Second up on our draft board is Swedish phenom Ivar Stenberg, a winger who has put up near-historic numbers in the Swedish Hockey League.
Stenberg’s stock has risen considerably in the past year, and he’s squarely in the top tier of the draft and certainly a contender to go No. 1. It’s been pretty neck and neck with McKenna throughout the draft year, and the public consensus is that there is not much separating the two players at this stage. Chase Reid may also be a quiet contender for the No. 1 pick, but the talk of the draft year has been the race between McKenna and Stenberg for first overall.
So, let’s get into what has made Stenberg a standout prospect amongst his peers.
Pre-draft rankings
Ranked #2 by Elite Prospects
Ranked #1 by Sportsnet (Jason Bukala)
Ranked #2 by The Athletic (Corey Pronman)
Ranked #3 by Chris Peters (FloHockey)
Statistics
What’s there to like?
Stenberg has excelled at all levels that he’s played, and what’s most impressive is the level of scoring he’s amassed in the SHL. With 33 points in 43 games, Stenberg is in rarified air amongst his peers. By pure point totals, Stenberg had the 5th best season all time for 18-year-old SHLers. That’s better than guys like Lucas Raymond, Elias Lindholm, Nicklas Backstrom, and many other high-end NHLers. The only guys who are better? The Sedins, Markus Naslund, and Tomas Sandstrom. In arguably the second or third best league in the world right now, Stenberg has been historically good. Guys who perform at that level don’t typically bust in the NHL, even if they don’t become a superstar-level guy (such as Naslund, Sandstrom).
The really popular comparison for Stenberg has been a souped-up version of William Eklund, the cerebral Sharks winger that went 7th overall in 2021. As a thought exercise, if Stenberg is able to have the plus areas in his game that Eklund does – exceptional work in all three zones, in small areas on the ice, and a tendency to push the play into the middle of the ice – he’s going to be such a dangerous player. The knock on Eklund has always been his lack of elite skill, and he’s still been able to put up near 60 points in back-to-back seasons in San Jose. If Stenberg is truly Eklund with more skill, the sky is the limit with Stenberg’s projection.
Along those lines, one of the absolute best things about Stenberg is his ability to do darn-near everything you ask of him to do. He’s one of the more active, high-motor players in the class, and that’s pretty ridiculous for a guy with the high-end skill that he has. When you watch Stenberg in the SHL, it’s remarkable how many pucks Stenberg comes away with in the middle of the ice, along the boards, and in 50/50 battles. Combine that motor with extremely good puck protection skills, and you have a player that’s an absolute handful for oppositions to defend against. The play clipped below shows this, where Stenberg creates so much time for his teammates with the couple seconds extra he can hold onto the puck.
With the puck on his stick, Stenberg has a well-rounded game that certainly leans to a more playmaker archetype. That’s not to say his shot is poor (it’s actually quite good), but playmaking for his teammates is where Stenberg really shines. As mentioned before, he can kinda do everything in terms of offensive zone creation. In the multiple clips below at the ongoing World Championships, you can see the different ways that Stenberg creates offense.
In the first clip, Stenberg smartly pokes the puck away from a Danish defenseman behind the net, leading directly to a scoring chance and goal for Sweden. In the second clip, Stenberg took the puck away on the rush from a retreating defenseman, and spotted Lucas Raymond in the slot for a Grade-A chance. And finally, the last clip shows Stenberg’s patience on the power play, where he worked down the half-wall to find a man in the bumper position for a goal. He can beat you in so many different ways, and just watching him in a single tournament game (against many NHLers) illuminates the toolkit he’s working with.
Ivar Stenberg (#41) has been DEALING at the Worlds vs Denmark. 🇸🇪
— Nathan "Grav" Murdock (@NathanGraviteh) May 17, 2026
Has two assists, could easily have more. Great clips by @BlackhawksFocus. pic.twitter.com/I94xSjsa9n
What’s not to like?
Honestly, there is not much to pick on with Stenberg’s game. He’s a bit on the smaller side for a winger at 6-foot, but that’s not really going to be an inhibitor at all. Especially with how often he wins board battles and comes away with pucks, there’s little chance that becomes a problem at the NHL level. The motor is really going to help him as he moves to the next level, and once he builds up in the gym even further, he’s going to be a handful.
As with many top prospects, one potential area to nitpick is Stenberg’s tendencies to do it all on his own. He is a puck dominant player, and you always have to wonder how that player is going to adjust to less time and space in the NHL. There won’t be the space to overhandle the puck in the NHL, for example. He should adjust with relative ease compared to his peers, but definitely an area to think about with Stenberg moving into his Draft+1 season.
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
The Flyers certainly don’t need another winger, but Stenberg would bring everything that Rick Tocchet would love. He’s also the level of player, like Gavin McKenna, where any concerns about organizational need are thrown out the window. He’s just so good to the point where no other considerations matter.
He’s on the slightly smaller end at 6’0”, but Stenberg makes it a point to engage in board battles and lead the puck into high-danger areas without fear. It’s easy to imagine Tocchet immediately taking to Stenberg, a player that has garnered a reputation for being responsible in all three zones and seemingly has no fatal flaw to his game. He’s every coach’s dream, but we really think Tocchet would love what Stenberg brings to the table.
Could the Flyers actually get him?
Barring the rare trade into the top-5, no shot whatsoever. The interesting discussion for Stenberg is whether he goes 1, 2, or 3. It feels like it would be pretty shocking for McKenna not to go to the Leafs at No. 1, but would the Sharks (who have Eklund and many high-end forwards) opt for Chase Reid instead? The Canucks might be in a pretty good position to get their next Swedish superstar in Stenberg, which makes for an interesting fit if the Leafs and Sharks pass on the winger.
What scouts are saying
“Stenberg is the most complete winger in the draft class. His combination of skill, three-zone detail and overall compete stands out. Stenberg is equal parts play driver/shooter and a future first-line NHL forward who can be deployed in all situations if required. He produced 11 goals and 22 assists playing pro in Sweden’s top league, the SHL, this year and is currently part of Sweden’s men’s national team for the World Championship in Switzerland.”
“Stenberg has consistently been such an impressive all-around player this year and after seeing so much of him, I am still not exactly sure why he’s so impressive. His forechecking energy and turnover generation ability is awesome, tracking play with ease at the SHL level. His skill level may not match that of a Gavin McKenna, but the way which he uses it is so much more practical and effective in tougher scenarios. Knocking pucks down through feet and traffic, attacking players head on, protecting the puck down low, creating tight space for himself, it’s all there. The margins here between my first two tiers has gotten tighter and tighter over the last few weeks as I finish datasets on some other names, but Stenberg would probably be my choice first in what would be a strong top end of a solid draft class. He doesn’t waste his shots from the perimeter, he’s an excellent transition driver with diverse talents and a propensity for good stick checks, and if he can just improve his explosiveness to add another two-way dimension to his game as he has over the last 12 months, he could be a fantastic add to the top line of an NHL team in the mold of a Seth Jarvis-esque player with excellent value in many areas of the ice in many situations outside of raw point production.”
-Will Scouching, scouching.ca
Next to get added to the poll is Carson Carels, a defenseman who has the potential to sneak into the top-5 and recently committed to the University of North Dakota for his Draft+1 season.
“Carels is an all-around defenseman who plays the game firmly and directly in all three zones and on both sides of the puck. His game is more about instinct than being super cerebral, and he can be a little sloppy at times with his stick placement/closeouts/decisions on the puck, but he’s quite toolsy and looks like a pro in a lot of ways. He has a big, hard slap shot that makes him a threat to score. He sees the play well as a passer and can break it out. He’s a strong skater who can push pucks down ice and also open up and use his edges. He can defend physically (there’s a meanness to his game, even) and cuts off a lot of plays with his timing early when he’s at his best. He’s firm, with a wide gait, though he’ll occasionally get beaten one-on-one laterally. He’s not a dynamic individual playmaker, but he can move and carry pucks down ice, has skill and skating, walks the line well, can beat the first layer and can hammer it. His development will be more about cleaning things up (stick play, keeping his feet moving offensively) than his actual tools. He’s solid, and NHL scouts are high on him as a future stud D who plays winning hockey, even if he has a little less NHL offense than the names ahead of him here. He’ll be a big part of Team Canada at next year’s World Juniors and will be a top pick.”
