Vancouver Canucks select Caleb Malhotra with No. 3 pick in 2026 NHL Draft
2026 NHL Draft
Winners & LosersMcKenna Goes No. 1Live Picks TrackerBest Available PlayersMock Draft Team NeedsVancouver Canucks select Caleb Malhotra with No. 3 pick in 2026 NHL Draft
Malhotra, 18, is the son of Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra. Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images
By Thomas DranceJune 26, 2026 Updated 7:38 pm EDTThe pick is in.
With the No. 3 pick at the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo on Friday evening, the Vancouver Canucks selected Brantford Bulldogs center Caleb Malhotra.
Malhotra, 18, is the son of Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra. While that introduces some potential for awkwardness, incoming Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson had consistently stated that he was unwilling to “sacrifice” on selecting the best player available on draft day simply because Caleb’s father was his first pick to be Vancouver’s head coach.
“We had one conversation before I hired him,” Johnson said of discussing the draft with Manny in a pre-draft media briefing on Thursday, while discussing the unprecedented situation. “(We) agreed that if it were going to be an issue that (Manny and the team) should both go our separate ways. And we decided it wasn’t an issue.”
Malhotra wasn’t on the radar as a top draft prospect entering this season, but authored a significant offensive breakout while jumping from the BCHL to the OHL and had emerged as the consensus top center in the class. Standing 6-foot-2, Malhotra is a long, athletic and physically assertive center whose offensive game is mostly built around his creativity as a playmaker. While Malhotra wasn’t a face-off ace in the OHL this past season – a reality which may take some time for fans to wrap their head around, given what we remember of how his dad played – he is a diligent, hard-working defensive presence with the tools and reach to be a disruptive two-way presence at the professional level.
NHL scouts are high on Malhotra, not just because of what he can do on the ice, but because of what he represents as a person off of it.
“Caleb Malhotra’s greatest asset, as good as his hockey sense and his speed and size is, is his character,” an anonymous NHL scout told The Athletic of Malhotra’s game in May. “He’s got elite character. I could see him captaining an NHL team someday, and you’re seeing it, his production in big games has gone to another level. He’s been dynamite in the playoffs, and if there was any question with Caleb, it was would he be the same as his dad and not be able to produce numbers at the NHL level. I don’t think that will be a concern.”
There’s also an element to which NHL teams heavily weigh how significantly Malhotra improved over the course of his draft year, and that’s a big part of what the Canucks are betting on. Malhotra has never been a top offensive producer as a teenager, until the past six months. That rocket-ship trajectory, however, is baked into the bet that Vancouver has placed on Friday.
“The trajectory on the player has been pretty dramatic,” another anonymous NHL scout told The Athletic ahead of the draft lottery. “He was in the BCHL last season, and it’s not that he wasn’t a difference-maker, but he didn’t really dominate. Then he wasn’t invited to the Ivan Hlinka camp, and part of that might’ve been that he went to the BCHL, but when you see him in September in the OHL as a true rookie, and compare him now to what he was then, you see a massive difference. I think that’s exciting.
“A recent example of a player who took that sort of leap is Beckett Senneke, about halfway through his draft year, you were just shocked. Senneke played as a 16-year-old in the OHL, and he was super frustrating … Even in his draft year, there were games where he struggled or where he was healthy scratched or benched. Then you saw him from January onward, and he just figured it out. Caleb’s progression is, he starts as a 17-year-old in the OHL and every time you saw him, he just looked bigger and stronger and better.”
A deep dive into Malhotra’s draft year production reveals that while he didn’t produce at the level that we’d customarily expect of a top-five pick drafted out of the OHL in his draft year, when you adjust for pedigree and draft capital, he’s got a relatively low-risk profile from a production perspective.
As a big center playing in the OHL, Malhotra represents a player archetype that NHL talent evaluators have a very solid track record of identifying and elevating to the top of the NHL draft order when it’s called for. That holds regardless of whether that player’s scoring profile jumps off of the page, or not.
Malhotra’s selection at No. 3 marks the highest pick that the Canucks have made at the draft since the franchise selected Henrik Sedin – now one of Vancouver’s co-presidents of hockey operations – third in 1999.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
