WHO COULD LEAPFROG GAVIN MCKENNA AT FIRST OVERALL? | Elite Prospects Rankings Debate

The 2026 Draft is beginning to crystallize with distinct tiers, but no player has entrenched themselves at #1 as Gavin McKenna has stumbled a bit out of the gate, overwhelmed by the pace and physicality of college hockey. We had a lengthy debate at Elite Prospects before keeping him in that slot, here are the 7 players with at least an argument to steal it away. We begin by breaking down McKenna's game alongside contending wingers Ivar Stenberg and Ethan Belchetz. Next, we move on to a pair of big right-shot defencemen in Chase Reid and Keaton Verhoeff. Finally, we have 3 wild card who could surprise as they represent unique players in this draft: the top centre in Tynan Lawrence, the most dynamic offensive defenceman in Xavier Villeneuve, and a two-way locomotive LD in Carson Carels. Elite Prospects Ranking Article: https://www.eliteprospects.com/news/2026-nhl-draft/elite-prospects-november-top-50-2026-nhl-draft-ranking Recorded Ranking Meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb0KWswFRNg Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LONHLProspects?sid=YouTube Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL 📲 Follow Locked On NHL Prospects on Twitter  Locked On NHL Prospects https://twitter.com/LO_NHLProspects Sebastian High https://twitter.com/high_sebastian  📺 Follow Locked On NHL: https://twitter.com/LockedOnNHLPods  📢 Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! | Offers from our sponsors: lockedonpodcasts.com/offers  #NHL #Hockey #NHLDraft #nhlprospects Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! DripDrop Right now, DripDrop is offering podcast listeners 20% off your first order.Go to https://dripdrop.com and use promo code LOCKEDONNHL. Indeed Now, you can speed up your hiring process with a $75 Sponsored Job Credit. Just go to https://indeed.com/lockedon right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. MonarchTake control of your finances with Monarch. Use code LOCKEDONNHL at https://monarch.com/lockedonnhl for 50% off your first year. FanDuelDownload the FanDuel app now by visiting FanDuel.com and win $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.