Alessandro Di Iorio carries more pedigree than his draft slot suggests, a second overall pick in the 2024 Ontario Hockey League draft the Columbus Blue Jackets landed 94th overall. He captained a young, rebuilding Sarnia Sting and wore a letter for Canada at the Under-18 World Championship and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, so the leadership and two-way reliability are well established. An elbow injury cost him the start of 2025-26, and he still posted 12 goals and 31 points in 45 games on one of the league’s weakest teams. The offense has not yet matched the hype that made him a top pick, but the tools and the projectable two-way base give him one of the higher ceilings in this range. Columbus has him returning to Sarnia for a fuller season before Boston University in 2027-28, the kind of runway that suits a late-blooming skill center. For fantasy he is the most interesting name in this group, a potential top-six contributor if the scoring catches up to the sense and the compete. That makes him a dynasty stash worth holding through his overage OHL year, with a healthy, higher-volume season the signal that the offense is arriving.

Weekly 2027 Draft Eligible Three Stars

The former Salmon Arm Silverback in the BCHL picked up four points (two goals, two assists) in a pair of games this past weekend. Following a chip out of the zone to teammate Jack Van Volsen, Walos picked up a secondary assist. Van Volsen redirected the puck to Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick Alessandro Di Iorio, who deposited it in the net. Walos picked up another assist in the third period. After getting the puck wide open in the slot, he fired it on goal. However, the rebound burst out, and a teammate was able to jam it home.

2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Alessandro Di Iorio (C) 

Alessandro Di Iorio’s sophomore season was interrupted by a serious preseason arm injury that caused him to miss two months and halted his momentum coming into the year. What followed was a slightly underwhelming draft season, failing to improve upon his strong rookie season and missing the playoffs with a young and rebuilding Sarnia team. Di Iorio is a strong two-way forward, using his sturdy frame to make an impact at both ends of the ice and make his presence felt in puck battles. He’s very smart and consistently makes good decisions with the puck, allowing him to play at a high pace and slot in anywhere up and down the lineup. He’s diligent and hardworking at both ends, forechecking with energy while also staying disciplined with his positioning in the defensive zone. His production may not have popped like some anticipated this season, but he played a key depth role for Canada at both the Hlinka Gretzky and U18 World Championship tournaments, highlighting his versatility and ability to endear himself to coaches. He likely didn’t prove enough offensively to lock himself in as a first-round prospect, but his two-way acumen and hockey smarts should still land him inside the top two rounds.

Weekly 2026 Draft Eligible Three Stars

Another week of hockey is in the books, and a new group of young players are making a name for themselves this week. Niklas Aaram-Olsen helped his country dominate and earn a place at the next World Junior Championship. Ryan Roobroeck continues to find his game with a big week in the Ontario Hockey League. Finally, Sarnia Sting centerman Alessandro Di Iorio is picking up after an injury kept him sidelined for the first two months of the season.

Check out what these players got up to in the last week of play.

Niklas Aaram-Olsen | RW | Obero HK (SHL)

Norwegian winger Niklas Aaram-Olsen helped his country earn promotion to the 2027 World Junior Championships and potentially boosted his draft stock in the process. The 19th-ranked skater on Draft Prospects Hockey’s 2026 NHL Draft Rankings had 10 points (six goals, four assists) while guiding the Norwegians to five straight victories.

The Norwegians thumped France 8-2 in the tournament opener, with Aaram-Olsen picking up a goal and an assist. In the second game, the team faced its stiffest competition with Ukraine taking them to overtime. In the extra frame, the speedy winger stole a puck and sped in on the Ukraine goal. During his dash down the wing, he dealt with some harassment from the Ukraine defender and was knocked down. The referee awarded him a penalty shot, and he made no mistake putting it into the back of the net. He waited patiently for the goalie to make a move and then slipped it coolly into the open cage.

Aaram-Olsen posted back-to-back three-point (one goal, two assists) performances against Austria and Kazakhstan before adding an assist in a meaningless game against Slovenia in the final game.

Ryan Roobroeck | C | Niagara IceDogs (OHL)

Niagara IceDogs center Ryan Roobroeck is a hard-to-miss prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft simply because of his size and skill package. When the 6-foot-4, 216 pound force is on, it makes for some very exciting hockey.

The 7th-ranked player on DraftProspects Hockey’s 2026 NHL Draft Rankings is continuing to show off his offensive prowess in 2026 after scoring 41 goals for the IceDogs in 2024-25. With seven points in three games over the past week, the London, ON native is trending in the right direction.

Roobroeck’s big week got rolling against his hometown London Knights. He opened the scoring on the power play with a hard shot through traffic that found its way past the keeper. The second overall pick in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection kept things rolling for the IceDogs with his second goal of the period to give his team a 2-1 lead. After skating out of the corner with the puck, Roobroeck picked the corner with a perfectly placed wrist shot. He added a pair of assists later in the contest to pick up points on all four Niagara goals in a 4-3 win.

Alessandro Di Iorio | C | Sarnia Sting (OHL)

Sarnia Sting center Alessandro Di Iorio battled injuries for the first two months of his draft year. The Vaughn, ON native has returned to the lineup and is ready to vault himself into first-round consideration for the 2026 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-1, 190 pound pivot has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 14 games since his return to the lineup.

The 26th-ranked skater on Draft Prospect Hockey’s 2026 NHL Draft Rankings had a slow start to the week with no points in a shootout win over Guelph and a single assist in an overtime victory against Flint. He exploded for three points (two goals, one assist) against Guelph in a second meeting that the Sting took home 6-4.

Seeing an opening to create an odd-man rush, Di Iorio sped into the offensive zone. He took a pass and quickly fired a wrist shot into the empty side of the goal to open the scoring. Defending a 5-4 lead in the last two minutes of the third, Di Iorio jumped on a loose puck that had squirted out of the Sarnia end. He slipped it calmly into the empty net to give his team an insurance marker.

Weekly 2026 Draft Eligible Three Stars

Dagenais joined Team CHL this past week for the second annual CHL vs. USA Prospects Challenge and, despite starting on the fourth line, managed to contribute. Late in the second period with his team trailing by one, Dagenais fed a pass to a wide-open Alessandro Di Iorio, who buried a quick wrist shot to tie it up.