Justin Graf goes to Predators in fourth round of NHL Draft

Justin Graf became the first Cedar Rapids RoughRider selected in the 2026 NHL Draft when the Nashville Predators took him 118th overall, the fourth pick of the fourth round, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. For Cedar Rapids, the call capped a season that turned Graf into one of the USHL’s most productive forwards and gave the club another clear marker in its player-development pipeline.

Graf’s numbers carried the case. He played 52 games for the RoughRiders in 2025-26 and finished with 23 goals, 32 assists and 55 points, a 1.06 points-per-game pace that came before a season-ending injury cut his year short. That production was strong enough to put him on NHL radars while also strengthening Cedar Rapids’ profile with prospects who can see a direct path from the Riders to the draft.

Nashville’s interest fit the shape of its 2026 class. The Predators finished the draft with eight total selections, including four forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender, and their draft approach emphasized upside. Graf fit that profile as a forward who drove offense in the USHL and paired his hockey resume with a commitment to Harvard University, where he will continue his academic and hockey career.

His draft track also reflects the kind of visibility Cedar Rapids has built around top-end junior talent. Graf was one of three RoughRiders selected for the 2026 Chipotle All-American Game, earned a spot on Team USA’s roster for the 2025 World Junior A Challenge in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, and was named USHL Forward of the Week on December 29, 2025 after a five-point week. He also arrived in Cedar Rapids as a 2025 USHL Phase II Draft pick, then turned that opportunity into a season that ended with NHL attention.

Graf’s family name adds another layer. Draft coverage identified him as the brother of San Jose Sharks forward Collin Graf, giving the Nashville pick both a hockey pedigree and a proven college route. For Cedar Rapids, that combination matters as much as the selection itself: the RoughRiders sent a first player off their board, and they did it with a forward whose season pointed directly at how the organization develops draftable talent.