Hamilton was selected by Colorado with the 10th choice in the 3rd round of the 2026 NHL Draft.

Hamilton is one of the bigger risers in the class. He opened the year as a C-level name on Central Scouting’s preliminary list, a fourth-to-fifth-round projection, and finished 33rd among North American skaters on the final ranking after leading Red Deer with 62 points in 67 games. The context makes the number stand out as the Rebels’ next-highest scorer managed 38 points, and only five teammates reached 25, so he carried the offense and at times forced the play because no one else could. He’s an excellent skater with real compete, wins pucks in all three zones, and drives the middle of the ice when he has possession. The size is the catch at 5-11 and roughly 172 pounds, and most public rankings sit well below Central Scouting, in the 60s to 90s, which captures the gap between his tools and his projectable NHL role. That role looks like a bottom-six forward, probably a winger, with offense that depends on linemates who can finish and anticipate his passes rather than the survival hockey he played in Red Deer. For fantasy, that’s secondary scoring at best, the kind that lives on a third line in a good situation. He’ll return to the Rebels as captain next season and is in Canada’s U18 program mix, both signs of how his game is valued. If the playmaking translates with better support, a third-line scorer near 45 to 50 points is the ceiling, which is where the upside lands.