The Toronto Maple Leafs have taken Ethan MacKenzie with the 69th overall pick in the third round of the 2026 Entry Draft.

Vitals

MacKenzie is going to turn 20 in September, and it from Gavin McKenna's training base of Kelowna, BC. He is a left-shooting defender and is listed at 6'1" and 187 lbs.

Career

He is committed to the University of North Dakota for next year after four years in the WHL.

Scouting Reports

He's covered here:

2026 NHL Draft Profiles: Re-Entry Defensemen
There are some interesting older defensemen who are re-entering the draft this year, including some that should be familiar to those who read these profiles last year.
PPP LeafsBrian S
This is MacKenzie's third time being eligible for the NHL draft, and if you're wondering whether or not I'm bitter that Toronto could have taken MacKenzie as a D+1 re-entry last year with a late round pick instead of, oh just picking a random name off the top of my head, someone like Hlacar when I included him as a potential re-entry to take because of his stellar numbers... I plead the fifth. Anyways, this year he was even better. He made Team Canada's World Juniors squad and was one of their best overall defensemen. His point production almost doubled, and his goal rate improved by more than four times while maintaining his elite tracking metrics.

Elite Prospects says:

When we ranked Ethan MacKenzie No. 137 in the last draft guide, it was a bet on his motor and tools to launch his development in 2025-26. But even we didn’t see this coming.
The ultra-competitive defender came into the season with a more refined approach across the rink. He became the No. 1 defenceman on a stacked Edmonton blueline, playing the first half of both special teams. He finished top 10 in defenceman scoring, and even became a rare undrafted defenceman on Canada’s World Juniors team.
The most consequential development for MacKenzie’s rise has been his puck game. He’s always had the desire to make plays, but it’s supported by improved skill. His shot is now a real weapon, especially from the top of the circles. He’s consistently manipulating opponents, faking one way before moving the puck in the opposite direction, making him a highend WHL puck-mover and power-play orchestrator. The second big development in MacKenzie’s game was improving the messiness, though it remains a weakness. He’s chaotic wth the puck, sacrificing precision for pace, and his defensive game still features overextending and chasing. There’s still cleaning up to do before he’s ready to push for an NHL role, not to mention strength to add to withstand the rigours of the pro game.

Hockey Prospect says:

Mackenzie was one of the best stories of this draft class. After being passed over in the previous two drafts, he put himself in a position to guarantee selection this time around — and capped it off by making Team Canada for the World Junior Championship as an undrafted player, which is rare. He had a monster season with Edmonton, posting 22 goals and finishing in the top 10 in scoring among defensemen. He heads to the NCAA next season, joining a good hockey program at North Dakota.
Mackenzie is an excellent skater. His stride looks explosive and effortless, he escapes pressure with ease, and he can rush the puck out of trouble or go end-to-end when the situation calls for it. His ability to recover quickly is another indicator of strong skating mechanics and overall athleticism.
He's a very good transitional defenseman, combining his skating with a reliable first pass and a willingness to rush the puck from his own zone. His mobility also allows him to exploit poor coverage by opposing teams. We project him as a PP2 option at the NHL level — his puck distribution is good, but not quite at the level of a PP1 quarterback although he has a powerful shot from the point which was responsible for a lot of his goals this season.
NHL DraftMaple Leafs Prospects