The 2026 NHL Draft is full of incredibly talented defenders, and while that's the case, there's certainly different levels to just how good those players can be. At the top are players like Keaton Verhoeff, Carson Carels, Chase Reid and Alberts Smits, but beyond that, a team picking later in the lottery can still find plenty of value.
One such player is British Colombia native Ryan Lin, who has been consistently evolving across two full seasons in the WHL, and while he lacks the size of some top names in the draft, he still has high level talent and upside.
So, should he be the pick for the Calgary Flames in the 2026 NHL Draft? Let's take a further look into one of this classes most overlooked players.
Pre-Draft Production
Year | Team | League | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023/24 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2024/25 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 60 | 5 | 48 | 53 | +11 |
2025/26 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 53 | 14 | 43 | 57 | -19 |
While the point production in Lin's two full seasons in the WHL stayed at a similar rate, his goal scoring production took off, and with 14 in 53 games a year ago, he's showing that he's got every tool in his arsenal offensively. Unfortunately, while that was a step forward, the differential dropped 30 points from 2024/25 to 2025/26, and although that can't be entirely attributed to Lin, it's a massive number that's hard to ignore.
However, as a 17 and then 18-year-old in the WHL, to put up over a point-per-game as a 5-foot-11 blue liner for a team that lacked elite level talent around him, that's an impressive final season before his draft. It's not quite historic numbers that would make him a top-five pick in the draft, but Lin's production has been impressive, and as a result, he continues to shoot up the draft rankings for many analysts.
Strengths
Given his size, it's no shock that Lin's biggest strength is his hockey IQ, his playmaking and the shot, making him one of the best offensive talents in the entire draft, especially perfect for teams that already have plenty of physicality on their blue line.
Despite the reliance on the offence, Lin also plays a lot of minutes in every possible scenario, and with the ability to be a genuine PP1 Quarterback at the highest level, he's got plenty of strengths to lean on as one of the most developed prospects in this draft.
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