Goalies Stock Watch: Parker Snell, William Lacelle holding down the fort for the 2026 NHL Draft
Now introducing: stock watch for goalies!
Looking at the 2026 NHL draft, it looks like it’ll be a year of small goaltenders, as notables including the likes of Gavin Betts, Ryder Fetterolf, Pyry Lammi, Charles Menard, Marat Sabitov, and Jason Schaubel all stand at just six-foot or below.
Only time will tell whether teams will follow the footsteps of the Nashville Predators who drafted undersized netminder Jack Ivankovic in the second round this past June.
As for NHL-system goaltenders, it’s still too early to gauge based on performance as the AHL and ECHL seasons have just started. However, we can pick apart some of the decisions that left some netminders on and others off opening night rosters.
Stock Rising 📈
Parker Snell, G, Edmonton Oil Kings (2026 NHL Draft)
If there’s a WHL goaltender I am hedging my bets on for the 2026 NHL draft, it will be Edmonton Oil Kings netminder Parker Snell. Ahead of his draft campaign, he’s racked up goalie of the year awards at the U15 and U18 levels in Alberta, even winning league CSSHL U18 league MVP with a .922 save percentage over 20 games.
“Snell is a cerebral goaltender, making small shuffles and constantly re-adjusting positioning on the fly. Despite an anticipatory error on the lone goal against, Snell's tracking and anticipation were otherwise strong, with constant scans which allowed him to remain ahead of the play. He tracks releases well and boasts active hands, which he uses to direct the puck away or suppress the puck entirely.”
So far this season, the 6-foot-2 netminder has rallied a .943 save percentage over his first three starts this season, remaining undefeated so far in his WHL career. Ultimately, seeing whether he can play to this level consistently will be the determining factor on whether Snell gets looks as a B-grade goalie prospect, or dare I suggest higher, however the early signs show plenty of promise.
Arseni Radkov, G, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (Montreal Canadiens)
A late-riser in the 2025 NHL draft, Montreal Canadiens prospect Arseni Radkov’s stock has only seemed to have continued to rise since. The Belarussian netminder excelled on the Habs prospect tournament roster before getting sent to the QMJHL’s powerhouse, Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, for the season.
A big question with the move to the QMJHL was how he’d handle keeping pace with tougher teams, and his season debut proved to be a trial by fire—stopping 45 of 49 in an 8-4 win over the Victoriaville Tigres. While he did lag behind the play mentally, still adjusting to the QMJHL, there was a lot to like. From our September 27th report on his debut:
“He showcased his combination of an ideal 6-foot-4 frame, matched with good footwork and smart routes, all while maintaining great composure. While he occasionally struggled with catching pucks with his glove, his hands were active and out. Compared to his play in the MHL, Radkov opted to play slightly deeper than usual, which seemed to cause more rebounds this game.”
With a commitment to the University of Massachusetts for 2026-27 looming, Radkov will need to continue to work on getting his anticipation and tracking to the level it was in the MHL, all the while continuing to refine all the aspects of his play that got him here in the first place.
Honourable Mentions: Dmitri Borichev (2026 NHL Draft), Joseph Costanzo (Free agent), Carter Esler (2027 NHL Draft), Måns Goos (Dallas Stars), Samuel Hrenak (2026 NHL Draft), Ilya Kanarsky (Chicago Blackhawks), Will Keane (2026 NHL Draft), Pyry Lammi (2026 NHL Draft), Jooa Sammalniemi (2025 NHL Draft Re-entry), Danai Shaiikov (2025 NHL Draft Re-entry), Tobias Trejbal (2026 NHL Draft), Ivan Yunin (Colorado Avalanche)
Stock Steady ↔️
William Lacelle, G, Rimouski Océanic (2026 NHL Draft)
Thanks to his regular season play last year with the Memorial Cup host Rimouski Océanic, William Lacelle entered his draft year this season with a little bit of buzz. A weaker team in front, coupled with heightened role and NHL stakes could have been a recipe for disaster, however Lacelle has been able to steal wins while keeping his own stats respectable.
Lacelle is a speedy goaltender, who leverages that mobility to make saves, by challenging aggressively as well as extending out to make impressive stops. He boasts impressive cognitive skills, with good tracking, anticipation and compete as well being foundational to his success. His glove acts as a complete threat nullifier, gobbling up pucks with ease and quickness. However, he’s hardly without flaws, as our October 3rd game report vs the Quebec Remparts suggests he needs to clean up his form.
“Lacelle occasionally struggled with rebounds due to being off-angled to pucks and instead relying on his high-end mobility to make up the difference. His five-hole was a problem this game. On the first goal against, his form broke down, dropping into a butterfly, with his right leg lagging behind, leading to the five-hole opening. On the second, he seemed to lose composure during a net-front scramble off a rebound. He bent over to try to poke-check the puck away, but missed.”
The pre-existing hype and good start to the season would suggest that Lacelle is well worth keeping tabs on this season, and as of right now he very well looks like a top half selection for the 2026 NHL draft in June.
Jet Greaves, G, Columbus Blue Jackets
Over the past two seasons, Jet Greaves has been relied upon on a first-man-up basis as the team has faced injury thanks to the Cambridge, ON native’s strong development curve. Over the last five games of the Jackets’ 2024-25 campaign, the young netminder was given the keys to the wheel to prove what he could bring to the table. He’d win all five, netting two shutouts while posting a .975 save percentage over that stretch.
With the departure of Daniil Tarasov in free agency, it had appeared as though that stretch, alongside his strong six game playoff stint in the AHL was enough to have won the job. However, a late pre-season trade seeing Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov head to Ohio put Greaves’ job security in question.
Standing at just six-foot, the Greaves’ beat the goliath 6-foot-7 Fedotov for the role and was even named as the Blue Jackets' starting goaltender opening night. His success should make teams re-evaluate their penchant for being captivated by height. Greaves really almost has it all as an NHL-level-prospect, great mobility, strong positioning, active hands, strong tracking and anticipation. Now with a golden opportunity, all that’s left is some further refinements in his depth control.
Stock Falling 📉
Devon Levi, G, Rochester Americans (Buffalo)
Since Devon Levi’s meteoric rise from a relative-unknown to the public, dominating the CCHL in his draft year, to eventually leading Team Canada at the World Juniors and back-to-back NCAA goalie of the year wins, the Montreal-goaltender has struggled to stick the landing in each of his NHL stints.
After a dismal .872 save percentage through nine games in the show last year, the Sabres have decided to go a different direction, clogging his path back to the NHL with the additions of Alex Lyon, Alexandar Georgiev, and most recently Colten Ellis off waivers, alongside starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
It’s funny watching him because it’s clear that Levi at the AHL is the same goaltender who has dominated in the past. He remains one of the best non-NHL skaters and his tracking is high-end. That said, struggles up high as well as a tendency to commit aggressively which has left him prone to lapses on consecutive chances has been the real burner for an otherwise NHL calibre goaltender. That said, it’s Levi’s age-24 season and he’s still yet to find a permanent spot in Buffalo’s system–one full with goaltending prospects from 2022 second round pick Topias Leinonen, the fast-ascending Ryerson Leenders, who both were highlighted in Buffalo’s prospect pool rankings.
Burke Hood, G, Vancouver Giants (New York Islanders)
Burke Hood had a tremendous rookie campaign last season in the WHL, one that netted him a spot on Team Canada’s Under-18s team and an eventual fifth round selection by the New York Islanders in the 2025 draft. If not for a statistical fall from grace in the playoffs, Hood very well would have gone higher.
Early returns on the pick seem to indicate that the same issues that plagued Hood’s playoff campaign are holding him back to start his draft-plus-one season, netting a horrific .839 save percentage through his first five games back with the Giants. He’s continued to struggle in suppressing or corralling rebounds and has been exploited with cross-crease passes, while struggling with screens from an inactive stance.
Certainly not all of this can be blamed on Hood, as the Giants struggled last season defensively and have incurred the losses of key pieces like Mazden Leslie and San Jose Sharks prospect Colton Roberts from their D-core this past off-season. He’s also leading his team in save percentage, somehow. However, he’ll need to shake off the rust from the off-season and continue to work on his hands, rebounds, screens and explosiveness in order to prevent a sophomore slump.
Jacoby Weiner, G, Moncton Wildcats (2026 NHL Draft)
Ahead of Jacoby Weiner’s QMJHL debut, the 6-foot-4, 224 pound netminder has secured a placement in the QMJHL’s prospect games in October. If the league had waited just a few days, it’s very likely that he might have been left off entirely, posting an .825 save percentage through his first two games, while not passing the eye-test either.
In a scouting report of his debut, we wrote:
“With a 6-foot-4, 228-pound frame, Weiner doesn't fill up quite as much space as you'd expect thanks to a narrow frame. He also couldn't play big, either, as the rookie goaltender seemed glued to the goal line or refused to come out and challenge shooters in the first place.”
This is not to say that he lacks the characteristics of an NHL draftable prospect as his pro-like size, edge-work and quickness all stand out as positives, however his tracking, anticipation and depth will certainly have teams second guessing him. For Weiner to be considered as a serious draft prospect for 2026, he'll need to catch up to the league's pace of play.. If he can show consistent improvements in those weak areas, given his size and physical tools, NHL teams will likely give him an extended look. In the mean time,