The NHL has a wide variety of immediate outcomes for its top draft picks.
Some, like the 2026 NHL Draft No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna, come straight to the league.
Others, like No. 3 overall pick Caleb Malhotra of the Vancouver Canucks, remain at a lower level while they develop.
The NHL’s draft rules play a big part in this. Many players are eligible to be drafted when their talent is clear but their physicality may not be ready for the NHL yet.
Malhotra fits that bill, and so he plays on in the amateur ranks while waiting for the chance to move up the ladder.
Where is Caleb Malhotra?
Malhotra is currently playing in the college hockey ranks in NCAA Division I with Boston University.
It’s his third team in three seasons.
Malhotra was a member of the Chilliwack Chiefs in the BCHL in 2024-25 and had 26 points in 44 games with 8 goals and 18 assists.
He then joined the Brantford Bulldogs in the OHL and had a monster season to get drafted. He put up 29 goals and 55 assists for 84 points in 67 games.
That’s the team the Canucks drafted him from, but he didn’t stay there this year.
At just 18 years old, Malhotra chose instead to go to college and play at BU.
How is Caleb Malhotra Doing at Boston University?
Malhotra has just played two games so far for Boston University.
He notched one goal and is a plus-1 through the two games.
BU, a powerhouse program, is 2-0 on the young season.
They actually opened the season at Alaska in Fairbanks, so it was a super long trip for Malhotra and company to begin the year.
Boston then came back home to play an exhibition game against Brown University, which precedes another road trip.
BU heads to Vermont for a couple games this weekend against the Catamounts.
No one on the Boston roster is having too big a season so far, but it’s Tynan Lawrence leading the Terriers with three points through two games on two goals and an assist. Lawrence’s name might sound familiar, too. He was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues. Lawrence is in his second college season after seven points in 18 games last year.
When is Caleb Malhotra Coming to NHL?
If Malhotra wanted, he’d be allowed to play a full four-year college career at Boston University, so there isn’t any clock really rushing him to arrive.
The Canucks will likely bring him aboard sooner if he looks ready in a year or two.
They won’t rush him in the middle of a college season, though. Malhotra should get to play this season with his Terriers teammates before figuring out what may come next.
Here’s How Caleb Malhotra Is Playing Since Canucks Draft Pick