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2026 NHL Draft Notebook: Five early season risers
Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis(sellishockey)
Nov 7, 2025
Gio Pantelas (Jeremy Champagne/WHL)
Credit: Gio Pantelas (Jeremy Champagne/WHL)

We’re in the midst of the final IIHF international break before the World Juniors, meaning we’ve had plenty of opportunities to watch top young prospects playing their hearts out this week.

It’s this week every year when scouts start to realize how small the sample size is with the players they’re chasing for June. Many leagues have played around 20 games so far, so we’ve got a solid idea of who’s capable of what.

Today, we’re looking at five players who weren’t receiving a ton of love heading into the draft campaign, but have started to pick up steam. Some of them might continue to rise up the rankings, while others might fade into the background. Either way, these are five players you need to know:

Alexander Command, C (Orebro, Sweden U-20)

Command wasn’t too high on my radar heading into the season. He wasn’t on the Swedish Hlinka Cup roster and has little international experience. But in the Swedish U-20 league, he’s been incredible. He has 11 goals and 22 points in 14 games with Orebro, putting him just one point behind potential first-round pick Marcus Nordmark among all U-18 skaters. He’s up with the Swedish U-18 team now, and he’s been one of the best forwards so far.

Command stands at 6-foot-1, and he loves to play with a physical edge. He’s an explosive skater who plays with a ton of energy and is no slouch defensively, either. I’m surprised he isn’t getting more love, honestly – his ability to find multiple ways to be effective every single night makes him intriguing. I think he’ll improve upon his “W” rating from NHL Central Scouting (projected 6th-7th round pick).

Joe Iginla, RW (Edmonton Oil Kings, WHL)

Iginla comes from deep hockey bloodlines, and it looks like his draft season closely resembles his brother Tij’s. Tij had a quiet Draft-1 season after playing a deeper role. But once he was promoted to the top line in Kelowna, he managed to break through in a huge way. The same seems to have happened to Joe, who is tracking for over 30 goals and 50 points after putting up just 16 points a year ago.

Iginla is a good shooter who can get his release off from just about anywhere. He’s also working on using his body a bit more to win battles and get himself into scoring positions. He has struggled with some game-to-game consistency as of late but he’s still shooting a lot and I think his full-season point pace will continue to improve as the season wears on.

Petr Tomek, C (HC Energie Karlovy Vary, Czechia)

Between Czech league play, and his recent action at the U-20 national team level, Tomek is playing like a man on a mission. He has eight goals and nine points in 20 games in the top Czech pro league – no other top-level U-18 player has even registered a point yet. He still has well over half the season to go, but Tomek is one goal away from tying Jiri Kulich for the most goals by a U-18 player over the past decade. Tomek is going to smash that with little difficulty.

Tomek is 5-foot-9, which will definitely take away a bit of shine. But at this point, he’s one of the most exciting Czech-born players, and someone who looks to be in serious contention for Czechia’s World Junior team. I like how Tomek is always skating and looking to get himself into scoring position. He’ll need to grow to have a clear path to the NHL, but scouts definitely know he can shoot.

Giorgos Pantelas, RHD (Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL)

The more I watch Pantelas, the more I like him. I thought he looked great at Canada’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup camp, but then put up a goose egg on the scoresheet. The strong, 6-foot-2 defender has blown away expectations early this season, though. He had 10 points a year ago, but needed just 10 games to surpass that this year. For a guy known more for being difficult to beat in the D-zone, he’s having a massive impact in the offensive zone while even upping his physical game, too.

Pantelas is a big defender who’ll give you little room to work with on the rush. While he is more engaged with the puck, I feel like he never tries to do more than he’s capable of – he sticks inside his comfort zone. Fortunately, that comfort zone has grown by 50x this season, which is giving the Wheat Kings so much to be excited about. I’m starting to wonder if he goes in the second round this year.

Victor Plante, C (USNTDP)

I continue to be really impressed with the Plante family. Max is the NCAA’s leading scorer, while Zam isn’t far behind. Now, Victor is looking great with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. They essentially roll lines there, but Plante has been USA’s No. 1 center, for the most part. He’s currently taking part in the U-18 Five Nations tournament in Sweden, where he has been USA’s most impactful player. I love the way he finds his teammates and is always moving with his quick footwork.

The knock against Plante, though, is his 5-foot-10 frame. He’s definitely on the small side and his intensity tends to suffer as a result. You’ll rarely find him battling along the boards to win the puck – he prefers to beat you through the middle of the ice. I’m not sure that’s something he’ll be able to adjust on the fly, but the University of Minnesota-Duluth commit at least makes up for it with what he does with the puck.

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