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2026 NHL draft: Blackhawks could still be beneficiaries at fourth overall originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Chicago Blackhawks finished the 2025-26 NHL season with the second-worst record, giving them the second-best odds in the draft lottery. Ultimately, the Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks jumped ahead of them, pushing them into the fourth spot.
The initial reaction felt like a loss, as the two best players in the draft are wingers, and that’s exactly what the Blackhawks need: a winger for Connor Bedard.
Since then, the feeling has changed. The Sharks aren’t guaranteed to draft Ivar Stenberg at No. 2, and the Vancouver Canucks could pair the father-son duo of Manny and Caleb Malhotra. The Blackhawks need game-breakers, and that’s what they are hoping to get at fourth overall.
Let’s look at the five best options for the Blackhawks in the 2026 NHL draft.
5. Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford Bulldogs
The Blackhawks have several players that fit the profile of Malhotra, and they have no shortage of young centers, but it’s easier to transition a center to the wing than vice versa. Having too many capable two-way centers is not a bad thing.
Standing 6-foot-2, the left-handed center Malhotra was dominant in his rookie OHL season, scoring 29 goals and 84 points in 67 games before exploding in the playoffs for 13 goals and 26 points in 15 games. Malhotra plays a refined game, using his body to win pucks back and his skating to create offense.
The 18-year-old likely isn’t the Blackhawks’ first choice, but he would still be a great pick for the Blackhawks.
MORE: Vancouver Canucks must pair father-son duo of Caleb and Manny Malhotra
4. Alberts Smits, D, Jukurit (Fin.)
Alberts Smits may be the most NHL-ready defenseman in the draft, and for a Chicago team looking to begin winning and competing for a playoff spot, Smits could help them do so.
Drawing comparisons to defenders like Moritz Seider and Brandon Montour, Smits is a two-way defenseman with excellent size and a fearless attitude. He played the 2025-26 regular season in Finland, where he excelled, before heading to Germany on a loan for the DEL playoffs.
Throughout all of that, he more than held his own for Latvia at the world juniors, Olympics, and the World Championship. Although his style of play isn’t a glaring need for the Blackhawks, Smits would still elevate the Blackhawks roster instantly.
3. Keaton Verhoeff, D, North Dakota (NCAA)
Opinions on Keaton Verhoeff have changed throughout the season, but the same remains: he is a physically dominant defenseman with high upside.
Verhoeff’s defensive game improved drastically in his freshman season in the NCAA, but his offensive game took a bit of a hit in the process. That could prove to be influential for his development in a positive way, but for now, it’s hurt his stock just a tad.
Verhoeff’s game could be unlocked if his skating improves. At 6-foot-4, it’s unrealistic to expect Verhoeff to skate around the ice like Quinn Hughes or Cale Makar, but Verhoeff’s foot speed needs to improve to avoid forecheckers. His first pass could also be better, but if those two elements improve, Verhoeff will be a fantastic NHLer.
With his booming shot and offensive instincts with the puck in the opposition’s end, Verhoeff could man the Blackhawks’ power play and give them a scoring threat from the blueline.
MORE: 2026 NHL draft: Can the Canucks still find a franchise-altering player?
2. Chase Reid, D, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
Unlike Verhoeff and Smits, Chase Reid is an offensive defenseman who has the ability to be a game-breaker from the back end. The Blackhawks don’t lack defensive depth in their prospect pool, but no player matches the offensive skills Reid brings.
In 2025-26, Reid scored 18 goals and 48 points in 45 games, while also being a standout performer for a disappointing Team USA at the world juniors.
Reid isn’t a perfect prospect - his defensive game needs fine-tuning - but he would transform the Blackhawks’ offensive game and could form the No. 1 center and No. 1 defender duo that has proved to be successful in the NHL.
MORE: 2026 NHL draft: Do the Sharks give Macklin Celebrini another star winger or a No. 1 defenseman?
1. Ivar Stenberg, LW, Frolunda (Swe.)
Ivar Stenberg could go in any of the first three spots in the draft, but there is also the possibility that the first three picks are Gavin McKenna to Toronto, Reid to San Jose and Malhotra to Vancouver. If that happens, Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson would submit his pick instantly.
Stenberg would be perfect alongside Bedard. He’s a skilled winger with great playmaking instincts. He could take some of the puck-carrying duties off of Bedard and open up the game for him. Just as importantly, Stenberg plays a solid two-way game, which would help Bedard and the Blackhawks in their own end.
Not much more needs to be said about Stenberg. He had a historic SHL season, posting 33 points in 44 games and was arguably Team Sweden’s best player at the world juniors, where they won gold, and was selected to Sweden’s World Championship roster, where he once again proved he can compete with men.
It might take some good fortune to land Stenberg, but he can instantly change the direction of the team overnight.
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