Welcome to my very early first official ranking for the 2027 NHL Draft class.
This initial top 25 (plus 25 honorable mentions) follows a few weeks of my first dedicated work on next year’s age group, which is made up predominantly of 2009-born prospects.
Many of these players (the top names, the OHLers, the two Medicine Hat players and those who’ve played in multiple international events, like Swiss forward Jonah Neuenschwander) I’d already seen a lot. I’ve already written features about a couple of them. Others, I’ve just started poring over tape on or am returning to for the first time since November’s World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
There are names in the honorable mentions that are listed because of the way they’re viewed more than what they’ve accomplished (Russian honorable mention Daniil Yermolov is considered a top talent in this class but hasn’t played enough in the MHL for me to feel confident enough to slot him yet), and others who are included because of what they’ve accomplished more than how they project (tiny Czech defenseman Lukas Kachlir is one of the top players in this age group and you should know who he is, but without a growth spurt won’t be a top NHL prospect).
If you’re new to my draft coverage, this ranking will be followed by a preseason top 32 after the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, four top 64 lists throughout next season, and eventually my final top 100 draft board.
The 2027 class is headlined by WHL exceptional status defenseman Landon DuPont, the QMJHL’s best prospect since Alexis Lafrenière in Alexis Joseph and the best Russian draft class in years.
All of our draft rankings are packaged in our fully sortable user interface and broken down into tiers. My initial tiers are: 1-3, 4-5, 6-11, 12-25+.
Note that while I consult scouts, coaches, general managers, team staff and those around these players (their agents, skills coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, etc.) throughout the year, the following evaluations and rankings are strictly my own.
Here are full reports on the top 25 (honorable mentions sorted alphabetically).
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Tier 1
DuPont, the WHL’s first-ever exceptional status defenseman and second-ever exceptional status player after Connor Bedard, was immediately a top-end WHL D as a 15-year-old and set the WHL’s U16 scoring record (any position) with 60 points in 64 games last year, playing 22 minutes per game on a top team in Everett. He has now broken 60 points again as a 16-year-old and has been one of the very best players in all of junior hockey. His back-to-back 60-plus point seasons are both the most by a U17 D since Scott Niedermayer had 69 in 64 in 1989-90, and his 73 in 63 bested him this year.
More than just the production, though, Dupont is also a play driver in every area, with pristine underlying numbers and microstats in every tracked area. Zone exits. Zone entries. Denials. Shot creation. Pass creation. You name it. Even after a bit of a slower start to the year by his standards, he has been elite in every category this year for the Silvertips while playing 24-25 minutes. He has a lethal curl-and-drag release into his feet, excellent hands and both the IQ and the competitiveness to be consistently impactful in all three zones (he defends at a very, very high level, is strong for his size and reads the play as well off the puck as on it). He doesn’t have the elite feet that Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar have, which lowers his ceiling relative to theirs, but he has plus-level four-way mobility. He’s not viewed as the surefire No. 1 pick in next year’s draft, but he’s my No. 1 right now and looks like a future star defenseman in the NHL.
Read more in our feature here.
Joseph, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 QMJHL draft, is a big, strong, athletic, pro-built at an early age center with skill and a strong skating stride. He was dominant at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in November, leading Canada Red to gold and the tournament in goals with six in five games, and has been a top player on a rebuilding under-.500 team in Saint John this year, playing to above a point per game.
Joseph has played in all situations as a 16-year-old as a go-to player at five-on-five and on the PP, and a contributor on the PK. He can challenge opposing D with his combination of strength, good speed, and quick hands/touch around the net. He’s also comfortable trying things and taking guys one-on-one, and has scored some pretty goals this season, beating opponents off the rush and driving the net. He’s also in great shape at an early age, though there will likely be questions about whether he’s closer to maxxed out than his peers are there (that he’ll have to answer by taking another step next year). I wouldn’t say his competitiveness is the defining quality of his game, but he works, plays through contact and wants to be good both ways. He’s also a summer birthday, and with continued development, he could profile as the kind of center teams covet as a cornerstone piece.
Photo:
Michael Hawkins / QMJHL
Privalov had one of the better U17 seasons in MHL history this year, leading CSKA in goals and points and playing to a point per game (only Matvei Michkov has scored more goals at the same age, and only Michkov, Nikita Kucherov and Ivan Ryabkin have scored more points). He scored two hat tricks in his first eight games in the MHL, becoming the fastest player to do so and breaking a Kucherov record that had stood for 15 years. He’s also something his statistical contemporaries weren’t: a physically advanced, already 6-foot-4, 200-plus pound forward (he actually played half a dozen games at center this year and was a center pre-MHL but is currently viewed as a winger). He also impressed in November at Russia’s Future Cup, which sees its U18 team play its U20 team.
Privalov is a big, strong, powerful forward who can push through contact and, for his size, make plays off the rush with an already-patented drive move he uses to cut from his forehand to his backhand into a quick release. He has an NHL shot, a strong and balanced stride, quick and soft hands for his size (he accepts passes really well, an underrated skill) and a presence and joy about his game that reminisces of Juraj Slafkovský (though I think he’s further ahead at the same age and has a higher upside based on my preliminary read). He’s still very much learning the finer details of the game, but his raw talent and size make him a lot to handle out there. I’ll be fascinated to see how he fares against men and would expect him to get an early look next year.
Tier 2
Sundström is a driven and talented pro-sized center who has impressed as the top player on Sweden’s U17 team this year. He has had several standout showings internationally already and has clicked at a goal per game as a 16-year-old at the J20 level. He has a big-time shot that comes off his blade hard. He’s noticeably strong on his feet, plays through contact, wins battles and gets up and under sticks. He’s good in the faceoff circle. He’s a strong north-south skater who can drive down ice, win his routes and transport pucks. But he can also score off the flank on the power play, shows one-on-one attributes and has poise on the puck. It’s early, but he looks like the real deal to me.
Skvortsov led Nizhny Novgorod in scoring this year as a 16-year-old and did it by making some flashy plays with the puck and wearing a letter. He then kicked off the MHL playoffs with a four-goal game. He’s a highly talented left-shot winger whose offensive package features hesitations, a lightning-quick release in motion and real speed, with an ability to make plays in space and beat defenders and goalies. He’s also got great instincts on and off the puck and frequently gets loose for breakaways and rush chances. And while he’s still a little lean and can get pushed off of pucks, he looks like an athlete, and once he adds weight feels like a future top-six playmaker with quick strike ability — and maybe a star.
Tier 3
Meyer, a BU commit, is the best ’09 at the program and has looked like a potential top-10 pick whenever I’ve watched him with the U17 or U18 team (which, after he was called up, he has also become a top player on) this year. The son of former NHL defenseman Freddy Meyer, Carter is a competitive, well-rounded and talented center who has driven offence and kills penalties with the national team. He plays with his heads up, can play at different paces, protects and holds onto pucks well and has skill in possession and a quick release, but he’ll also go to the front of the net, play through contact, finish his checks, battle and occasionally take an emotional penalty. He’s also a strong skater who likes to attack one-on-one off the rush and go at defenders. He looks like a future top-six center.
Photo:
Rena Laverty / USA Hockey’s NTDP
The best skater I’ve seen in this class, and one of the best I’ve watched at 16, England’s game is defined by his elite breakaway speed and acceleration. He can pull away in straight lines or wind up through his crossovers and make guys miss. He has moments where he looks electric on the ice and pulls you out of your seat with his ability to create. And then on top of the speed, he has the quick-twitch hands to go with it and a decent shot. He has also played to positive two-way results and was challenged in Seattle this year to take on a lot of responsibility. He’s still got work to do on his habits away from the puck and how best to utilize and deploy his speed, and he’s a sub-6-foot center who needs to improve in the faceoff circle and may end up as a winger (they’ve already bounced him around position-wise with the Thunderbirds), but the talent and skating should take him a long way. He’s also an August birthday, so there’s runway for him to really put it all together and continue to take steps.
England finished this season with 51 points in 64 games and a team-best plus-12 rating.
Nelson, a late-birthday ’08 who was just days away from 2026 eligibility, has been a driver for that age group as one of its youngest players over the last two years. He’s a big, strong center who will follow in his brother Danny’s (an Islanders prospect) footsteps at Notre Dame. He has shown more offense at the same age than Danny did and is a better skater (he has a very strong stride) while also having his brother’s size, unselfishness and all-zone commitment. Nelson plays a driven game, has a pro shot, uses and plays off his linemates well and can play on the wall and to the net. He has some jump off the puck and keeps his feet moving to get open, too, which young players don’t always do. He’s also strong in the faceoff circle. Nelson just looks like he’s going to have a long pro career as a top-nine forward and potentially more than that.
Photo:
Rena Laverty / USA Hockey’s NTDP
Zhilkin, the younger brother of Jets prospect Danny, is a late-birthday ’08 who has been named captain of the Spirit. He’s a skilled “rat” who uses skating, cuts, handles and a dirty areas drive to make plays and stay around the puck between whistles, and then likes to get under the opposition’s skin after them. He’s the heartbeat of his lines and a play-driver who rises in big moments, wants to be in the fight, and can play on the perimeter or in the guts of the ice with his skill out wide and determination inside and around the net. He lacks ideal size but makes up for it in spirit (no pun intended) and is going to be a future fan favorite somewhere — and a favorite of his future linemates. Just last week, he was voted the Western Conference’s second hardest worker and second-best hands in the OHL Coaches Poll, a sign of respect from the opposition. He finished this year’s regular season with 36 goals, 75 points and 100 penalty minutes in 59 games. He’s also, by all accounts, a leader off the ice. He was really good at last summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup (where his role expanded as the tournament progressed), too.
Read more in our feature here.
Photo:
Eric Young / Saginaw Spirit
Jacobson has been one of the most productive young players in the WHL over the last two seasons and change at age 15-17 (and as a center no less). This season, he has worn an “A” as a draft-minus-one and has led the Wheat Kings in points (he finished with 85 in 63 games) and assists (60) for most of this year despite dealing with a lower-body injury he suffered in November and later played through (before the injury, he was one of the league’s leading scorers). He’s a pass-first pivot who should be one of the WHL’s top forwards in his draft year.
Jacobson is a heady, crafty, highly intelligent offensive player who drives a lot of offense on his lines with his playmaking and IQ. He has quick hands, soft touch on his forehand and backhand, puts pucks into great spots and with perfect timing and weight for his teammates, runs the half-wall on the power play and has a natural release. He’s a decent skater (though not an explosive one for his size). There have been times in my viewings when I’ve wanted him to get to the dirty areas offensively and play through contact a little more, but he’s competitive enough to potentially project as a center (he’s also strong in the faceoff circle and has won 55 percent of his draws this year).
His dad, Jared, owns the Wheat Kings.
Photo:
Jillybean Photography / WHL
Neuenschwander made headlines when he made his pro and World Juniors debuts at 15, and has now played in two World Juniors and scored multiple goals in the NL, one of the better pro leagues in Europe. He’s a 6-foot-3 winger who skates very well and can transport pucks in transition. He pursues pucks and forechecks. He makes plays and decisions quickly. He sees the ice well on PP and even started killing penalties late this season. He’ll go to the front of the net against older competition. He can protect and shade pucks well, cutting back along the wall to free himself. He definitely has some pro tools. But I also find when I watch him that he creates more than he finishes, so he’ll have to do more of that (which can be hard when you’re playing for a mid-tier country internationally or at the pro level as a teenager). He’s a good prospect, though, and looks like he’s going to have a long pro career.
Photo:
Steven Ellis / Daily Faceoff
Tier 4
Fitzhenry is a talented forward who has played both center (his primary position growing up) and the wing at the program this year and has made some of the U17 team’s nicer plays both inside the offensive zone and one-on-one off the rush. He has a shooter’s release and can cleanly beat goalies from mid-range with it. He has good dexterity, with quick hands and a soft first touch when he takes passes. Inside the offensive zone, he also quickly identifies the next play, often making it out of one of those first touches to play small area games with teammates. He’s also built pretty strong and is willing to work. He looks like a mid-to-late first-round type.
Photo:
Rena Laverty / USA Hockey’s NTDP
Yakunin is a good-sized center who, as a rookie in the MHL this season, wore a letter and had one of its more productive U17 seasons ever (and the most assists ever), albeit on a team with some firepower. He’s already big and strong, plays a pro-style game, contributing on both special teams in the MHL this season. Without the puck, he goes and gets it, plays a committed game and gets up and under sticks to track and take back possession. With it, he can build a head of steam and drive or slow the game down and find the trailer consistently (he likes to wait for options to open up in possession). His hands aren’t going to wow you like some of the other Russians in this class, but he has a lot of attributes.
Pustovoy, a December birthday, was the most productive U18 forward in the MHL this season despite only playing 16 and a half minutes per game with Yaroslavl — and bouncing between center and the wing. He also wore a letter for the U18 team at the Future Cup. He has good size and wants the puck in shooting areas so that he can get low and use his strong one-touch and catch-and-release shooting motions, often going to the slot or the flank to call for it. He has a dangerous snap shot off the rush, too. He pitchforks a little in his skating stride, and I would say has just average skating. I also don’t know if his skill level is dynamic despite the production. But he can score, he goes to good spots and he’s strong and will battle and finish his checks.
Cripps, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 WHL draft, was a prolific and accomplished minor hockey defenseman who won the CSSHL’s top D award at its U15 and U18 levels in back-to-back seasons, won its U15 MVP award, and played nearly 26 minutes per game to lead Canada Red to gold at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge this fall. As a rookie in the WHL, he has averaged 17-18 minutes per game on one of the WHL’s best teams and deepest blue lines this season and has been very productive for a summer birthday 16-year-old in those minutes. He’s a highly talented player with the puck, blending agile and impressive skating with excellent lateral hands to carry pucks up ice, evade sticks and make plays. He has deception inside the offensive zone and always has his head and eyes up to find lanes and puts pucks into space for teammates. He has an active disposition on both sides of the puck, too, with a want to activate and the feet to gap up, surf and angle the other way. He’s a sub-6-foot D in a class that looks like it has a lot of them, but if he grows an inch or two, he’s going to be a heck of a player.
He’s off to a strong start in the WHL playoffs right now, too.
Photo:
Mark Peterson / WHL
Meijer is a December ’08 who’s on the older side of the class, but still smaller. To go in this kind of range, he’s going to have to keep proving himself as a result. But to date? He has already been a top player at the J20 level (including in the playoffs) and impressed at multiple major international events. He has also already made his SHL debut. He has made some pretty, pretty plays this year, both internationally (including more recently at the February U18 Five Nations, where he scored a couple of the nicer goals of the event) and domestically with the puck in his hands as well. Add in legit skating, speed and smarts to the skill and craft he has, and there’s reason to believe that he’s a legit first-round prospect at his size. Those smarts extend to his play off the puck as a center as well.
Davidson, a Boston College commit who played last year at Shattuck St. Mary’s, impressed scouts at the Hlinka Gretzky with Team USA ahead of his jump to the WHL this season, registering six points in five games and looking like a legit pro prospect. He’s a big, strong, athletic winger with a legit NHL shot and good hands around the net. He’s also a powerful skater who gets around pucks, and handles and shields well, with an ability to attack through the middle or drive wide. It took him some time to get going in Medicine Hat as he adjusted to the new level in the WHL, but he got better and better as the season went on and was a dominant player in the league in the second half. While he’s listed as a winger most places, he also played a ton of center this year and won well over 50 percent of the more than 600 draws he took. He played stretches of that second half with the Ruck twins on the Tigers’ top line and stretches of successful play-driving and scoring away from them as well. He projects as a modern scoring power forward and scored 30 goals as a first-year WHLer this year. He’s still learning some of the little details, too (keeping his feet moving off puck) and has plenty of untapped potential despite his physically advanced build.
Photo:
Erica Perreaux / WHL
Shtyrkhunov had the second-most productive season in MHL history by a U17 D this year, playing 20 minutes per game (including on the PK even though his game tilts offense) for CSKA. He can skate and carry pucks in transition, and is eager to jump and activate off the puck when opportunities present themselves. He has good hands and some flow and swagger to his game. He sees the ice well and often stretches it or feathers passes into space for his teammates. I wouldn’t call him a game-breaker, but he’s a talented right-shot with skill. He also has a comfortable one-timer (though his wrister lacks some pop and he needs to get stronger). Defensively, his game is about timing, patience and a good stick as he’s not particularly physical. It’ll be important that he fills out if his game is to translate up levels.
Gutierrez, the top D with the program’s ’09s and one of the first players to be called up to play with the ’08s, is a two-way defenseman who is a good athlete and skater. In a class where filled with talented D in the 5-foot-10 to 6-foot range, he’s also got a little more size. And while he may not have their offensive elements and isn’t super physical, he moves pucks cleanly, can transport, can play in all situations, gaps up well and has a good stick.
Photo:
Rena Laverty / USA Hockey’s NTDP
Tait is a pro-sized, physical and competitive left-shot defenseman (notably the only one on this list) who can be counted upon to play tough minutes and did this season with both Wenatchee in the WHL (where he has averaged about 21 per game and been a go-to D zone and PK guy) and Canada Red at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (where he played the same role effectively and showed some offense). He’s mobile, plays hard every shift, can lean on guys and even fought this year. He also has some secondary offense, with a comfortable curl-and-drag wrister taking space off the point, a hard-and-on-target point shot from long distance, and a good first pass. It’s easy to imagine him at 200-plus pounds as a hard minutes NHL D with continued development.
Photo:
Keith Dwiggins / WHL
Santala has been the top player in Finland’s 2009 age group internationally and has stood out with the 08s in multiple U18 competitions as well. He’s a scoring center with a good one-touch shot in release that he can strike with, taking passes into small pockets of the O-zone. He’s also a decent skater who can score off the rush by getting open, but has also shown an ability to drive one-on-one out wide and has room to fill out his 6-foot-2 frame. His production in Finland’s top junior league this year doesn’t rise nearly to the point per game level that the country’s true draft stars have produced at in their U17 season, but he’s a late-July birthday as well. He has also looked the part of a comparable prospect to 2026 first-rounders Oscar Hemming and Oliver Suvanto with the U18 team. And while most of his goals are scored around the slot with a quick shot, he has good skill and skating and plays a premium position.
Gordon-Carroll is a well-rounded center who got off to a tremendous start to this season in Medicine Hat before getting banged up and slowing down a little. He’s one of the better skaters I’ve seen in the draft, with a strong lower third that has both obvious power and some quickness. He plays hard and wants to be a driver, with a willingness to work off the puck, play in the guts of the ice, and be a responsible player. When he’s at his best, he has a presence to his game and is involved in the action. He has quick hands and can attack directly and on angles to challenge D with a push into a slight change of direction. He has good stick placement when he’s pursuing an opposing carrier and a knack for forcing turnovers. He’s willing to play the body and win positioning, and is strong on his feet. He’ll occasionally make a rushed decision with the puck and needs to settle down at times, but he’s a very good player who should have a long career in the league as a middle-six C. He’s also strong in the faceoff circle.
Photo:
Erica Perreaux / WHL
Tomek is a well-rounded, high-effort, skilled forward who has already scored double digit pro goals in Czechia’s top flight (including a couple of highlight reel ones) and was considered for their World Junior team in his draft-minus-one season, which included a goal against Finland and primary assist against Switzerland in their November U20 Five Nations (albeit he is an October birthday). He plays center for the Czech U18 team, but has played the wing professionally. He’s a good skater with quick feet who keeps his feet moving off the puck, can turn and round corners in a hurry, and does a nice job being opportunistic to jump to get open (which is complemented by a good one-touch shot). He really works off of the puck to break up plays and be disruptive with his stick, too. I don’t know if at his size he’ll be a first-rounder, but he has got skill, skating, scoring, instincts and two-way commitment level, and I felt he warranted a placement here based on what he has shown to date.
Eshkawkogan was named to the OHL’s First All-Rookie Team last year and has emerged this season as a top D on a top team in Ottawa, playing 20-plus minutes per game. The 67’s are a by-committee team this year, and he has been their game breaker at times. He was also named the Eastern Conference’s third-best skater and third-best offensive defenseman in this year’s OHL Coaches Poll. He’s a late birthday and lacks ideal size, but he’s strong on his feet, is extremely mobile and can break down coverage laterally on the attack. He’s also a zone-exit and entry machine who transports a lot of pucks down ice and makes a lot happen in give-and-gos off entry or downhill moments swinging across the offensive zone and into the slot. I’ve liked his stick-on-puck D and gap-setting defensively as well. He’s fun to watch, and I think ahead of fellow late-birthday 5-foot-11 offensive right-shot OHL D Levi Harper in Saginaw by a hair (though I’ve got time for both). He first caught my eye at U17s for his ability to walk the line, and I’ve been impressed ever since. He’s also off to an excellent start in this year’s OHL playoffs.
Photo:
Brandon Taylor / OHL Images
Edgar, a Michigan commit, was a captain in minor hockey and is a talented center (though he started the year on the wing, he moved back to the middle in January and has stayed there) who has become one of Niagara’s best players as the season has progressed, often playing 20-25 minutes per game down the stretch. He has quick hands and can make guys miss jumping past them laterally. He’s a good skater who can play off the rush and release from coverage to win foot races to pucks and keep plays alive. He’s a smart player in all three zones, is reliable off the puck and sticks with plays. Despite being on the smaller side, he’s also a quiet competitor who is willing to play in contact. He’ll need to grow to fulfill his potential, but he’s arguably been the most consistently noticeable 16-year-old in the OHL this year.
Photo:
Natalie Shaver / OHL Images
Tier Honorable Mention
C
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Tier Honorable Mention
DEL
C
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Tier Honorable Mention
USHL
LW
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Tier Honorable Mention
NTDP
C
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Tier Honorable Mention
J18
C
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Tier Honorable Mention
J18
RW
🇺🇸
Tier Honorable Mention
NTDP
RHD
🇺🇸
Tier Honorable Mention
OHL
C
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Tier Honorable Mention
Czechia
RHD
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Tier Honorable Mention
J20
RHD
🇨🇿
Tier Honorable Mention
Czechia
LW
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Tier Honorable Mention
J18
C
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Tier Honorable Mention
USHL
RHD
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Tier Honorable Mention
Liiga U20
C
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Tier Honorable Mention
OHL
RW
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Tier Honorable Mention
OHL
LW
🇱🇻
Tier Honorable Mention
USHS
C
🇸🇪
Tier Honorable Mention
J18
C
🇺🇸
Tier Honorable Mention
NTDP
C
🇷🇺
Tier Honorable Mention
MHL
C
🇨🇦
Tier Honorable Mention
USHL
LW
🇺🇸
Tier Honorable Mention
NTDP
RW
🇸🇪
Tier Honorable Mention
J18
C
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Tier Honorable Mention
OHL
C
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Tier Honorable Mention
OHL
LW
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Tier Honorable Mention
MHL
