Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look back at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not.
Beckett Hamilton’s hockey journey has brought him to several communities across Saskatchewan from Saskatoon, to Warman, to Humboldt and more.
It’s those rinks and people that will be on his mind this weekend, as he awaits to see where the next step of his career will take him at the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo, N.Y.
Read more:
- Trio of Saskatoon Blades stars ready to hear their names called at 2026 NHL Draft
- Riders, Argos set to clash in early season CFL showdown at Mosaic Stadium
- ‘A complete surprise’: Saskatoon’s Ella Sowden earns NFL flag football scholarship
“It’s kind of come down to the moment now,” Hamilton said. “You think about it a little more, but you can’t do much about it anymore. You just got to wait.”
Hamilton is Saskatchewan’s highest-ranked prospect by NHL Central Scouting, as the Red Deer Rebels captain rose over 40 spots from the mid-term rankings to 33rd among North American skaters.
The Saskatoon athlete will be in attendance at KeyBank Center in Buffalo with his family on Saturday, as he projects to be either taken in the second or third round.
“My parents, they will be there and it’ll be an emotional day,” Hamilton said. “I’m really doing it for them. It will be a special day for all of us and one we’ll remember forever.”
Hamilton has been one of the draft’s quickest risers over the back half of the 2025-26 season, as he exploded for a career-best season with the Rebels netting 24 goals and 62 points in 67 games to lead the team in scoring.
A graduate of the Humboldt U15 AA Broncos and Warman U18 AAA Wildcats programs, Hamilton also represented Canada for the first time internationally at the IIHF U18 World Championship, where the forward recorded three goals in five games.
That caught the attention of NHL clubs, as he was invited to the NHL Draft Combine where he met with 16 teams, including the New York Rangers.
“The Rangers put a piece of paper in front of me and I had to flip it over and find as many numbers I can from zero to 100,” Hamilton said.
Called an “all-situations” type player by scouts, Hamilton played a pivotal role in Red Deer’s return to Western Hockey League playoffs and had plenty of avenues to focus on with the draft in the back of his mind.
On Saturday, that will be pulled to the forefront surrounded by his biggest supporters as he awaits to shake the hand of the team which makes him an NHL prospect.
“It’s pretty tough to not think about it,” Hamilton said. “It’s a big moment and it’s the start of everything.”
Hamilton will likely be the first Saskatchewan-born player off the board in Buffalo, though there are several provincial stars who will also be in the mix on draft day.
Regina athlete Jonah Sivertson is ranked 53rd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting for the 2026 NHL Draft. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)
Count Regina’s Jonah Sivertson as part of that group, who is fresh off a standout first full season in the WHL with the Prince Albert Raiders, where he helped the team reach Game 5 of the WHL Championship series.
“It was amazing being able to be on such a good team,” Sivertson said.
“It was really special. It was unfortunate we couldn’t win the championship, but it’s very special with a great group of guys. I’m really proud of what we did and what we accomplished this year.”
Sivertson overcame a slow start to record 24 goals and 53 points in 66 games for the Raiders in the regular season, before he put up another 10 points in 20 playoff games.
He got an invite to the combine as well where he met with 11 teams. Sivertson rocketed up the NHL Central Scouting rankings from 88th to 53rd among North American skaters and is likely to be picked in the middle rounds of the draft.
He feels confident in the quality of play he showed this past season with the Raiders.
“Whatever happens, it’s out of my control,” Sivertson said. “I’m not thinking about it too much, but it’s hard not to.”
Brandon Wheat Kings forward and Wilcox athlete Joby Baumuller is ranked 156th among North American skaters for the 2026 NHL Draft by NHL Central Scouting. (Steve Hiscock/Saskatoon Blades)
While prospects like Sivertson will be watching the draft coverage from home surrounded by his family, Brandon Wheat Kings star Joby Baumuller will be taking a bit of a different approach.
“I think I’m going to go golfing during draft day honestly,” Baumuller said. “Kind of gets my mind off of it and just enjoy the rest of the day, to be honest.”
This draft cycle feels a little different for Baumuller as well, which marks his second time through after not being selected in the 2025 NHL Draft.
“It made me a lot more motivated last year going undrafted,” Baumuller said. “It wanted me to prove to myself to prove a lot of people wrong and to always not take things for granted.”
The Wilcox player built on his 34-point sophomore season with the Wheat Kings, as he exploded for 40 goals and 62 points in 58 games to remain on scouts’ radars for a second year in a row.
Baumuller, 18, saw an uptick in his NHL Central Scouting ranking as well, as he rose from 169th among North American skaters to 156th by the end of the season.
“All of the feelings are still the exact same, but you know how to handle them a lot better,” Baumuller said.
“Talking to teams this year, you know what they’re going to ask and what they’re going to want to hear. It’s been a lot better experience this year and a lot more prepared.”
Baumuller spoke with around 10 NHL teams this season, while last year’s experience has helped him manage expectations going into the second day of the draft.
While birdie putts will be on his mind Saturday, he won’t be too far from his phone.
“I’ll have the ringer on and all of that,” Baumuller said. “It will be good, if I do get picked I’ll obviously hear a bunch of notifications.”
One of the biggest late season surprises in the draft rankings has been Baumuller’s teammate with the Wheat Kings in defenceman Cameron Allard.
Originally listed as just a “watch-list” player by NHL Central Scouting last October, Allard has climbed from 190th in the rankings to 130th for North American skaters.
“It’s obviously preparing for what could be an eventful Friday, Saturday hopefully for me and my family,” Allard said. “It’s been pretty cool, the people I’ve been able to speak with.”
Hailing from Yorkton, Allard has slowly earned more ice time in his first full season in Brandon and eventually became a top-four option for the Wheat Kings on their blue line.
“I started out on the third pair in the lineup,” Allard said. “I slowly worked my way up and started to gain more opportunity, and became more comfortable with myself as I felt in AAA.”
Allard ended his season with seven goals and 19 points in 62 games, and was able to meet with several NHL teams throughout the year online and a handful in-person.
“They liked when I played with confidence, because that’s when I play at my best,” Allard said.
“Moving my feet, just getting involved in plays and not being afraid to screw up. They said it is very noticeable in my game and that’s when it shows that I’m playing at my best.”
Rounding out the Saskatchewan group of prospects in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings was Regina Pats forward Cohen Klassen, who finished the year at 211th among North American skaters after a 37-point sophomore season with the Pats.
While there isn’t a slam-dunk, first round player from Saskatchewan like Roger McQueen, Cole Reschny, Berkly Catton, Brayden Yager or Kevin Korchinski in recent years, Sivertson believes this group has the potential to make some noise at the professional level as well.
“It’s pretty surreal just (having) such a deep group of players in Saskatchewan,” Sivertson said. “To get recognized, I think that’s pretty special because there’s so many great talents in Saskatchewan.”
Hamilton is hopeful his name will be part of that mix in the coming years, with the possibility of being the first Saskatchewan-born player to wear an NHL jersey in Buffalo this weekend.
“There’s quite a few of the top players coming out of (Saskatchewan) from years prior,” Hamilton said. “It would be an honour to be able to be that first one called.”
Read more:
