2. Carson Carels (Prince George, WHL)
While Prince George defenseman Carson Carels is widely considered to be a top-three blue-liner in this draft class, there is still a feeling that he can somehow be underrated. His hockey sense and awareness make him a very stellar two-way defensive prospect in this draft class.
He really proved himself in his second season in the WHL in Prince George this past season, leading the league among defensemen in ice time and boosting his production on the stat sheet in the process. At the next level, Carels projects as a true top-pairing defenseman who can shut down plays defensively and in transition while controlling the pace of play with the puck on his stick in transition and from the point in the zone offensively.
Carels' combination of size, speed, skating ability, hockey IQ, and puck movement makes him a unique prospect in this draft class who can command the play on both sides of the ice.
1. Chase Reid (Soo, OHL)
Most media members and scouts probably have Chase Reid as the top defenseman on their draft boards in the 2026 class. Reid stood out for the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL this past season, and he was stellar for the United States in the World Junior Championships this year.
Reid has most of the tools you'd want in a top-flight defensive prospect in this draft class. He's a really fluid and mobile skater, possesses good size at 6-foot-2, and his hockey IQ and vision are off the charts from the point.
In the offensive zone, Reid is always a threat with the puck on his stick. He combines tremendous playmaking ability with a sneaky good shot to always threaten opposing teams while commanding the play.
I would be surprised if Reid wasn't the first defensive prospect off the board this upcoming weekend in the first round of the draft lottery.
Between his skating ability, hockey IQ, offensive instincts, and consistency in the defensive zone, Reid checks pretty much every box teams look for in a top-end defenseman in the draft. That's what makes him the top defensive prospect in the 2026 draft.
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