Next up on the BSH Community Draft Board is Daxon Rudolph, a defenseman from the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders who has gotten buzz as a potential top-10 selection.
Rudolph is in the second to third tier of defensemen in this draft class, depending on how you rank Albert Smits, Carson Carels, and Keaton Verhoeff. It appears that Rudolph is in a tier just below those guys, but it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if a team values Rudolph over someone in that tier.
Pre-draft rankings
Ranked #10 by Elite Prospects
Ranked #8 by Sportsnet (Jason Bukala)
Ranked #8 by The Athletic (Corey Pronman)
Ranked #9 by Chris Peters (FloHockey)
Statistics
What’s there to like?
Rudolph is exactly the type of defenseman that many teams can project to be a standout defenseman – a 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, right-shot defenseman that put up high-end offensive numbers in the WHL. Almost no matter what the details of Rudolph’s game look like now, that’s the type of player that teams like to take a chance on. Rudolph has a solid blueprint to build from, and teams in the 10-20 range will likely see Rudolph as one of the best bets on the blueline to make.
Scoring wise, Rudolph was the most prolific 17-year-old offensive blueliner in the WHL. Outscoring fellow potential top-10 pick Carson Carels by five points, Rudolph notched 78 points in 68 games played, although Carels slightly beat out Rudolph in terms of points per game. Rudolph’s 28 goals led all 17-year-old defensemen as well, and his shot became a key reason why Rudolph’s stock increased throughout the draft year.
With his shot, Rudolph scored in a variety of ways this season with Prince Albert. There’s plays like the one below, where Rudolph skates into the center of the ice and is able to beat the goalie from distance.
Daxon Rudolph is leading the WHL playoffs in scoring… and did this shorthanded tonight
— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) March 29, 2026
3 points so far in Game 2. 5 in ~2 games. Red hot. pic.twitter.com/ZwdYxsGpZX
On the rush, Rudolph has consistently shown an ability to find soft areas on the ice, and either be on the receiving end of a pass for a dangerous chance or set one up for his teammates. Take the next play, where Rudolph times the rush perfectly to receive a trailing pass for a goal. It’s a pretty darn good shot too from the slot by Rudolph, but he does a great job here of making himself available for the pass.
He’s also incredibly effective at getting his shot through from the point, despite his relative lack of high-end lateral skating skill. Particularly on the power play, Rudolph has a one-timer that might slot in well on a special-teams unit in the future. If he hits as a prospect, his shot is going to be one of the most important aspects of his game, and where his impact is most likely to be felt on the scoresheet.
Rudolph is a pretty strong skater too, even if it is not a high-end skill of his. He’s a pretty elusive player, and has really strong puck protection skills in the offensive zone. Throughout the season, he showed a strong ability to protect the puck down the half-wall, around the net, and with pressure coming at the point. Particularly offensively, Rudolph has solid fundamentals that could translate well to a middle-of-the-lineup role in the NHL.
What’s not to like?
There are two things that really might drag down Rudolph as he progresses in his development – a lack of truly high-end offensive skills and lapses in defensive awareness.
Rudolph made his name this draft cycle due to his scoring rates in the WHL, but when you watch Rudolph a bit closer, I’m not sure if it is going to translate to the NHL level. For a defenseman to become truly high-end offensively in the NHL, they need to have plus skills in various offensive facets. Rudolph’s shot has a decent chance at becoming a plus skill. He is a solid skater, but not a barnburner and especially needs to work on moving laterally at the point. His handling skills are alright, but again not exceptional. With all of that considered, barring any massive jumps in the next few years of his development, what level of offense can someone like Rudolph produce against better competition? Questions about how his offensive game will translate are valid, and it’ll be interesting to see how he projects in a few years time.
Defensively, Rudolph has a long way to go. Now, the WHL is certainly not a league that preaches defense in the way that the SHL or NCAA demands, but Rudolph was susceptible to momentary lapses in defensive positioning quite often. A lot of times, after following a player to the boards behind the net, Rudolph would lose track of his forward in the ensuing seconds. The play below is a good example, where Rudolph completely loses track of his guy for a dangerous chance.
Also, for a player of his size, Rudolph doesn’t use it all that well yet. He’s not the most physically engaged defenseman, and while that doesn’t indicate anything about his long-term potential yet, you’d hope to see Rudolph get more engaged physically as he heads to the NCAA next season. I would never expect Rudolph to be a dominating physical presence, but he can definitely leverage his size way more than he does right now in the defensive zone.
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
As we’ve talked about for a while, the Flyers organizationally need two things: a bonafide No. 1 defenseman and a No. 1 center. Those are the two most difficult things to find in the entire sport, and I could reasonably see the Flyers wanting to take a bet on Rudolph to become that. It’s not a bet that I would want to take, but considering the organizational need for high-end defensive prospects, it wouldn’t be the most egregious decision-making.
If he hits his ceiling, Rudolph could theoretically slot well next to Travis Sanheim. More likely, without the current dynamic shutdown ability or real plus offensive skills as it stands, I wonder if the real top-end upside for Rudolph is a solid two-way second-pair defenseman. It’s just rare that a defenseman who lacks a high-end skill of any sorts becomes an upper-echelon player, so I’d bet more on a solid No. 3 or 4 type of a player if Rudolph’s development goes perfectly.
Could the Flyers actually get him?
Rudolph is all over the board in terms of projections for his draft slot on draft night, with some places having Rudolph as high as the top-10 and places like Scouching.ca rating Rudolph below the first round. Gut feel is that he’s gone before the Flyers pick at No. 21, as he’s the exact archetype of defenseman that many teams dream of. Compared to a guy like Ryan Lin, a more skilled but smaller defenseman, there’s much more of a chance that Rudolph gets selected before the Flyers are on the clock.
What scouts are saying
“If Rudolph drops to this slot, the team selecting him will be adding an elite right-shot defenceman to its prospect pool. His combination of size and skill is obvious. Rudolph uses his size, and reach, to his advantage in the defensive zone and sacrifices his body to block shots. Offensively, his numbers also stand out. Rudolph is deployed in all situations and produced 28 goals and 50 assists in the regular season. He’s contributed nine goals and 17 assists in the playoffs. Other stats that stand out include his plus-44, and the fact his physical pushback has resulted in 96 penalty minutes is also intriguing. Rudolph provides a combination of skill and will.”
“Rudolph’s hockey sense is off the charts. He doesn’t try to do more than he’s capable of and force plays for the sake of making them. Instead, he plays to his strengths, which happens to be quite a few elements. He has a booming shot, makes great breakout passes and can knock guys down. Rudolph’s two-way game is intriguing, as is his ability to get himself out of trouble consistently with and without the puck. I think we’re likely talking about a future top-four defender who can quarterback the man advantage, and he’ll make a team very happy in the latter half of the top 10.”
–Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff
“Rudolph is a super smart defenseman. He displays great touch, poise and vision with the puck and can run a power play quite well. Rudolph is a mobile defender who can lead a rush, closes on checks effectively and is a solid defender who competes fine despite not being overly physical, using his long reach to break up plays. He projects as a quality top-four defenseman who could QB a power play.”
–Corey Pronman, The Athletic
Next to get added to the poll is Malte Gustafsson, a 6-foot-4 left-handed defenseman from the SHL’s HV71. Gustafsson has impressed in his 27 SHL games this season, and projects to go in the middle of the first round in June.
“Gustafsson’s game isn’t about his offense despite having some elements (above-average skating and respectable handling for a big man). He’s a big, rangy, strong, sturdy defender who plays a physical, competitive brand and moves well. He projects as a solid two-way NHL D, and his profile is the coveted one in the league these days. He’s also a summer birthday and has developed quickly when healthy, becoming more consistent at both ends and learning in real time how to use his tools to kill plays, transition pucks, and manufacture offense regularly, even if he’s not going to be a PP guy in the NHL. This is a little in front of the range Kaiden Guhle and Braden Schneider went in, and he fits that mold and may have more offense. It’ll be about him putting it all together and really developing his identity (there are times when he can look a little unsure of what he should really be leaning into, and that results in him really playing on instinct and running around the ice trying to involve himself instead of settling into his strengths, which is fine at this age). He can transport pucks and make plays at the blue line, and will semi-regularly carry pucks low or jump low. He has a good defensive stick and takes good angles to rub opposing players out. The processing isn’t always there, and he can panic a little defensively, but he’s going to have a long career in the league as a two-way five-on-five D who should have special teams utility if he continues to develop well and reaches his potential.”
–Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
