Daily Faceoff draft expert Steven Ellis published his latest first-round mock draft for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Thursday and had the Vancouver Canucks selecting a pair of centres with their two first-round selections.

With Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg still on the board, Ellis had the Canucks taking Caleb Malhotra at third overall. Here is what Ellis had to say on his decision:

“I don’t like the idea of the team putting the pressure on the coach’s son. But scouts have said the same thing over and over again: the Canucks need a stout two-way center to kick off the rebuild. If they see him as the best player available, they’ll do this. Malhotra’s steady, smart play has helped him emerge as the No. 1 center for this draft. It’s not a great group down the middle, but Malhotra looks like a future top-six threat. He was a huge part of Brantford’s success this year, which included 13 goals and 26 points in just 15 playoff games. Malhotra battles hard at both ends, giving opponents little time to make quick, heads-up decisions with the puck. Will he have the natural play-driving ability to excel offensively in the NHL? We’ll see.”

Malhotra is a 6’2″, left-shot centreman out of the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs. The Toronto, Ontario, native jumped to the OHL from the BCHL last season and quickly emerged as one of the top centre prospects in the class. In 67 games with the Bulldogs this season, Malhotra scored 29 goals and 55 assists for 84 points. As the season went along, Malhotra’s play earned him more and more ice time. By the time the playoffs rolled around, he was skating on Brantford’s top line and produced like a top contributor on a team with 12 NHL-drafted players. He went on to score 13 goals and 26 points in just 15 games.

With their second first-round pick, Ellis has the Canucks selecting Ilia Morozov at 24 overall. Here is his write-up on Morozov:

“Morozov was the youngest player in college hockey, but you couldn’t tell with how often Miami relied on him this year. At 6-foot-3 and more than 200 pounds, he’s a big center who commands respect. He put up solid numbers on a team that didn’t have a ton of big-time firepower to work with. I also like his confidence and the way he’s always looking to make a pass, even through traffic. Morozov doesn’t have as much offensive upside as some others around this point. But his game away from the puck, mixed in with his overall power, intrigues me.”

Morozov is a 6’3″ left-shot centreman out of Miami of Ohio University in the NCAA. The Moskva, Russia native played with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL in his draft-minus-one season, scoring 11 goals and 22 points in 59 games. In his draft year, he made the jump to the NCAA level, where his production increased in a more difficult league, scoring 8 goals and 12 assists for 20 points in just 36 collegiate games.

Ellis’ following five picks after Morozov were left-shot defenceman William Håkansson, winger JP Hurlbert, centreman Jack Hextall, right-shot defenceman Tommy Bleyl, and 6’7″ centre Brooks Rogowski.