BUFFALO, N.Y. – Daxon Rudolph is acutely aware of his situation going into the 2026 NHL Draft. He considers himself lucky and is soaking up the experience this week before the annual entry-level selection gets underway at the home of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres.
The incoming freshman on the University of Denver hockey team is among the top players eligible for this year's draft and is ranked No. 5 among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting's final list. From meeting with scouts throughout the season, to the NHL Scouting Combine last month right here in Buffalo to now being among the top prospects on the eve of the draft, Rudolph isn't taking any of his journey for granted.
"It's been a lot for sure, but just super grateful to be in the position I am," Rudolph said on Thursday morning at the NHL's top prospects media availability at New Era's world headquarters. "Not everyone can experience stuff like this, and having the season we had in P.A. was so much fun and getting to do all this stuff on top of that, it means a lot and it's really been a fun year."
Rudolph certainly made his mark during his draft year with the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League, earning league first team all-star honors and was recognized on the third all-star team by the entire Canadian Hockey League system. The defenseman led the Raiders with 50 assists and 78 points while scoring 28 goals—second most on the team behind fellow incoming DU rookie Max Heise.
The Lacombe, Alberta, native also etched himself in the Prince Albert record book by tying current NHLer Josh Morrissey's (Winnipeg Jets) franchise mark for the most goals by a D-man in a single season. Additionally, he led the Raiders in power-play scoring with 35 points (13 goals and 22 assists) and broke Morrissey's mark for defenseman man-advantage tallies in a campaign.
Rudolph finished his major-junior career with 119 points (35 goals and 84 assists) in 132 career regular-season games and had 39 points in 30 postseason contests, which included him leading P.A. in its trip to the WHL Championship Series during the 2026 playoffs with a league-best 18 assists and 27 points (tied).
That production, his 6-foot-3, 206-pound frame and hockey sense might result in his named being called early on Friday when the draft gets underway with Round 1 at KeyBank Center. DU has only had five previous players drafted in the first round, and Craig Redmond is the highest drafted Pioneer in program history at No. 6 by the Los Angeles Kings in 1984.
Zeev Buium was the last Denver first-round pick in 2024, as he was the first American off the board at No. 12 overall by the Minnesota Wild.
This year's draft defensive corps is one the deepest in recent years, as four of the top five North American skaters on the Central Scouting's list play on the backend.
"It's cool getting to know a bunch of these guys who all play the game at such a high level, and it's fun," Rudolph said of other top D-men at the draft. "You're competing against them when you get on the ice, but getting to know them off the ice has been a really cool part of it."
The difference between the new Denver defenseman and the rest of his position group might be his IQ on the ice.
"I think for myself, the way I think the game," noted Rudolph, who also said he compares his game to that of Brock Faber, Charlie McAvoy and Zach Werenski. "That's my biggest asset and what separates me from those guys."
Rudolph is appreciative for all that Prince Albert did for his development as a player, but he's excited to continue to further his growth at Denver to help him transition to the NHL one day.
"I think the coaching staff was a big one. Who I'm going to be around, there's a lot of my buddies there and Western Canadians as well," Rudolph noted of his decision to go to the DU hilltop. "I think those are the two main things—coaching staff and development."
He'll be joined on the Pioneers with his P.A. teammate Heise, longtime friend Ben MacBeath of the WHL Calgary Hitmen, as well as rising sophomores
Clarke Caswell and
Kyle Chyzowski—two former Western Leaguers that made the jump to the college level a year ago. Since committing, he's been in contact with Caswell, Chyzowski and senior defenseman
Cale Ashcroft, who is also from Alberta, on what to expect once he gets to campus.
Denver's winning pedigree with an NCAA-record 11 national championships and three in the past five years—including this spring against Big Ten-foes Michigan and Wisconsin—also played a factor for the 18-year-old.
"They've played some high-level hockey, and I think just if you can join that and being alongside those types of players is really exciting," Rudolph said. "To not only play with them, but push each other and continue to develop your game."
Rudolph arrived in Buffalo with his family on Wednesday and spent Thursday morning with other top prospects at the New Era hat company's headquarters in downtown Buffalo. They got a tour of the facility and picked up some new lids for themselves as well—with Rudolph getting two special, custom hats for his parents as well as an MLB cap for himself.
"It's been cool. We got a tour of the facility, see the history of all the hats and what they've gone through," Rudolph said. "Early on in baseball is kind of the main thing and how they took a big step in their company. It's been really neat to see all the different hats and styles and things like that, that you don't really get to see too often."
The top prospects were then able to get in some golf on Thursday afternoon before spending time with the people closest to them and those that supported their journey to this moment. Rudolph's entourage this week includes his immediate family, aunts, uncles and cousins, as well as his billet family in Prince Albert.
The future Pioneer is excited to realize a dream and hear his name called by an NHL franchise, but the moment immediately after when he gets to celebrate with his family is what he's looking forward to the most.
"When that time comes, just giving them a hug and a thank you and things like that and the gratitude that I have for them," Rudolph said. "I think that's a neat thing I'm most excited for."
TICKETS: Season tickets as well as five-game mini plans for the DU hockey's championship defense campaign in 2026-27 are on sale now.
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