These are must draft players for your NHL Fantasy team in 2026/27.
1. Wyatt Johnston | C | Dallas Stars
2025–26: 82 GP | 45 G | 41 A | 86 PTS
Four straight 82-game seasons to open his NHL career. Four straight seasons of increasing point totals. The most power play goals in the NHL over the past two seasons combined with 38. Johnston is the model of elite durability and ascending production, and at 23 years old he is entering what projects as the peak window of his career. He plays on one of the deepest offensive teams in the Western Conference alongside Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen, with first power play unit time that is among the most productive in the league. He is a first-round pick in every format. No exceptions.
Projection Tier: 90 to 99 Points
Floor: 90 Points
Expected: 99 Points
Ceiling: 101 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Low
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Stable
2. Leo Carlsson | C | Anaheim Ducks
2025–26: 70 GP | 29 G | 38 A | 67 PTS
Carlsson missed 12 games last season and still posted 67 points. In 82 games, that pace projects to over 80 points on a team that is now building around him as one of the highest-paid players in NHL history at $18 million annually. His point total has increased in every season since entering the league, and he enters 2026-27 with Beckett Sennecke beside him, a deadly power play, and full organizational support. He is 21 years old. The ceiling has not been reached. Uncle Leo is a must-draft in every format.
Projection Tier: 80 to 89 Points
Floor: 75 Points
Expected: 85 Points
Ceiling: 91 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Medium
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Trending Up
3. Cole Hutson | D | Washington Capitals
2025–26: 14 GP | 3 G | 7 A | 10 PTS
Cole Hutson played just 14 games last season and still posted 10 points…almost a point-per-game pace that would have placed him among the elite defensive scorers in the league over a full season. He is the younger brother of Lane Hutson and, according to those who have watched both extensively, may ultimately be the more gifted offensive player. Washington’s blue line hands him top-pairing minutes, first power play unit, and a supporting cast of high-end forwards that makes his offensive production ceiling genuinely staggering. The risk is real given the the small sample. The upside justifies every bit of it.
Projection Tier: 60 to 69 Points
Floor: 55 Points
Expected: 68 Points
Ceiling: 75 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Medium to High
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Breakout
4. Clayton Keller | RW | Utah Mammoth
2025–26: 82 GP | 26 G | 62 A | 88 PTS
Keller has quietly posted three or four seasons in the 90-point range, and his 2025-26 campaign of 88 points… including a career-high 62 assists. It’s the kind of production that gets taken for granted precisely because he delivers it so consistently and kinda quietly. He played all 82 games. He leads Utah’s power play. He is the unquestioned first option in the Mammoth offence and enters 2026-27 with a better supporting cast around him than in any previous season. At 27 years old he is in the prime of his career with no signs of slowing. He is the most underrated 90-point player in fantasy hockey and a must-draft in every format.
Projection Tier: 90 to 99 Points
Floor: 88 Points
Expected: 95 Points
Ceiling: 101 Points
Fantasy Risk Rating: Low
Opportunity: 5/5 Trend: Stable
5. Brandon Bussi | G | Carolina Hurricanes
2025–26: 39 GP | 31 W | 2.47 GAA | .895 SV%
Bussi won 31 games in 39 starts in his first NHL season, then won the Stanley Cup, including a shutout in the clinching Game 6…all as an undrafted goaltender nobody saw coming. Frederik Andersen is now in Edmonton. The crease in Raleigh belongs to Bussi, and the structure in front of him is elite. The Hurricanes regularly rank among the best defensive teams in the league, and Bussi will now should carry a full starter’s workload for the first time in his career. Forty-plus wins is not an aggressive projection for a goaltender on this team. It is a reasonable expectation. He is the most important goaltending pick of the entire draft.
Projection Tier: 40 to 49 Wins
Floor: 36 Wins
Expected: 42 Wins
Ceiling: 46 Wins
Fantasy Risk Rating: Medium
Opportunity: 5/5
Trend: Breakout
Statistics sourced from NHL.com, PuckPedia, The Hockey News, and Daily Faceoff, July 2026.
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