Bleyl set a Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) record for a rookie defenseman, and it earned Nashville’s attention. The club traded up, sending picks 42 and 57 to Carolina, to take him 31st overall after he posted 13 goals and 68 assists for the Moncton Wildcats, a plus-58 rating and 81 points that surpassed a rookie-blueliner mark standing since 1978. He swept the league’s defenseman and rookie of the year awards, only the second player to do both in one season. Bleyl is one of the best skaters in the class, a defenseman who leads the rush, treats zone entries as a personal cheat code, and hits his marks as a crisp passer with a projectable shot. His mobility lets him close gaps and challenge carriers. The work remaining is physical: at roughly 170 pounds he loses net-front battles that will only get harder.

Bleyl is one of the best skaters in the entire 2026 draft class. As a defenseman, he can lead the rush in transition and is a zone-entry cheat code at the QMJHL level. He is a crisp passer who consistently hits his marks. The shot is also projectable to the NHL level. Defensively, Bleyl’s mobility shines as it allows him to close gaps quickly and challenge the puck carrier. However, he still needs to put on some muscle as he loses his fair share of net-front battles. Bleyl has a high NHL upside, which could see him become a top-four/power-play QB defender, and there is still room to make the NHL if the offense does not translate, as his skating is good enough to project him as a competent bottom-pairing defender.-

After initially planning to return to Moncton, Bleyl reversed course and is headed to college at Michigan State this fall, a national-contender blue line where measured minutes suit a freshman still adding strength. His fantasy value is the power-play-quarterback kind, and the read now is how the offense and the body handle the college jump.