Utah drafts Chicago Steel scorer Adam Valentini in third round

Utah kept leaning on the USHL pipeline on the second day of the 2026 NHL Draft, taking Chicago Steel scorer Adam Valentini at No. 96 and Muskegon goaltender Carl Axelsson at No. 115. The pair fit the same pattern: production in the league, then enough carryover to college and draft boards to make NHL teams trust the route again.

Valentini’s case starts in Chicago, where the 5-foot-10, 185-pound forward turned his lone USHL season into a calling card. He tied for the Steel lead with 39 points in 58 games in 2024-25, scoring 17 goals and adding 22 assists while finishing fifth in USHL rookie scoring. That scoring touch did not vanish when he moved to Michigan, either. As a freshman in 2025-26, Valentini put up 11 goals and 27 points in 40 games for the Wolverines, a quick transition that reinforced how Chicago sharpened his offensive game before college took over.

Chicago also sits inside a longer ascent. Valentini was named the 2023-24 Greater Toronto Hockey League Player of the Year after piling up 67 points in 32 games for Toronto Marlboros U16 AAA, then was named to Hockey Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team pre-tournament camp roster on April 13, 2026. The Steel gave that resume its most important proving ground, turning a high-end youth scorer into a player who could drive a USHL offense and arrive at Michigan ready to contribute immediately.

Axelsson’s path was different, but Muskegon gave him the same kind of validation. The 6-foot-4, 183-pound netminder from Vaxholm, Sweden went 28-14-1 with a 2.48 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage and two shutouts in 44 USHL games in 2025-26. Muskegon said he backstopped the Lumberjacks to the Clark Cup Final, and the USHL highlighted his March 22 shutout that helped clinch a playoff berth. That is the kind of workload and leverage NHL teams keep rewarding.

Axelsson’s USHL line also includes part of 2024-25 with Sioux Falls, plus earlier NAHL time with the Austin Bruins, giving him a broader route through American junior hockey before he settled into full-time dominance in Muskegon. He is committed to Minnesota Duluth, which said he is one of two incoming freshmen drafted in 2026, and he chose the Bulldogs over Michigan, Michigan State and Maine. For Utah, the pick added another goalie with clear runway. For the USHL, it was another draft weekend example of how Chicago and Muskegon keep turning junior production into NHL credibility.