There will be no shortage of options for the Vancouver Canucks when they get on the clock with their third-overall pick at the 2026 NHL entry draft.

Among them will be the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs winger Caleb Malhotra, who wrapped up his season earlier this month when his club was eliminated in the Eastern Conference final in seven games by the Barrie Colts. It marked what will be his only season in the OHL, where the 6-foot-2, 183. lb. left-shot racked up 29 goals and 84 points in 67 games.

The 17-year-old is set to take his talents to Boston University next fall to further his development, which has already had a somewhat unorthodox path. After wrapping his U16 career with the Vaughan Kings, he went west to play for the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs, scoring just eight goals and 26 points in 44 games before breaking out this year in Brantford.

Malhotra sat down with Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek for an exclusive one-on-one interview, to talk leaning on his dad, Manny, and his uncle Steve Nash, playing in the OHL under Bulldogs head coach Jay McKee, which fan base blows up his phone the most, and more.

Here’s a select portion of the interview:

Marek: How much extra, or maybe at all, do you lean on your Dad, your Uncle Steve, for advice?

Malhotra: I talk to my dad almost every day, I talk to Uncle Steve a little less, but I try to call him every now and then. Talking about the grind of the season, just like how to keep your mind in it so, so long. It’s kind of repetitive, but you got to keep yourself in the game and keep playing your best hockey, especially coming to playoffs. So talking about how to kind of manage that, how to keep the game fun. That’s been really helpful and it’s kind of kept me in it so far.

Marek: You know, you’ve played in different leagues. Thoughts on the OHL?

Malhotra: Best league I’ve played in for sure. Playing in the BCHL last year, a bit of an older league. I thought it was pretty gritty and hard to play in, and then you come here, and it’s the same but faster, and there’s more skill, you can’t get away with as much. You get punished for your mistakes. So even all the little things, watching every game back, especially towards the end of season, you see little things that you could get away with in the beginning of the season or in other leagues, and it’s just not going to happen here. So, just the margins get smaller and smaller every level.

Marek: How’s Jay McKee been for you? Like, he’s going to coach in the NHL one day.

Malhotra: I think he’s awesome. He’s one of the probably the best coach I’ve ever had. He’s going to be in the NHL one day — other than my dad — of course. He knows the game so well and he’s been coaching at this level for for, I think, over a decade now, and he’s won a championship, so he sees exactly what we have, how much talent we have, and he knows that we have to buy in and we have the capability of buying in. He’s good about putting it on us and not trying to overcoach or anything. He knows we have to kind of figure it out ourselves, and he’s given us the tools and this, and he’s laid out the path for us, so he’s just letting us figure it out ourselves right now, which is good.

Marek: We’ll end on this one. Which NHL team’s fan base is on you the most, and is it Vancouver?

Malhotra: I haven’t seen much, to be honest. Like I said, I’m not really on (social media), but I would say Vancouver. I’ve just heard, just seen a couple tweets. Teammates will show me a couple comments and stuff about it, which is pretty funny. It’s pretty cool.

Marek: You can understand why.

Malhotra: It would be a pretty cool story, but I try not to focus on it. But it’s cool when you do see it.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.