Eyes on Caleb Malhotra
Caleb Malhotra has the National Hockey League scouts standing up and taking notice even though he is just beginning his Ontario Hockey League playing career with the Brantford Bulldogs.
The 6 foot 2, 180 pound centre with a 2008 birth date was originally chosen in the first round (sixth overall) by the Kingston Frontenacs at the 2024 OHL priority selections draft. But Malhotra — who is the son of former OHL forward Manny Malhotra, who went on to play in more than 1,000 NHL games — did not sign with Kingston and his rights were eventually traded to Brantford in a conditional deal involving a number of future draft picks.
With a future Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association commitment to Boston University tucked away, Malhotra spent the ’24-25 season with the Chilliwack Chiefs of the British Columbia Hockey League where he recorded 26 points in 44 regular season games before putting up 17 points in 21 playoff outings.
With the NCAA rule changes that now allow players to compete at the major junior level, Malhotra opted to sign with Brantford ahead of the current ’25-26 OHL season.
And although he just saw Malhotra play for the first time, Mike Dawson who is a highly regarded scout with the Seattle Kraken, came away impressed with the youngster, who is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft.
“I just saw him for the first time,” Dawson relayed to Hockey News Windsor. “I thought he was excellent. He looks like a first rounder all day to me. It is only one view so I am trying not to get too excited but I really liked what I saw. He is a complete two way player who seemed to be able to do it all.”
Notably, Dawson and the Kraken took Brantford forward Jake O’Brien in the first round (eighth overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft.
