The 2026 NHL Draft is full of incredibly exciting prospects, and while there's plenty of debate about which prospect is better than this prospect, there's always ones that go highly overlooked.
This year, perhaps the most overlooked prospect in the draft is Lacombe, Alberta native Daxon Rudolph, who has done nothing but dominate the Western Hockey League across the past two seasons. So is he a fit for the Calgary Flames?
Let's take a look at the very impressive 18-year-old defenseman that has immense upside, especially on the offensive side of the ice.
Pre-Draft Production
Year | Team | League | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024/25 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 64 | 7 | 34 | 41 | +13 |
2025/26 | Prince Albert Raiders | WHL | 68 | 28 | 50 | 78 | +32 |
In just two seasons in the Western Hockey League, Rudolph has taken a massive leap forward, scoring four times the amount of goals and almost double the points in his second campaign as he helped lead the Prince Albert Raiders all the way to the WHL Championship Series. This development shows what immense offensive upside Rudolph has, and it doesn't stop in the playoffs either, as he has combined for 10 goals and 39 points across 30 games in the past two years.
It's not quite historic level production like what we saw from Flames young blue liner Zayne Parekh in his pre-draft process, but the improvements all over the ice are what make Rudolph a potential star in the NHL. He will likely be back for his third season in the WHL in 2026/27, and if the Flames were to take a chance on him, there's a good chance we could be looking at an 80+ point campaign from the 18-year-old when that happens.
Strengths
Speed in the modern game is what wins, and thankfully for Rudolph, he has plenty of that, and alongside his lightning quick speed, he plays a very patient game, which isn't a combination that many players have in their pre-draft process.
If that isn't good enough already, Rudolph is also very intelligent at both ends of the ice, and with a booming shot from the blue line, he's built for the modern NHL, and could make an impact immediately when he arrives. With all of these tools, Rudolph isn't small either as he stands 6-foot-3, 207 pounds, and as he grows into his body and becomes more comfortable playing against grown men, he should be able to easily adapt with all the tools at his disposal.
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