After Caleb Malhotra of the Brantford Bulldogs was selected third overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the opening round of the 2026 NHL Draft, several more players from Ontario Hockey League (OHL) teams in southwestern Ontario heard their names called during Day 2 of the draft. Malhotra family reunion Malhotra was selected third overall by the Vancouver Canucks. Malhorta embraced family and supporters before making his way to the stage. The selection also reunites Malhorta with his father, Vancouver head coach Manny Malhorta. After he put on the jersey, Malhorta said it just felt right. “I’m going to development camp and I guess I’m going to have to do the Grouse Grind, so that’ll be fun,” he smiled, referring to an ultra-steep trail in North Vancouver on Grouse Mountain. “I was retraining all summer and now there’s a reason to train harder - I gotta make the NHL, so there’s my next goal.” Lone Ranger stays in the north Alexander Bilecki was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round, with the 60th overall pick. Bilecki joins the Maple Leafs’ 2026 draft class, which also includes first overall selection Gavin McKenna. Bilecki was the only player from the 2026 Memorial Cup-winning Kitchener Rangers selected in the draft. Several of the club’s top players had already been drafted in previous years. Another Bulldog selected Malhotra was not the only player selected from the Brantford Bulldogs. Teammate Vladimir Dravecky was selected by the New York Islanders in the fifth round, 141st overall. The pair were the only two Bulldogs selected. A flurry from the Storm The Guelph Storm had five players selected during the draft. Recently acquired forward Ryan Roobroeck was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks with the 35th overall pick in the second round. Two members of the Storm went in the fifth, as the Anaheim Ducks took Eric Frossard with the 146th pick. The St. Louis Blues followed by selecting Carter Stevens with the 150th overall pick. Zachary Jovanovski was then selected by the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes, with the 165th pick in the sixth round. Rylan Singh was selected by the Seattle Kraken with the 198th overall pick in the seventh round.
