2026 World Juniors Prospects: Midseason NHL Risers & Fallers Stock Watch

The big news in the prospect bubble these days is the 2026 World Juniors, which begins the day after Christmas in Minnesota. The United States will be looking to three-peat on home soil, while a loaded Canada group is considered the favorite by a wide margin. With that said, it's time to check in on a handful of prospects around the league that have seen their stocks rise and fall through well over a third of the 2025-26 campaign.

(Note: all stats as of December 18, 2025)

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Prospect Stock Surges as World Juniors 2026 Approaches

Will Horcoff (C, PIT): I had Horcoff ranked No. 118 on my prospect list entering the year and had him as a fringe first-rounder in the 2025 draft. He ended up going No. 24 overall to Pittsburgh -- higher than I would have taken him -- but the early returns are exceptional. Horcoff leads the NCAA in goals scored with 19 (in 20 games) for the University of Michigan. He's gigantic (6-foot-5) and plays with an edge, as evidenced by his 38 penalty minutes. The lack of speed is an issue, but between the size and hands, he's a legitimate future top-six prospect for a Penguins team that is slowly adding more and more young talent to their lineup.

Bryce Pickford (D, MTL): Let me preface this write-up by saying Pickford -- a defenseman -- was eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft and wasn't selected. He was so good last season in the WHL that he ended up going in the third round (81st overall) to Montreal last June, and he has taken things to an entirely new level this year. Pickford has 25 goals, 44 points, and a plus-37 rating in 31 games for Medicine Hat. He recently had a string of five straight multi-goal games. If Pickford comes remotely close to keeping this up long term, he's going to be in the running for CHL Player of the Year. The last defenseman to win the award was Ryan Ellis with Windsor back in the 2010-11 season. Ellis finished that year with 24 goals and 101 points in 58 games. 

Nathan Aspinall (LW, NYR): The Rangers' scouting staff has become obsessed with spending late-round picks on gigantic, hulking forwards in recent years. None of them have hit, despite the fact that Matt Rempe is playing in the NHL. Aspinall, however, may be the club's best bet to date. The 6-foot-7 forward currently leads the OHL in scoring with 22 goals and 48 points in 30 games for Flint. For comparison's sake, Aspinall had 17 goals and 47 points in 62 games last season. Leading a league in scoring at this time is a bit misleading because virtually all the best players are away at the World Juniors, but Aspinall has made noticeable improvements in his game. He's an underrated passer and predictably effective in front given his size. Aspinall's potential effectiveness at the highest level will be in question until he proves otherwise, but his development thus far has been flawless for a former fifth-rounder (2024). 

Herman Traff (RW, ANA): Originally a third-round pick of the Devils (91st overall) in 2024, Traff was dealt to to the Ducks last March as part of the Brian Dumoulin deal. His first full season in the Anaheim system has been extremely impressive. Traff is 6-foot-3 with a cannon of a shot. He can play both wings, and by no means a high-energy player, I've always felt he gives a good effort, given his size. Playing in Sweden's second-tier Allsvenskan this season, Traff has 13 goals and 27 points in 27 games. It's a step down in competition, given he spent most of last season in the SHL, but Traff should be dominating in a situation such as this, and he has been. He's the ideal type of prospect to stash overseas in hopes of seeing dividends down the road.

Injury Setbacks and Sluggish Transitions Impacting Top Draft Picks

Cayden Lindstrom (C, CBJ): I nearly put Lindstrom in the "fallers" column last month, but wanted to give him a bit more time to find his footing in a new situation. Sadly, his play hasn't improved much, if at all. Lindstrom missed nearly all of last season due to a back injury. He then decided to leave WHL Medicine Hat for Michigan State University. In his first year with the Spartans, the 2024 No. 4 overall pick has one goal and three points in 11 games. Lindstrom has high-end physical skills. He's huge (6-foot-4), can really skate, and plays hard. The sample size is small, but he just doesn't seem to be making any real improvements as a hockey player. The fact that the player taken after Lindstrom in the draft, Ivan Demidov, is playing a key role for the Canadiens in the NHL doesn't help matters, either. 

Mikhail Gulyayev (D, COL): The Colorado prospect pool is awful, which is the direct result of being one of the best teams in the NHL the past several years. They've rarely made first-round picks, and those they did take, like Gulyayev, haven't really panned out. The No. 31 overall selection in 2023, Gulyayev has just a goal and three points in 33 KHL games this season. Gulyayev is never going to be confused with Cale Makar or prime Erik Karlsson from an offensive standpoint, but I've always felt he had more skill with the puck than those types of numbers would indicate. Part of the lack of scoring is usage-based -- his role with Omsk isn't great -- but at 5-foot-10 and not known as a physical player, Gulyayev is likely going to have to find a way to generate some offense once he comes to North America. His KHL contract reportedly expires at the end of the season.