Tyler Hopkins

September 2026 – Hopkins was something of a draft-day value play, landing 86th overall despite projections that had him going in the second round, and his 2025-26 OHL campaign justified the organizational interest. Across 56 games split between Kingston and Guelph following a mid-year trade, he posted 25 goals and 25 assists, finishing the year with 14 points in his final ten regular-season games. He was named an alternate captain almost immediately after arriving in Guelph, a pattern that mirrors his leadership track in Kingston. A reliable two-way centre defined more by his floor than his ceiling, he was invited to Hockey Canada’s World Junior Summer Showcase this summer, and a strong start in Guelph – which hosts the Memorial Cup next spring – could put him on the final roster. An entry-level contract upon the conclusion of his junior career wouldn’t be a complete surprise, and there’s still runway for Hopkins to develop into a potential middle-six calibre player in the NHL. Ryan Downey

September 2025 – Hopkins finds himself on the incline after logging a 51-point campaign with the Kingston Frontenacs last season. The Maple Leafs continued the trend of selecting hulking centres by drafting Hopkins. His style is very straight forward without any complexities. He lacks the offensive upside to make an impact in a middle-six, so his likeliest outcome is to end up in an NHL bottom-six with potential to become a low-impact low-event type of player. Sean Crocker

June 2025 – Selected 86th overall, Tyler Hopkins is now a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mark Henry

June 2025—Hopkins is a straightforward player, though one who comes with plenty of tools. He finished the season with 20 goals (though none in 11 playoff games), largely off the strength of his shot and his open-ice abilities off the rush. He’s very fast, with a powerful, churning stride, making him effective as both a carrier and weak-side option, though his off-puck reads are hit-or-miss. His speed—in addition to his low skating base—also makes him both difficult to seperate from the puck and hard to play against in the corners.

Despite the tools, Hopkins likely doesn’t have enough creativity, deception or high-level processing to be much more than a straight-lines forward, even if it is as an effective one.—Luke Sweeney