theathleticuk
The Sixteen Mile Sports Complex in Oakville, Ontario, played host to the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge last week, drawing NHL scouts, CHL executives, and NCAA recruiters. Conversations among these groups revealed a prevailing disillusionment with the 2027 NHL Draft class, even though those players were not in action at the event. One scout described the class as “a lot of pretty good,” while others voiced more pointed concerns.
Three scouts extended their trips to take in OHL games, hoping to see top 2027 prospects. However, they left unimpressed by Guelph’s Jaakko Wycisk and Timothy Kazda, as well as Kitchener’s Luca Santala—all of whom were considered surefire first-rounders entering the season. A western Canada-based scout noted that no WHL player has seized the spotlight out west. In the QMJHL, top prospects Alexis Joseph and Carter Meyer have frequently been outplayed by draft-eligible teammates Jamie Glance and James Scantlebury when scouts were in attendance. Others lamented that none of the so-called top talents have definitively asserted themselves. Russian prospects of note are seeing limited ice time, Milan Sundström has been solid in Sweden’s second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan but doesn’t project as a top pick, and Sammy Nelson is playing well but not producing at Notre Dame. Scouts appreciate the athleticism and profile of Jonah Neuenschwander—some very much so, with one suggesting he might be the closest challenger to Landon DuPont when all is said and done—but they are unsure of his ceiling. Saginaw’s Dima Zhilkin is universally admired (one NCAA recruiter said he might take him No. 1), yet at 5-foot-10, he doesn’t fit the typical top-pick mold.
In contrast, the talent on display for the 2028 class in Oakville was far more exciting. At last year’s U17s, Joseph was the star; this year, several players looked like more promising NHL prospects. Maddox Schultz continued to make a case for the No. 1 pick and potential franchise center, dominating all five games for Canada White with his speed, tenacity, and skill. His Regina Pats teammate and fellow 2028 star, Liam Pue, started slowly but finished second to Schultz in tournament scoring with 10 points in five games. Pue’s maturity level is noticeably behind Schultz’s, but his ability to score from anywhere has already been on display in Regina and at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. “His skill set is better than Maddox’s one-on-one with the puck,” Pats head coach David Bell recently told The Athletic. “He doesn’t have the same package as Maddox, but once he starts to figure out how good he is and how big his body is and how he can use it, he’s going to be a handful. He already is a handful, but he’s going to be a big problem.”
Sudbury forward Kash Kwajah has looked like a top-five talent for 2028 when watched with the Wolves, and he stood out as the biggest non-Schultz performer for Canada Red in Oakville. Sudbury GM Rob Papineau invoked Steve Yzerman’s name in a conversation about Kwajah earlier this year, and an OHL source said his vision reminded him of Claude Giroux in junior. Kwajah is fun to watch and possesses all the makings of a top-line forward.
In USA Hockey circles, Joey Cullen was discussed as a potential No. 1 pick ahead of the 2010 age group’s arrival at the NTDP. While he hasn’t consistently looked the part in viewings, his skill level with the puck surpasses any forward in the 2027 class, and his potential is evident. His NTDP teammate Jack Trupiano left something to be desired at times in Oakville, but he has looked like a high-end goal scorer early this season. The 2010 age group at the program appears to be the strongest in recent years—and that’s without Brantford forward Aiden Kelly, who has been as impressive as any American 2010 watched this year. Those with the Bulldogs already speak of him with the same enthusiasm once reserved for Caleb Malhotra, who went third overall in 2026. Kelly is a power forward with strength and skill that NHL teams will covet.
Czech defenseman Matyas Michalek anchored his team to a silver medal and had people—including one recruiter—talking again in Oakville. At 6-foot-4, he already looks pro-ready in his posture, skating, build, and firmness, possessing all the tools typical of the first defenseman selected in a draft. Saginaw’s 6-foot-6 Russian import defenseman Gordei Khotkov keeps being mentioned by scouts and OHL personnel as another potentially very early pick in 2028. His name hasn’t been widely discussed publicly, but if he continues improving at his current rate, he could also be the first defenseman off the board.
That’s already eight names that people don’t have to strain to get excited about. And while it’s far too early to assess the overall depth of the 2028 class—much will change in the next year and a half—NHL scouts would be hard-pressed to provide an equal number of names for 2027. Others will surely emerge, too. Newfoundland Regiment forward Benjamin Veitch was too old for the U17s but has already been a standout for Canada at the Hlinka. Finnish forward Paavo Fugleberg has recorded his first pro point and has been a top player at both the Hlinka and U18 worlds. Whether those two become top-five picks is uncertain, but both look like first-round talents. That’s also the range evaluators at the U17s project for Muskegon Lumberjacks standout Zaac Charbonneau, who built on a strong USHL start with a good week in Oakville.
Key Analysis
Annual proclamations that the next draft class is superior often surface around the trade deadline, suggesting NHL teams should target future picks in transactions. Such claims proved unfounded for 2025 and 2026. This assessment comes even earlier—months before the deadline, when most of these players were still in minor hockey and have only just begun their junior careers. Yet, there is reason to believe 2028 will indeed be better than 2027, and that sentiment carries weight given the source.
Originally reported by theathleticuk.