Alexander Command

July 2026 – New Jersey was expected to trade the 12th pick for immediate help and instead kept it for Command, a riser whose value lives in the parts of the game that never reach a highlight reel. Public boards never agreed on him, ranging from the low teens to the 30s, but the Devils sided with the teams that valued his motor over his flash. He is a sturdy 6-1 two-way center who wins second touches, establishes body position early, and grinds through checks, and he backed the projection with 44 points (17 goals, 27 assists) in 30 J20 Nationell games for Örebro plus a six-game SHL look and seven points in seven games at the Under-18 Worlds. The skating is good and the processing is better, letting him reach loose pucks his feet alone would not. He projects as a dependable all-situations center behind Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, the depth down the middle a contender needs. Fantasy value depends on the offense catching up to the compete, with power-play time the swing factor if it does. Andrew Epps

June 2026 – Command was selected at #12 overall with a command from the New Jersey Devils. He is a strong two-way centre who can be leaned on more to produce than others in his position. Pat Quinn

December 2025 – Since June 2025, Command has moved from being “interesting” to being productive in the spots scouts actually care about. At Örebro’s J20 level, he has been a top-line driver, sitting at 12 goals and 14 assists (26 points) through 18 games in J20 Nationell play, production that matches the more aggressive, inside-ice approach. Internationally, he has also started turning touches into points, scoring three goals and adding seven assists in four games at Sweden’s November 2025 Five Nations stop, then posting a 3-2-5 line in five games at the 2025 World Junior A Challenge (Team 18). The through-line is pace plus bite: he is winning more second touches, creating under pressure, and cashing in when the game gets compressed against his peers, not just when he is the best athlete on the sheet. Andrew Epps