‘Swedish Nick Suzuki’ Björck rises to No. 4, Malhotra leaps into top six in Craig’s List

The 2026 NHL Draft is about six weeks away and while Penn State winger Gavin McKenna remains No. 1, TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button has a new player in his top five for his May draft ranking.

Djurgardens forward Viggo Björck has moved up from No. 6 to No. 4 after an impressive season for club and country.

It has been a busy campaign for Björck, who was a key player in Sweden winning its first World Junior gold medal since 2012 in January. He scored three goals with nine points in seven games and was named a top-three player on the team at the end of the tournament.

Button sees a lot of the current captain of the Montreal Canadiens captain in Björck, referring to him as “Swedish Nick Suzuki.”

“I thought he was Sweden’s best player at the World Juniors,” said Button. “I thought he was just unbelievable in respect to his two-way play [and] everything he did.

“I just watched how they used him. Three-on-five, four-on-five, key defensive zone face-offs, power play, five-on-five matchups, everything. I think he’s brilliant. He’s everywhere he needs to be and he’s everywhere an opponent doesn’t want him to be.”

Björck scored six goals with 15 points in 42 SHL games with Djurgardens this season and had three points in the playoffs.

After his team was eliminated from the postseason, Björck joined Djurgardens’ junior team for the U20 championship finals and helped them win the gold medal.

Björck is currently skating at the IIHF men’s World Championship with Sweden, where he has a goal and an assist in three round-robin games.

Another riser for Button this month is Brantford Bulldogs centre Caleb Malhotra, who climbs from No. 11 in March to No. 6.

Malhotra is coming off a big playoff performance for Brantford. While the Bulldogs lost in the conference finals in seven games to the Barrie Colts, Malhotra scored 13 goals with 26 points.

In his first Ontario Hockey League season in 2025-26, the 17-year-old scored 29 goals with 84 points in 67 games.

“Caleb is such an effective two-way player,” said Button. “I think he’s the type of centre that can form such an important strength necessary for success on your team.

“Winning and successful teams have what Caleb Malhotra possesses.”

Making a significant leap on this edition of Button’s list is HV71 defenceman Malte Gustafsson, who rises to No. 11 from No. 25.

Gustafsson is coming off a big performance at the U18s for Sweden. As an alternate captain, he had one goal with five points in six games as Sweden took home the gold medal. Gustafsson was also named a top-three player for Sweden and made the tournament All-Star team.

He also earned silver at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August and a bronze medal at the World Junior A Challenge.

“He reminds me a lot of [Buffalo Sabres defenceman] Mattias Samuelsson,” said Button of Gustafsson. “Big, rangy, excellent skater. Competitive, in your face, wants to take you down and take you out. He’s a repellent.”

Another defenceman making a jump in May is Tommy Bleyl of the Moncton Wildcats, who rises into Button’s top 32 at No. 26, up from No. 39.

Skating in his first QMJHL season, Bleyl led all defencemen in points with 81 in 63 games, 11 points clear of second-place Alex Huang, who had 70 with Chicoutimi. Bleyl took home QMJHL Defenceman and Rookie of the Year honours as his 68 assists led all players in the QMJHL this season.

He was also third in QMJHL playoff scoring with 28 points in 21 games as Moncton fell in six games to Chicoutimi in the league final.

“He fits the profile of how you can impact the game from the back end,” said Button of Bleyl. “He’s smart, poised, he’s got jump in his game. He was a dynamic player for Moncton this year.

“To me, it’s not about your height or size or anything. What attributes do you have and how can they impact the games? His skating, thinking, initiative and puck play impact the game in a significant matter.”

Craig’s List - May 20