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Vancouver Canucks select Caleb Malhotra with No. 3 pick in 2026 NHL draft

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Another Malhotra family member is headed to Vancouver.

With the third pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Friday, June 26 in Buffalo, the Vancouver Canucks selected centre Caleb Malhotra from the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League.

Caleb’s dad Manny was recently named as head coach for the Canucks.

“This is unbelievable,” said Manny while being interviewed immediately after his selection. “So special, I’m so thankful.”

He mentioned the importance of his family (his uncle is Canadian basketball legend Steve Nash).

“I wouldn’t be here without each and every one of them,” said Malhotra, who also played a season with the BCHL’s Chilliwack Chiefs.

The selection was announced by ‘How I Met Your Mother’ star and Canucks fan Colby Smulders.

With the 24th overall pick, Vancouver tabbed Adam Novotny, a six-foot-one, 205-pound left winger from the Peterborough Petes of the OHL. The native of Kobylice, Czechia, had 34 goals and 31 assists for 65 points with the Petes in 2025-26.

The Toronto Maple Leafs had the first overall pick, and selected Gavin McKenna, a left winger who played last season with Penn State of the NCAA, after three seasons with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.

McKenna’s selection was introduced by Canadian pop star Justin Bieber.

With the second pick, the San Jose Sharks selected winger Ivar Stenberg from Frölunda of the Swedish Hockey League.

Among Canadian teams, the Calgary Flames tabbed defenceman Carson Carels from the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League. The six-foot-two, 198-pound blue-liner had 20 goals and 53 assists with the Cougars last season. Picking again at No. 30, the Flames selected centre Jack Hextall of Youngstown in the USHL.

The Winnipeg Jets, selecting eighth overall, tabbed centre Viggo Björck from Djurgården in Sweden. The five-foot-nine, 177-pounder had 15 points in 42 games in 2025-26.

At 25, the Ottawa Senators chose Jonas Lagerberg Hoen, a right wing from Leksand Jr. in Sweden. With the final choice of the first round at No. 32, the Sens took London Knights winger Jaxon Cover, who didn’t start playing hockey on ice full-time until age 13.

The Montreal Canadiens, moving up from No. 28 to No. 26 after a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, chose Gleb Pugachyov, a six-foot-three, 200-pound right wing from Nizhny Novgorod Jr. in Russia.

Other players with WHL ties selected in round one: Daxon Rudolph, D, Prince Albert (selected fourth overall by Buffalo); Keaton Verhoeff, D, formerly with the Victoria Royals (ninth overall to San Jose); Ryan Lin, D, Vancouver Giants (21st by San Jose); Liam Ruck, RW, Medicine Hat (22nd by Pittsburgh); J.P. Hurlbert, LW, Kamloops (23rd by Detroit);

The draft resumes Saturday with rounds two through seven (8 a.m. PT). The Canucks hold the first pick of the day at No. 33 overall.

READ MORE: Vancouver Canucks name Manny Malhotra as 23rd head coach in franchise history