as next season. His play in the SHL and the World Championship certainly showed how close he is.

Ohlsson said he'd like to see Stenberg shoot the puck more and have even more of a scorer's mentality, but Ivar left the World Championship feeling he was in a pretty good spot already.

"I think so," he said. "I think every day at the World Championship I got more and more confident."