2026 NHL Draft Preview: Dave Gregory on Central Scouting, college hockey, players to watch

The 2026 NHL Draft is just days away, and USCHO kicks off its draft coverage with Dave Gregory, Associate Director of NHL Central Scouting.In this conversation, Gregory explains how NHL Central Scouting’s rankings come together, what fans should understand about the evaluation process, and how scouts compare prospects across college hockey, junior hockey, international leagues and other development paths.We also discuss what college hockey can reveal about draft-eligible players, how scouts look beyond statistics and highlight clips, what the NHL Scouting Combine adds to the process, and which types of players may be getting less public attention but could still make a real impact in the future.Topics include:• How to understand NHL Central Scouting rankings• Comparing NCAA, CHL, USHL, NTDP and international prospects• What college hockey reveals about draft-eligible players• Why production does not always tell the full story• Evaluating forwards, defensemen and goaltenders• What the NHL Combine adds to the process• Players and traits that may be under-discussed before draft dayFind all of our podcasts at USCHO.com/podcasts