Top five late-round steals from the 2018 NHL Draft

May 16, 2025, 14:00 EDT

Top five late-round steals from the 2018 NHL Draft

Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

Over the past few months, we’ve looked at the best late-round picks from the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 NHL Drafts.

Now, we’re looking at players in their mid-20s, with some guys having close to five years of experience already. Rasmus Dahlin was the first player off the board in 2018, with Andrei Svechnikov and Jesperi Kotkaniemi following behind.

This draft also produced Brady Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes, Evan Bouchard, Noah Dobson, Joel Farabee and K’Andre Miller, among others. Tkachuk and Dahlin have already played more than 500 games, and 15 have played at least 300. One of those appears on this list of notable late-round picks.

Was it the deepest crop? No, but it was damn good, regardless. These five players taken in the fifth round or later might not have been taken high, but they’ve cemented themselves as key pieces of the draft class:

Yegor Sharangovich, LW (Calgary Flames via New Jersey Devils)

Drafted: Fifth round, 141st overall

Sharangovich had a quieter year this season, but he’s still a big part of the Flames. Originally drafted by New Jersey, he had quite modest numbers in the KHL and AHL. But something clicked in 2020-21. He had 25 points in 34 games with Dinamo Minsk and then finished the season with 16 goals and 30 points with the Devils. He’d improve to 46 points the following year before falling to 30 in 2022-23.

The Devils eventually traded him to Calgary to bring in Tyler Toffoli in 2023, giving Sharangovich a chance to shine with a bubble playoff team. He immediately made a huge impact, scoring 31 goals and 59 points in 2023-24. He fell to 32 this past year and it was definitely a big step back. But overall, Sharangovich – at his best – gives the Flames a solid middle-six scoring threat. He needs to add some consistency and regain his confidence next year, though. For what it’s worth, he’s ninth in games played from this class.

Samuel Ersson, G (Philadelphia Flyers)

Drafted: Fifth round, 143rd overall

Ersson hasn’t had a smooth NHL career, with inconsistency being an issue in Philly. But given how he was thrust into the starter’s gig in 2023-24, with the team’s No. 1 getting arrested, Ersson was thrown to the wolves earlier than expected. For the most part, Ersson kept himself in the Calder Trophy race, which is all you could ask for.

Unfortunately, Philly’s goaltending just couldn’t get the job done this past season. Maybe Ersson is better suited as a tandem goalie at best. But Ersson has shown plenty of promise, too – he was fantastic in his one start at the 4 Nations Face-Off and has seven shutouts to his credit already. Given he wasn’t highly rated when he was taken in 2018, Ersson has become everything – and more – the Flyers could have hoped from him. He’s a competitive goaltender who can steal you the odd game, and he’ll need to keep doing that during the next few years.

Pontus Holmberg, C/RW (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Drafted: Sixth round, 156th overall

Holmberg never looked like a future NHLer until he had his breakthrough 2021-22 season in Sweden. That year, he had 41 points in 46 games – and the year before that, he was named SHL playoff MVP after winning the league title. Holmberg was never going to be a point producer in the NHL. Instead, he was an energy forward who could be defensively responsible and provide the odd goal every now and then.

Recently, he has found himself as the odd man out in Toronto in the playoffs, and it feels like he’s been miscast a few times. But the 26-year-old can still play wherever Leafs coach Craig Berube needs him and he won’t make many egregious mistakes. His speed and hockey sense will allow him to stay in the NHL for many years to come – he’s the prototypical fourth-liner. It’ll be interesting to see what the Leafs sign him to as a pending RFA.

Michael Kesselring, D (Utah Mammoth via Edmonton Oilers)

Drafted: Sixth round, 164th overall

The Oilers moved on from Kesselring after parts of three seasons in the AHL, where he showed promise as a hard-shooting, physical defenseman. They sent him to Arizona to bring in Nick Bjugstad – a two-way forward with a big 6-foot-5 frame. Bjugstad did OK, but eventually made it back to the Coyotes/Mammoth organization, where he remains to this day. Kesselring, though, became a top-four defender and has quickly emerged as one of Utah’s most important players. He can hit, shoot and make smart decisions with the puck.

In hindsight, the Oilers would probably love Kesselring to help shore up their blueline, but he’s going to be costly on his next deal. Not bad for someone who wasn’t noted for anything more than just being a big dude back in high school. Kesselring likely won’t be an offensive defenseman (although he was more productive than Bjugstad this year). But there are some similarities in how Kesselring developed to MacKenzie Weegar’s development. At one point, Weegar was more of a stay-at-home blueliner known for keeping things simple before becoming a Canadian Olympic candidate. Could Kesselring continue to unlock new elements to his game?

Cole Koepke, LW (Boston Bruins via Tampa Bay Lightning)

Drafted: Sixth round, 183rd overall

Koepke only played in 26 games with the Lightning after finishing his junior season at the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2021. He didn’t look like he’d be anything more than a depth player, and Tampa had no shortage of them in the system. That made moving on from him last summer easier.

The Bruins signed Koepke to a one-year, two-way contract last summer, making it seem like he was headed to Providence. Instead, Koepke impressed during training camp, showing his effectiveness as an energetic fourth-liner. He was especially good with Mark Kastelic, another breakout player this year. Koepke hits everything in sight and does so without getting himself into trouble too often. He’s an underrated shooter, too. The Bruins should look to keep him around with a new deal this summer.

Other notables: Akira Schmid, G (Vegas Golden Knights via New Jersey Devils, 136th overall); Declan Chisholm, D (Minnesota Wild via Winnipeg Jets, 150th overall); Nikolai Kovalenko, RW (San Jose Sharks via Colorado Avalanche, 171st overall); Tyler Tucker, D (St. Louis Blues, 200th overall)

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