Who should the Vancouver Canucks draft at third overall?
Watching the NHL Draft Lottery was another painful experience for Vancouver Canucks fans.
There was a collective groan across Canucks nation as the lottery balls fell in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ favour on Tuesday, and that frustrated reaction was evident inside Rogers Arena as well.
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Lost in the disappointment is the fact that the Canucks will have their highest draft pick since 1999, along with four picks in the top 41.
Heck, there’s even a chance that either Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg could slide to the Canucks at No. 3, with a recent scouting poll putting their combined odds of going first overall at 70 per cent.
Assuming that McKenna and Stenberg do go first and second overall, here are eight other players whom the Canucks could select.
1. Caleb Malhotra
Position: Centre (left-shot)
Size: 6-foot-2, 183 pounds
Team: Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)
2025-26 stats: 65 GP, 29 G, 52 A, 81 PTS
Caleb Malhotra’s stock has been rising all year, but the OHL playoffs have likely cemented his place as a top-five pick. He’ll likely be the first centre taken off the board as well.
In the OHL playoffs, Malhotra led his Brantford teammates with 13 goals and 26 points in 14 games. Although Brantford has now been knocked out, Malhotra’s gaudy point totals are second in the OHL only to Cole Beaudoin, a 2024 first-round pick by the Utah Mammoth.
The Canucks have reportedly been very high on Malhotra, with ex-Canucks GM Patrik Allvin scouting him live during his last week on the job.
However, the Canucks might face a conundrum with drafting Caleb if they have a desire to hire Manny Malhotra, his father, as their next head coach.
2. Carson Carels
Position: Left defence
Size: 6-foot-2, 194 pounds
Team: Prince George Cougars (WHL)
2025-26 stats: 57 GP, 20 G, 53 A, 73 PTS
The top of the NHL draft is heavy on defencemen, and there’s seemingly been a rotating door of players who could be the first blueliner taken off the board.
While Chase Reid and Keaton Verhoeff have had their moments, there’s a strong argument for Cypress River, Man., native, Carson Carels, to have his name called at third overall.
Carels arguably blends offensive creation with physicality better than any other defender in this draft.
Not only that, but he’s already expressed his desire to be selected by a Canadian team.
3. Chase Reid
Position: Right defence
Size: 6-foot-2, 187 pounds
Team: Soo Greyhounds (OHL)
2025-26 stats: 43 GP, 18 G, 30 A, 48 PTS
As of now, Chase Reid is the odds-on favourite to be the first defenceman taken in the 2026 NHL draft. Some scouts even think there’s a chance he could go first overall.
A tall, right-shot defenceman with good offside instincts has some scouts comparing his game to Zach Werenski. Heck, Reid himself even said Werenski was a guy he modelled his game after.
Keaton Verhoeff (left) has seen his draft stock slide. (Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images)
4. Keaton Verhoeff
Position: Right defence
Size: 6-foot-4, 212 pounds
Team: North Dakota (NCAA)
2025-26 stats: 33 GP, 6 G, 14 A, 20 PTS
While Reid does have proponents of him being first-overall calibre, that opinion belonged to Keaton Verhoeff earlier in the season.
However, as his NCAA season progressed, Verhoeff’s topsy-turvy play on defence was exposed to a degree, which affected his draft stock.
He’s still projected to go third overall based on Elite Prospects’ Consolidated Rankings; however, Verhoeff is ranked as low as 11th overall on some boards.
5. Alberts Smits
Position: Left defence
Size: 6-foot-3, 205 pounds
Team: Jukurit (Liiga)
2025-26 stats: 38 GP, 6 G, 7 A, 13 PTS
It’s tantalizing to think about Zeev Buium and Alberts Smits manning the left side of the Canucks blue line for years to come.
While Buium is smaller, shiftier, and has a higher ceiling than Smits, the Latvian defenceman uses his size to give opponents a hard time defensively. Smits also projects as an offensive defenceman who likes to join the rush.
There have been some questions about his overall defensive game, but much of that stems from Smits being overly aggressive offensively. If he can hone that in, Smits has the makings of a physical, top-four defenceman.
6. Daxon Rudolph
Position: Right defence
Size: 6-foot-2, 203 pounds
Team: Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
2025-26 stats: 68 GP, 28 G, 58 A, 78 PTS
We profiled players the Canucks could take at third overall back in March. While this list remains largely unchanged, Daxon Rudolph is a new addition.
Much like Malhotra, the 6-foot-2 defenceman has boosted his stock with a memorable playoff performance in Prince Albert.
Draft Daxon Rudolph.
Draft Daxon Rudolph.
Draft Daxon Rudolph.
DRAFT DAXON RUDOLPH.@PARaidersHockey | #WHLPlayeroftheWeek pic.twitter.com/heoMdir5ws— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) May 4, 2026
On a team that has the Canucks’ top prospect, Braeden Cootes, Rudolph has been Prince Albert’s best playoff performer most nights. He currently leads the WHL playoffs with 23 points in 15 games. Nine of his 23 points have been goals.
7. Viggo Bjorck
Position: Centre (right-shot), right wing
Size: 5-foot-10, 172 pounds
Team: Djurgårdens IF (SHL)
2025-26 stats: 42 GP, 6 G, 9 A, 15 PTS
While some top prospects slowed down as the year went on, such as Stenberg or Verhoeff, the opposite was true of Viggo Bjorck.
Bjorck was elevated in Djurgårdens’ lineup as the season progressed, and he crushed it in his elevated role. He has three goals and 10 points in his last 15 SHL games, along with another three points in three playoff contests. He then went back to the U20 level, where he was utterly overqualified, posting 20 points in nine postseason games.
Despite being undersized, Bjorck is a dog on the puck. He has been stellar in transition and isn’t afraid to go to the dirty areas of the ice. It’s also worth mentioning that the Canucks drafted his older brother, Wilson Bjorck, last year in the fifth round.
8. Tynan Lawrence
Position: Centre (left-shot)
Size: 6-foot, 185 pounds
Team: Boston University (NCAA)
2025-26 stats: 18 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 7 PTS
There was a lot of hype surrounding Tynan Lawrence entering the 2025-26 season, but talk around him entering the top three has cooled.
Still, in a draft sparse on centres, Lawrence could be worthy of consideration in the top three.
He showed signs of figuring out NCAA hockey down the stretch, posting five points in his final six games. With an Aug. 8, 2008, birthday, he’s also one of the youngest players available in the draft.