Overview
- Calgary used the 30th overall pick at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday, June 27, 2026, selecting Jack Hextall, a right-shot center from the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms.
- Hextall posted 20 goals and 38 assists for 58 points in 59 USHL games in 2025–26 and added two points in four playoff games as Youngstown finished atop the Eastern Conference.
- Scouts describe Hextall as a high-motor, two-way playmaker who wins faceoffs, creates on the power play, and competes hard around the net while still needing to refine his skating for full-time NHL impact.
- Hextall is committed to Michigan State for 2026–27 and is expected to follow the common USHL-to-NCAA development path of spending time in college before signing a pro contract.
- The pick fits Calgary’s rebuild plan to stockpile skilled, high-character centers and gives the organization middle-six depth and a right-shot pivot with long-term upside who will join fellow prospect Cullen Potter at Michigan State.