Canucks Expected To Promote Sedin Twins
More changes are inbound for the Vancouver Canucks front office. Legendary Canucks twins Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin were offered a promotion from their roles as development coaches per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast. The brothers accepted the offer for more work this weekend and are still working with the team to determine their new responsibilities, adds Irfaan Gaffar of Daily Faceoff. While it is not yet clear what duties the two will carry moving forward, they are not expected to move into a full-time or general manager role per Friedman.
The Sedins have served the Canucks front office since the 2021-22 season, three years after their retirement from the NHL. Their executive careers began as special advisors to Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin. Both brothers moved into a development role in the following season, where they more intimately supported the growth of Vancouver’s top youngsters, like Nils Hoglander and – at the time – Quinn Hughes. Vancouver boosted the Sedins’ role once more in 2024, involving them more in the day-to-day coaching duties and power-play strategizing under head coach Rick Tocchet.
The brothers have gradually climbed Vancouver’s organizational ladder and will now climb another rung. Their future duties are likely to continue lifting up the intent coaching and hockey strategizing that the Sedins have become known for in retirement. They could continue to support Canucks’ head coach Adam Foote, while also informing roster decisions or prospect management. The Sedins could also work more directly with Vancouver’s growing cohort of top prospects – including Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Aatu Raty, Braeden Cootes, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, and Tom Willander– as they transition into the NHL full-time. Vancouver will need to bank on their young guns growing into important roles after finishing the 2025-26 season in last place. Finding new ways to elevate the experience of two franchise legends, and veterans of over 1,300 NHL games, could prove to be an effective spur.
East Notes: Gudbranson, Malenstyn, Xhekaj
Among the pending unrestricted free agents the Columbus Blue Jackets have on their roster, few are more experienced than veteran defenseman Erik Gudbranson. Earlier this month, Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reported that the Blue Jackets will part ways with Gudbranson, but today The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reported that such a decision is premature. Both Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell and Gudbranson’s agent Pat Morris of Newport Sports Management told Portzline that “no such conversation has taken place.” Furthermore, Portzline wrote that “The Blue Jackets are hoping to sign Gudbranson” though actual negotiations on a deal have not yet begun.
Gudbranson, 34, has been with the Blue Jackets for the last four seasons, playing out a four-year, $4MM AAV free agent contract he signed with the club in the summer of 2022. A veteran of over 800 NHL games, Gudbranson has struggled to stay healthy in each of the last two campaigns. Shoulder surgery limited him to just 16 games played in 2024-25, while hip and upper-body injuries kept him to just 37 games this past year. It’s likely that if Gudbranson does re-sign in Columbus, it’ll be on a contract with a pay cut from the $4MM AAV he earned on his last deal.
Other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Buffalo Sabres forward Beck Malenstyn was fined $3,515.63, the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement, for goalie interference against Montreal Canadiens netminder Jakub Dobes. The play in question happened midway through the second period of last night’s game three. Malenstyn crashed the net hard and barrelled into Dobes, making seemingly little effort to avoid significant contact with the goalie. He was assessed a minor penalty on the play and Montreal scored on the ensuing power play to make it a 4-1 contest. Malenstyn, a physical fourth-line forward, scored 14 points in the regular season and led all Sabres players with 282 hits.
- Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj was fined $3,385.42, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for roughing Buffalo Sabres forward Sam Carrick. The play in question came at the end of the game, during a scrum. While the players were tussling, Xhekaj delivered a punch straight to Carrick’s head, dropping the veteran forward to the ice. The game was Carrick’s first in the lineup since March 31, as he was sidelined with an arm injury. Like Malenstyn, Xhekaj is one of his team’s most physical players, leading the Canadiens in hits this season with 178 in 65 games.
Avalanche Notes: Manson, Kiviranta, Ahcan
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson will be available to dress in game four of the team’s series against the Minnesota Wild tonight, head coach Jared Bednar told the media today. (via The Athletic’s Peter Baugh) Manson has been out since April 23 with an upper-body injury. He missed the final game of the Avalanche’s first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, and has missed the first three contests against the Wild.
When he was last in the lineup, Manson skated on the left side of the team’s third pairing, partnering with veteran Brent Burns. In Manson’s absence, Nick Blankenburg has occupied that role. Swapping Blankenburg for Manson would be a significant change, since Blankenburg is a quick, undersized defenseman (he stands 5’9″, 177 pounds) while Manson is a 6’3″ 218-pound defensive force. Bednar said today that he believes Manson’s physicality and size will be a boon against a heavyweight Wild team, meaning the Avalanche are likely eager to put him back in their lineup as they chase a 3-1 series lead.
Other notes from Denver:
- Bednar also stated that injured forward Joel Kiviranta will be an option tonight, though it is less clear that he will be placed into the Avalanche lineup as quickly as Manson might be. Kiviranta has missed five games with an undisclosed injury, but before his absence, skated as Colorado’s fourth-line left winger. Kiviranta’s spot in the lineup – though not necessarily his exact role – has since been filled by veteran Ross Colton. Bednar and the Avalanche may be less eager to swap out Colton for Kiviranta, simply given the fact that Colton has a stronger track record in the NHL (he has crossed the 15-goal mark four times) and has more playoff experience. Colton has played in 69 Stanley Cup Playoff contests and is a Stanley Cup champion.
- Jack Ahcan appears to have been recalled from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reported today. Ahcan has been a spare blueliner for the club and someone who has shuttled between the Avalanche and AHL Eagles quite a bit this season. The Eagles begin a Pacific Division Final series against the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Wednesday night, so Ahcan may only be on the NHL roster on a brief basis.
Canadiens Recall Four Players
The Montreal Canadiens announced today that they have recalled four players from their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket: Forwards Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj, as well as defensemen Adam Engström and David Reinbacher.
The Rocket were eliminated from the Calder Cup Playoffs yesterday, falling in the fifth game of their best-of-five North Division Semifinal against the Toronto Marlies.
These recalls help reinforce the depth of the Canadiens roster as they look to continue their push towards the Eastern Conference Final. Montreal took a 2-1 series lead against the Buffalo Sabres last night, courtesy of a 6-2 win in game three. Game four of the series is Tuesday night in Montreal.
These four players represent some of the best of the Canadiens’ organizational depth, and notably, none of the players recalled are even 23 years old. Beck and Engström were added to the Canadiens organization at the 2022 draft, part of a haul that has already become franchise-changing. Reinbacher was the No. 5 overall pick at the 2023 draft and Xhekaj, who is the younger brother of Canadiens blueliner Arber Xhekaj, was picked in the fourth round that year.
The player that is most immediately NHL-ready is likely Engström, a 22-year-old Swedish defenseman. After he was drafted in 2022, Engström spent two years developing at the professional level in his native Sweden playing for Rögle BK. In 2024, he crossed the Atlantic and made his debut in the Canadiens organization, playing in 66 games for the Laval Rocket.
Engström has had a stellar 2025-26 season, scoring 10 goals and 34 points in 45 games for the Rocket while also earning 15 NHL games with the Canadiens. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic rated Engström as the No. 6 prospect in Montreal’s system, calling him someone who “could become a No. 5-6” defenseman “with some modern elements” to his game.
The Canadiens’ defense already skews to left-shot blueliners, which means he faces stiffer competition in his efforts to land a full-time role in Montreal. That’s not the case for Reinbacher, the team’s No. 4 prospect according to Wheeler. Reinbacher is a big right-shot defenseman who plays a composed, steady game. Persistent injury issues have slowed the pace of his development, putting him behind some of his peers from the 2023 draft class. But he had a strong season playing in all situations in Laval and should be a real contender for an NHL role next fall.
Beck, 22, is Montreal’s No. 7 prospect according to Wheeler and is, like the two defensemen, on the cusp of making the leap to the NHL on a more permanent basis.
A hard-working two-way center, Beck scored 15 goals and 44 points in 64 games as an AHL rookie last season, and scored 13 goals and 33 points in 58 games this year.
He also added five points in five playoff games this season. Beck already has 28 NHL games under his belt and could push for a bottom-six role in training camp.
The fourth player recalled was Xhekaj, a forward who is one of Montreal’s faster-rising prospects. He was picked in the fourth round despite scoring just 25 points in his draft campaign in the OHL. But the Canadiens saw something in the forward that gave them the confidence to draft him in that round despite relatively low offensive numbers. Co-director of amateur scouting Nick Bobrov called Xhekaj a “unicorn” during the team’s pre-draft process.
Since being selected, all Xhekaj has done is reward the team’s faith in him. He became a point-per-game OHL scorer and had a strong rookie pro campaign with the Rocket in 2024-25, scoring 24 goals and 35 points. He also added 175 penalty minutes. This past year, Xhekaj scored 17 goals and 29 points, racking up 182 penalty minutes. His blend of size, physicality, and goal-scoring ability gives him a chance to become a well-liked bottom-six forward in the NHL.
All four skaters recalled today by the Canadiens are players who could very well play a role in the NHL next season. They represent the next wave of youthful NHL reinforcements the Canadiens are set to receive, fruits of a rebuild that already appears to be paying off. While none is particularly likely to draw into the lineup during this run, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see some – or all – of these faces in the NHL at this time next year.
Photos courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Boston Bruins Hypothetical Offseason Targets
As the Stanley Cup playoffs progress, it is becoming more evident that the remaining teams in contention for the Stanley Cup have a blend of speed and skill that benefits a team’s game in all facets. According to Shawn Hutcheon of The Fourth Period, the Boston Bruins are looking to add that exact attribute to their offseason checklist.
Before the 2025-26 NHL season, Bruins management entered with a clear indication of what style they wanted their roster to play like. A hard-nosed, physical team that would be a hard-out in every contest, no matter the circumstances. As a team with a fan base that expects a competitive hockey club to contend for a championship, this was the foundation laid by President Cam Neely and General Manager Don Sweeney in their construction of this past year’s Bruins squad.
The Bruins proved themselves a tough team to roll over throughout 2025-26; they ended with 18 wins (fourth in NHL) after allowing a goal first. Having made the playoffs after a tumultuous year in which they selected seventh overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, management found a key weakness in their first-round matchup with the Buffalo Sabres: speed. Neely said that it was an attribute that the team was looking to acquire in “one way, shape, or form.”
The Sabres finished second in the regular season in 18-20 mph skating speed bursts with 6962 per NHL EDGE, and had Beck Malenstyn, who finished with the top skating speed recorded all year at 24.94 mph. If you compare both teams in terms of speed bursts, Buffalo had nearly one hundred speed bursts at 22mph or higher. Boston’s players eclipsed that number just 54 times in comparison.
So where do the Bruins go from here? Now that their season has ended, they have a lengthy window to evaluate where they can address their lack of speed. Boston currently holds the 23rd overall pick as their highest of seven total draft picks that they’d ideally use to restock their prospect pool. If they wanted to, they could take a swing and make a trade for a player who could complement the team’s current forward group and elevate the team’s pace. How they’ll approach that remains to be seen, but with a little above $16MM in cap space, there is some wiggle room to find a fit.
Option 1: Owen Tippett
Tippett is a familiar name for those who kept tabs on the rumor mill with the Bruins during the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. The 27-year-old winger finished his 2025-26 season with 28 goals and 51 points in 81 games and added two points in six playoff games with the Flyers before suffering a sports hernia injury that sidelined him in Philadelphia’s eventual second-round loss to Carolina.
Tippett, with the tenth-highest top speed tracked at 23.97 mph, would be an accessible option for the Bruins to package assets in a trade for his services. Not only would he add the goal-scoring touch that Boston would benefit from in their middle-six forward group, but he finished this season 2nd among all NHL skaters in most +22 mph speed bursts with 61 total. He tallied more than stars like Tim Stutzle, Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Brayden Point, and trailed Connor McDavid (151) for most bursts above that mark.
Option 2: Bobby McMann
The forward with a 6-foot-2, 209 lb frame may not appeal as a speedy option when reading that profile, but McMann is a fast player at that size. McMann tracked the league’s seventh fastest top speed at 24.25 mph and finished with 28 speed bursts above 22 mph.
McCann’s current situation makes him an even more appealing option. The 29-year-old is coming off a 14-point stretch in 18 games after the trade deadline when the Toronto Maple Leafs sent him to the Seattle Kraken for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick. His 32 points with the Maple Leafs before that deal total 46 points in 78 games this past year. A career year will command a solid salary as McMann enters his 30’s, but one the Bruins could consider signing when July 1 hits.
Option 3: Olen Zellweger
Zellweger is a younger option the Bruins could consider; however, it would be one that would cost a prettier penny. Among all Ducks defensemen this past year, no one was faster than Zellweger. He tracked a top skating speed of 22.49 mph and eight +22 speed bursts
Zellweger had not seen ice-time in the playoffs in any capacity up until last night’s Game 4 win over the Vegas Golden Knights and hadn’t skated since April 7th of the regular season. He is 22 years old, and his entry-level contract is expiring, making him a restricted free agent this summer with Anaheim. The Bruins could use a youthful jolt on their left side, especially one with NHL experience; the former 2021 second-round pick had 22 points in 76 games this year.
Given the roster turnover Boston has had over the last two years, the team is significantly younger than it has been. Younger pieces like Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov are the team’s faster players, who could lean on speed development if none of these outside pieces become available. However, if the team wants to keep pace with the Montreal’s and Buffalo’s of the East, getting uncomfortable and making a swing would be in their best interest.
Hurricanes Sign Mark Jankowski To Two-Year Extension
According to a team announcement, the Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Mark Jankowski to a two-year extension through the 2027-28 season. The two-year extension is worth $3.7MM ($1.85MM AAV). Jankowski is in the final season of a two-year, $1.6MM ($800K AAV) contract that he originally signed with the Nashville Predators.
In the announcement, General Manager Eric Tulsky said, “Mark has been an excellent fit for our organization throughout his time here. He’s proven he can contribute in different ways, and we are glad he’s chosen to remain with the organization.”
Jankowski has spent his career bouncing between the NHL and AHL, including stints with the Calgary Flames, where he tallied a career-high 32 points in the 2018-19 season. He then played a year in Pittsburgh and Buffalo before signing with the Predators, playing between their farm system in Milwaukee and Nashville. This extension eclipses his previous highest contract value of $3.35MM ($1.68MM AAV) with the Flames in 2018-19.
The 31-year-old forward finished the 2025-26 regular season with 11 goals and 21 points in 68 games. He’s added an assist in eight playoff games so far this postseason. The Hamilton, Ontario native has been a mainstay for Carolina in their bottom-six since last year. The Hurricanes acquired Jankowski in a deal at the 2025 trade deadline that sent him from the Predators to the Hurricanes in exchange for their fifth-round pick in 2026.
The Hurricanes still have around $12.4MM in cap space entering this summer. Their unrestricted free agents include Nicolas Deslauriers in the forward group, as well as defenseman Mike Reilly and goaltender Frederik Andersen, with only Alexander Nikishin as a restricted free agent to round out their expiring deals. Carolina will also have Jusso Valimaki’s buried contract coming off the books, which will free up a small $850K.
Maple Leafs Assign Ben Danford To AHL
The Toronto Maple Leafs are bringing one of their top prospects to the professional ranks. According to an announcement from their AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs have assigned defenseman Ben Danford to the AHL for the Calder Cup playoffs.
Despite having one of the worst prospect pools in the NHL, Danford is generally regarded as Toronto’s top prospect, especially since Easton Cowan became a full-time NHL player this season. The Maple Leafs selected Danford 31st overall in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Since then, the 20-year-old native of Madoc, Ontario, has been playing for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals and Brantford Bulldogs. Still, his development path hasn’t necessarily gone as the Maple Leafs may have liked. After registering 33 points with a +27 rating in 63 games with the Generals during his draft season, Danford dropped to 25 points and a +5 rating through 61 contests the following season.
It is important to highlight that Oshawa has gotten worse around Danford over the past few seasons. After being traded to the Bulldogs during the 2025-26 campaign, Danford improved his game, scoring two goals and accumulating 16 points in 37 games, along with a +12 rating. Furthermore, he added three more points in 13 postseason games during the OHL playoffs.
Although his offensive output decreased, Danford has remained a quality player on the defensive side of the puck. He’s rarely caught out of position and holds tight gaps, giving opposing forwards little room to get around him.
Unfortunately, if he draws into the postseason lineup for the Marlies, things aren’t going to get any easier for Danford in the short term. Toronto is coming off a hard-fought battle against the AHL’s Laval Rocket and has drawn a date against the Cleveland Monsters, a team that made it to the Eastern Conference Final last season.
Devils Hire Braden Birch As Assistant General Manager
The New Jersey Devils have made their first front office hire under new General Manager Sunny Mehta. According to a team announcement, the Devils have hired Braden Birch to serve as the team’s Assistant General Manager and General Manager of the AHL’s Utica Comets.
Like Mehta, Birch is departing from the Florida Panthers organization to work in New Jersey. The Panthers hired the 36-year-old ahead of the 2016-17 season as a special assistant to General Manager Bill Zito. After his lone season as a special assistant, he was promoted to the team’s Director of Hockey Operations with a specialization in salary cap management.
Aside from that, the only connection he has to the Devils organization is through Mehta. Given that Mehta had been Florida’s Assistant General Manager for the last several years, it’s more than likely that the two worked closely together in their roles and have a good working relationship.
In the announcement, Mehta said, “Braden will be an extremely valuable addition to our senior hockey operations group. His blend of on-ice experience, management background, and intellect will serve him well in his new role. Braden will work to bolster all areas of our operation, and I look forward to him joining our existing front office, where his personality and work ethic will fit in excellently.”
Regarding Utica, Birch will have his work cut out for him. The Comets haven’t qualified for the Calder Cup playoffs since the 2022-23 season, losing on the last day of the regular season to the Rochester Americans this year. The team did a quality job on defense, but Utica was one of only six teams to not register 200 or more goals throughout the regular season. Birch will likely target offense this offseason on the free agent market to ensure that the Comets find their way back to the postseason in 2026-27.
Theorizing A Draft Day Trade For The Sharks
After winning the lottery last week, the San Jose Sharks have arguably the top trade chip leading up to the draft. According to recent reports, particularly from The Fourth Period, the Sharks are giving serious thought to moving the second overall pick for the right move.
This isn’t to say that San Jose wouldn’t love to have Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg, but they already have a glut of high-level forward prospects and only so many spots for them on the roster. Given their dire need for defensive help, it would make far more sense for the Sharks to draft one of Chase Reid, Keaton Verhoeff, or Carson Carels. Still, by all accounts, any of those defenseman would be considered a reach at second overall, given the drop-off in talent after McKenna and Stenberg.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many defensemen available on the trade market that would satisfy the immense value of the second overall pick this season. Dougie Hamilton of the New Jersey Devils and Morgan Rielly of the Toronto Maple Leafs are already known trade candidates heading into the offseason. Still, it’s highly unlikely that New Jersey and Toronto would add the necessary assets to get a trade over the finish line. Furthermore, there’s no chance that top-level defensemen like Zach Werenski, Quinn Hughes, or Cale Makar will be on the move anytime soon, if ever.
However, there may be an opportunity for San Jose to acquire one of the top defensive prospects available in this year’s draft, and a younger top-four defenseman in the same trade. Enter the New York Rangers.
The Rangers already have six defensemen signed through next season, with Scott Morrow also looking to crack next season’s opening night roster. Seeking a decent raise this summer, Braden Schneider was a blue liner that New York peddled at the deadline, and will presumably be available again this summer.
Obviously, Schneider wouldn’t come close to having the value in his own right for the second overall pick. However, the Rangers have the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft, which would give the Sharks a pathway to having a guaranteed shot at Reid, Verhoeff, or Carels (assuming McKenna and Stenberg are taken with the first two picks).
As previously mentioned, given the drop-off in talent after McKenna and Stenberg, it’s likely the Rangers would have to add a few more pieces to the trade to get it across the finish line, but not by much. Center Adam Edstrom, who hasn’t exactly worked out with the Rangers so far, could benefit San Jose by giving them more size on their fourth line. Additionally, New York has four third-round picks in the upcoming draft. Including one of those four may be enough to satisfy the Sharks’ demands.
The hypothetical trade, at least on paper, appears to be a win-win for both teams. The Rangers would have the ability to draft a new face of the franchise, especially one that can jump into the roster next season, and the Sharks could add a right-handed defenseman who is already ready to go, and one of the best defensive prospects available in this summer’s draft.
Regardless, there will be a lot of movement leading up to the draft, as is the case every year, and the Sharks could very well retain the pick and select either McKenna or Stenberg to put their offensive firepower over the top.
Czechia Shares World Championship Roster
With the 2026 IIHF World Championship getting started in Switzerland on Friday, May 15, Czechia also released their roster earlier today, joining Canada, United States, and Finland. The three goaltender, eight defensemen, 14 forward roster is below:
Goaltenders
Josef Kořenář (HC Sparta Praha, Czechia)
Petr Kváča (Bílí Tygři Liberec, Czechia)
Dominik Pavlát (Ilves, Liiga)
Defensemen
Marek Alscher (Panthers)
Tomas Cibulka (HC Motor České Budějovice, Czechia)
Tomáš Galvas (Bílí Tygři Liberec, Czechia) —
Libor Hájek (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Filip Hronek (Canucks)
Michal Kempný (Brynäs IF, SHL)
Jan Ščotka (HC Kometa Brno, Czechia)
Jiří Ticháček (Kärpät, Liiga)
Forwards
Ondřej Beránek (HC Karlovy Vary, Czechia)
Matěj Blümel (Bruins)
Jiří Černoch (HC Karlovy Vary, Czechia)
Roman Červenka (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Jakub Flek (HC Kometa Brno, Czechia)
Jaroslav Chmelař (Rangers)
Martin Kaut (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Michal Kovařčík (HC Oceláři Třinec, Czechia)
Dominik Kubalík (EV Zug, Swiss NL)
Jan Mandát (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
Matyáš Melovský (Devils)
Lukáš Sedlák (HC Dynamo Pardubice, Czechia)
David Tomášek (Färjestad BK, SHL)
Daniel Voženílek (HC Oceláři Třinec, Czechia)
Out of a group with less NHL talent, Hronek’s name jumps out on the page, a top defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks who played a career high 25 minutes a night this season. Missing superstar David Pastrňák, who came away as the top scorer of the tournament last spring, it is Hronek who will be leaned on heavily by the Czechs. Elsewhere, Chmelař, Alscher, Blümel, and Tomášek are the only other players on the team who skated in the NHL this year.
Tomášek joined the Oilers as a 29-year-old free agent, his tenure ending in December, returning to the SHL. Alscher and Blümel played in four games each, the former making a nice impression with Florida, while Blümel netted 21 goals in 58 games with the Providence Bruins, a step down from his AHL-leading 39 the year prior. Finally, Chmelař recorded just six points in 28 games with the Rangers, but at 6’4″ and just 22, he’s a nice piece to their future bottom six.
Moving along, Červenka will add another feather to his cap of a long career. Playing in the NHL with the Flames in 2012-13, he has since carved out a tremendous career spanning across several leagues, now aged 40. The forward has served as captain for Czechia across international competition for nearly a decade, including the Olympic Games, and he’s still a top scorer with HC Dynamo Pardubice.
Kubalík, Kempný, and Sedlák are recognizable former NHL names, the first of which with a 30-goal campaign to kickstart his NHL career with the Blackhawks six years ago. Unfortunately he was never able to replicate such production, leaving the NHL after 2023-24, and since playing in Swiss-A.
Rounding out the group of names to watch, Melovský and Galvas stand out as being young NHL hopefuls. Galvas, 20, is a notable prospect for the 2026 draft, expected to have his name called in the second or third round. A 5’10” lefty defenseman, his best trait is skating ability, impressively leading all defenseman in scoring on Bílí Tygři Liberec. Melovský, meanwhile, will be watched by Devils fans especially, a sixth round pick of the team in 2024. Already in North America, he came away with 26 points in 55 games with Utica in his first professional season. It’s a good start for a former fringe prospect who hopes his physicality will lead to an NHL role some day.
The Czechs will be lead by Radim Rulík. The 60-year-old served as the nation’s head coach in the Olympic Games, a highlight as part of his experience since joining the international circuit in 2021.