The Vancouver Canucks have not shied away from demonstrating their love for Caleb Malhotra, the 17 year old centre of the Brantford Bulldogs. But the organization is at the start of their rebuild and the Canucks seemingly have nothing. They need elite players at all positions, therefore, at 3rd overall they should be drafting the best player available. And Malhotra is ranked that high on only one expert's draft board.
The table below illustrates who the draft experts have as their third highest prospect and where they rank Caleb Malhotra. Only those experts who have updated their rankings to April or May 2026 are included as Malhotra's draft stock has increased with a strong second half of the regular season and playoffs.
Draft Expert | Prospect ranked 3rd | Malhotra's rank |
|---|---|---|
TSN Craig Button | Carson Carels | 6 |
McKeen's Hockey | Chase Reid | 4 |
THN Ferrari | Viggo Björck | 15 |
Daily Faceoff | Chase Reid | 6 |
SN Cosentino | Keaton Verhoeff | 5 |
SN Bukala | Caleb Malhotra | 3 |
NHL Central (North America) | Carson Carels | 6 |
Elite Prospects | Chase Reid | 5 |
ESPN Kryshak | Carson Carels | 9 |
Upside's | Chase Reid | 5 |
The Athletic, Pronman | Keaton Verhoeff | 6 |
The Athletic, Wheeler | Chase Reid | 4 |
According to Scott Wheeler from The Athletic, members of the Canucks' scouting staff and upper management were "in Brantford constantly." He was getting texts from other teams' scouts that read "they're here again, they're here again, they're here again, they're here all the time."
And with a profile like this, they should be high on him: "Malhotra is already a very mature player, with good stick detail and sound and reliable habits at an early age. He plays with pace, skates well, puts himself in good spots and has an advanced feel for the game. He plays the game with a ton of poise, holding onto pucks and finding his way out of trouble with smart decisions over it. He has legit hands. He has shown more and more individual skill and has a real knack for making little plays with possession. He’ll go to the front of the net, and competes every shift."
Barring any change in draft position, the Canucks are going to be left with three options.
The first is to draft the best player available. That looks to be Chase Reid (D) or Carson Carels (D). There is also a chance that Ivar Stenberg (consensus 2nd overall prospect) might be available if the San Jose Sharks draft one of the defencemen.
The second and third options exist if the Canucks have their heart set on Malhotra. They could simply draft Malhotra at 3rd overall. However, it would be beneficial for this rebuilding team to trade down. He will likely be available at the 5th or 6th position. The Canucks can still draft him at that spot and acquire additional assets in doing so. Worst case scenario, Malhotra ends up being drafted before the Canucks pick, but they will still be acquiring a premium player and have the extra assets acquired in trading down.
Caleb Malhotra is a high-end prospect who would be a focal point of the Canucks rebuild. Drafting him would not be a mistake. But with the possibility of drafting a higher ranked prospect or adding assets and drafting him anyway, it would be a mistake to draft Malhotra at third overall.
Add us as a preferred source on Google