2026 NHL draft prospect watch list: McKenna ... then whom?

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With the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup wrapped up, the unofficial start of the 2026 NHL draft scouting season has begun. Junior teams kick off training camp in the next few weeks, NCAA players are settling into campus, and hockey season is right around the corner.

As was the case last year, certain players will dominate the conversation atop the class. Because of rule changes, we're seeing players make the jump from Canadian major junior play to the NCAA. It will be interesting to track how those players develop -- and the impact that older competition has on them.

NHL teams made it clear in the 2025 draft that big defensemen and skilled forwards with bite are valued at a high…