Two Forwards, Two Defensemen Selected in Rounds 4-7
The New York Islanders selected two forwards and two defensemen on the second day of the 2026 National Hockey League Draft at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. Lincoln Kuehne (109th overall), Vladimir Dravecky Jr. (141st overall), Artyom Matyuk (173rd overall), and Bobby Cowan (205th overall) were selected in rounds four through seven.
Kuehne, 18, recorded two points (one goal, one assist) in 30 games at Arizona State University, skating as the second youngest defenseman in the NCAA last season. The Fargo, ND, native played parts of three seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP), where he combined for 21 points (four goals, 17 assists) in 116 games. Internationally, Kuehne won bronze with Team USA at the 2025 IIHF Under-18 World Championship and silver at the 2024 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
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Dravecky Jr., 18, registered 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) and a plus-24 rating in 58 games during his rookie season with the Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He added three assists in 11 postseason games, helping Brantford reach the Eastern Conference Final. Prior to his time in North America, Dravecky spent the 2024-25 season in Sweden with Rogle BK, scoring 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 37 games with their junior club and also making his Swedish Hockey League (SHL) debut at 17 years old. The defenseman played in Slovakia in 2023-24 and Czechia in 2021-23. Dravecky represented Czechia at the 2025 U18 World Championship and 2026 U20 World Junior Championship, where he took home silver. He also played for Czechia in the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, tallying three assists in five to earn a silver medal. He was born in Manchester, NH, while his father, Vladimir Dravecky, was playing for the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League.
2026 NHL Draft: Mathieu Darche
Matyuk, 18, set career highs with 39 points (13 goals, 26 assists) and 54 games with Chaika Nizhny Novgorod of the Russia’s MHL last season. The Moscow, RUS, native led the club in assists and plus-minus (plus-21). In 2024-25, Matyuk scored 26 points (eight goals, 18 assists) in 49 games with Chaika.
Cowan, 20, skated in all 39 games for Western Michigan University in his debut NCAA season, recording 24 points (five points, 19 assists). The freshman ranked third among his teammates in assists and penalty minutes (25). Prior to his collegiate career, the Edina, MN, native tallied 51 points (22 goals, 29 assists) in 57 games with the Madison Capitals of the United States Hockey League (USHL), adding an assist in six Clark Cup Playoff games during the 2024-25 campaign. Cowan also registered six points (one goal, five assists) in 20 contests with USHL’s Omaha Lancers in 2023-24.
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