Golden Knights target NCAA-bound prospects, add four players in rounds 4-7 of 2026 NHL Draft

The Vegas Golden Knights wrapped up the 2026 NHL Entry Draft by adding four more players in rounds 4-7, including two forwards, one defenseman and one goalie. After completing two more trades — bringing their draft weekend total to five — the Golden Knights added forward Jonah Sivertson (No. 113), defenseman Will McLaughlin (No. 159), goaltender Matthew Minchak (No. 191) and forward Noel Pakarinen (No. 207). Like the two players taken in the third round, all four have committed to NCAA clubs for either the 2026-27 or 2027-28 season. The Golden Knights traded sniper Pavel Dorofeyev to the New York Rangers early in the first round of the draft on Friday night, acquiring two first-round picks and a third (No. 92). They then made two more trades that night to acquire additional draft capital, including the No. 29 pick and a 2026 fourth-round selection (No. 117 overall). Vegas utilized those draft picks to take defenseman Juho Piiparinen (No. 29) as well as forward Ben Wilmott (No. 92) and defenseman Sean Burick (No. 95) in the first and third rounds, respectively. Golden Knights select Ben Wilmott and Sean Burick in third round of 2026 NHL Draft The organization was forced to forfeit its second-round pick after violating the NHL’s media policy following Game 6 of the second-round series against Anaheim. But the Golden Knights weren’t finished. In fact, they went on to execute two additional transactions on Day 2 of the draft. First, the Golden Knights moved up four spots in the fourth round, completing a trade with Montreal to land the No. 113 pick in exchange for pick No. 117 and Vegas’ seventh-round pick (No. 223). Vegas took Sivertson with the No. 113 overall pick in the fourth round. The Golden Knights then used their own fifth- and sixth-round picks...