2026 NHL Draft star Ivar Stenberg is making a name for himself
This article originally appeared on hockeysverige.se and has been translated from Swedish to English.
One of the top prospects ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft is making sure he gets noticed.
When Frölunda defeated HV71 in the SHL on Saturday, it was a 17-year-old who stepped up and scored the game-winning goal.
With the score tied 1-1 in the second period, Ivar Stenberg struck to make it 2-1 – the eventual game-winner. Stationed on the far post, Stenberg was the strongest in a battle with several HV players around him, knocking the puck into an open net after some fine work from Linus Högberg.
“It felt really nice to finally get my first goal of the season,” Stenberg said after the 2–1 victory.
Stenberg has picked up where he left off last season and has started the 2025/26 season strongly. He is a regular in the SHL and has posted four points in his first six games, the best among all U20 skaters in the league.
“I feel pretty good, both in practices and games. It’s nice to have put that goal in and build from there,” he said.
Last season, Stenberg recorded a goal and two assists in 25 regular-season games in the SHL. He scored his first SHL goal in the very last regular-season game, which kick-started his production. He continued to grow and grow in the playoffs, finishing with three goals and six points in twelve playoff games.
Now we’ll see if Stenberg can have a similar effect after this year’s first goal.
“Maybe it will, but it’s hard to say. Hopefully I can keep producing, but as long as we’re winning, that’s what matters,” he said.
So far this season, Stenberg has also been given a good role in Frölunda, averaging 13:56 of ice time per game compared to 11:37 last year. It has made him more comfortable in this setting.
“Yeah, I’ve been practicing with the guys and with the senior team for, what, nine months now? Of course that makes it feel better. Then I had a good summer and a decent preseason, which helped me be ready for the season, Stenberg said. “I feel like I’ve grown into the game more and more. It feels like I can play and make a difference here. Then I just try to get better every game and be more consistent so it’s not so much up and down.”
Adapting to playing bigger and more mature players has been the biggest challenge.
“It’s the classic stuff – getting stronger and faster. Just becoming a better player and improving in all areas on the ice,” said Stenberg, who admitted he has put on some weight and muscle for this season.
Even though the soon-to-be 18-year-old has had a great start to the season, Stenberg doesn’t feel he’s received much more attention from the media or scouts this fall.
“Well, a little here and there, I’d say. I don’t notice a huge difference compared to last season.”
That said, a large number of NHL scouts have been in attendance at several of Frölunda’s games so far, given that Stenberg is highly ranked for next year’s NHL Draft. Against Djurgården last week, around 40 scouts were present at Avicii Arena in Stockholm.
“Yeah, hopefully they’re watching me when they’re there. It’s just fun. I’ve only talked with a few clubs so far. Not that many yet. I don’t have much experience, I don’t know exactly how it works, but I guess they’re pretty calm for now. I have no idea if it will pick up more as the draft gets closer.”
Virtually all experts project Ivar Stenberg as a top-five pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Most rankings have him going second or third overall, including in Daily Faceoff’s most recent ranking.
Still, the pressure has yet to materialize for Stenberg.
“No, not right now. I always want to be good and make an impact every game. That’s pretty natural. But at least for now, I’m calm.”
Even though Stenberg doesn’t feel pressure at the moment, he has someone close he can turn to as the draft approaches. His older brother, Otto Stenberg, was selected in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues. Otto moved over to North America last season.
“We haven’t talked that much about the draft specifically, but I know what it was like for him. I also followed the other 2007-born guys in the national team for a whole year, so I have some idea how it was for them. So I do have a bit of experience at least,” Ivar said with a smile.
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