Vanhanen was the 37th overall pick by New Jersey in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.
Vanhanen was eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft (by a handful of days) and went unselected. He was a lock to be picked this time around after leading all WHL rookies in assists (66) in 62 games for league champion Everett. He also played well for Finland at the World Juniors. He finished his year with a stellar showing of four goals and eight points in five games in the Memorial Cup. Vanhanen's calling card is his hockey IQ. He thinks two or three steps ahead, which is necessary because he otherwise has a set of average skills across the board. While there's clear risk here for multiple reasons, Vanhanen has put a bunch of quality hockey on tape in a variety of settings.