2026 NHL Draft Profile | Daxon Rudolph
Daxon Rudolph is more than familiar with carrying the weight of being a top draft pick.
The Lacombe, Alta. product was called first overall in the WHL Prospects Draft by the Prince Albert Raiders back in 2023, joining the ranks of players like Connor Bedard, Matthew Savoie, Dylan Guenther, and, more recently, projected top NHL Draft picks Gavin McKenna and Landon DuPont.
Needless to say, expectations have been high for the young man in Hockeytown North.
“Being a first overall pick, it comes with a little bit of pressure,” Rudolph admits. “But I mean, at the end of the day, hockey is fun, and we’re all playing the game we love, so you try not to think about it. Once that puck drops, you’re just playing the game you love and trying to do it to the best of your ability.”
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound, right-shot defenceman hasn’t just brought his best- he’s consistently been one of the best across the WHL.
Rudolph’s sophomore season saw him earn an ‘A’ before pumping out 28 goals and 78 points in 68 games to help the Raiders secure a 52-win season and a second consecutive East Division title while playing his way into the history books.
He ranked third in goals and points among all WHL blueliners.
In addition to being named a finalist for WHL Defenceman of the Year (he was also a finalist for Scholastic Player of the Year in 2025) and making the Eastern Conference First All-Star Team, Rudolph set a franchise record for powerplay goals by a defenceman (13) while tying Raiders legend and current Winnipeg Jets alternate captain Josh Morrissey’s record for single-season goals by a Prince Albert rearguard.
“I honestly didn’t know if I was going to get there,” Rudolph added. “It was a kind of becoming news near the second half of the year when I was getting close, but just to hear a guy like that… He’s obviously had such a great NHL career and been at the Olympics, Four Nations, things like that. So it’s super special, and the stuff that he did here, it’s awesome. To be able to tie that record was definitely a cool moment, and something I’ll definitely remember forever.”
And that was just the regular season.
At the CHL USA Prospects Challenge, Rudolph logged two helpers before captaining Team East to a 5-4 win at the 2026 WHL Prospects Game, where he scored the overtime winner.
The 18-year-old did some of his finest work in the playoffs, where he put up a whopping 27 points (9G-18A) in 19 games to reach the WHL Championship Series.
Rudolph tied Seattle Kraken prospect and Everett Silvertips forward Julius Miettinen for the postseason scoring lead and tied for second in game-winning goals with three.
“His offensive ability is one thing,” Raiders bench boss and 2026 WHL Coach of the Year finalist Ryan McDonald said. “The way he can make reads, the way he makes plays, the way he gets his shots through the net, the way he creates time and space offensively. Then you flip to the defensive side- how he defends his stick, how he closes, how he communicates, how he gets in front of pucks again, how he continues to get pucks going north in a real hurry in a transition situation. Very hard pressed to look at him and only think he’s 17 years old or just, you know, turning 18. He’s mature beyond his years, and his leadership skills and his qualities and his care for his teammates are something that are just truly special.”
Those are the qualities that made him a first-overall pick at 15 in major junior.
Now, he’s expected to go in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Rudolph is ranked fifth among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting in the agency’s final rankings and recently participated in the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine alongside 89 of the top prospects from around the world.
In a draft class that has showcased a particularly talented crop of defencemen, Rudolph has done all he can to set himself apart.
“He plays a unique game in this draft class,” NHL Central Scouting Director Dan Marr said. ” He’s got the ability to drive the offence, generate offence and finish, and he does it while making it look like it’s easy. He’s such an effortless skater. And you know, he’s thick from top to bottom. And I’m not saying in a way where he’s heavy, he’s just solid. So he’s already a good physical package, and he’s got all the offensive tools.”
Now, it’s time to see which NHL team thinks Rudolph has the right tools to build a Stanley Cup contender.
Round One of the 2026 NHL Draft is set for Friday, June 26, at the KeyBank Centre in Buffalo, N.Y.
