Buck's Blog

Ethan Belchetz | LW | Windsor Spitfires (OHL) | 6'5, 226 lbs | DOB: March 30, 2008 The concern with Belchetz is a fair one: how much of his production comes from sharing a lineup with Liam Greentree and Jack Nesbitt? On a team loaded with talent, the draft-eligible winger has more than held his own, posting 34 goals and 59 points in 57 games during the 2025-26 campaign, following a rookie season where he earned a spot on the OHL Second All-Rookie Team after putting up 38 poin

Before we even get to the tape, it's worth appreciating where Gavin McKenna comes from. Born December 20, 2007, in Whitehorse, Yukon, McKenna grew up far from any traditional hockey hotbed, the son of two hockey-playing parents, his father building him an outdoor rink every winter. That kind of origin story has a way of producing hungry players. He became the first Yukon-born player to be drafted first overall in the WHL, selected by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2022 bantam

Keaton Verhoeff, a towering, 6 foot 4, 212 pound force on the blue line, is rapidly ascending the 2026 draft boards, positioning himself as a rare, right handed specimen who combines elite size with modern mobility, which makes him a legitimate threat for the first overall selection, even when measured against high octane offensive forwards like Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg. Right handed defensemen with his specific physical dimensions and high end skill set are essentially

When Sweden captured gold at the 2026 World Junior Championship, their first since 2012, it wasn't just the victory that turned heads. It was the way 18-year-old Ivar Stenburg dominated the tournament, leading his team in scoring with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in seven games, including a three-point performance in the gold medal game against Czechia. But for those who've been watching closely, this was merely confirmation of what I've known all season from studying