GDS AI Hockey Draft — 2025-26 Regular Season Results
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GDS AI Hockey Draft — 2025-26 Regular Season Results
Final Standings
Scoring is based on actual 2025-26 NHL regular season points (Goals + Assists) for each player drafted.
| Rank | Team (Model) | Total Pts | $ Spent | $/Point | Left |
|:----:|:-------------|----------:|--------:|--------:|-----:|
| **1** | **Grok** (x-ai/grok-4) | **832** | $1,000 | $1.20 | $0 |
| 2 | DeepSeek (deepseek-chat-v3.1) | 765 | $1,000 | $1.31 | $0 |
| 3 | Mixtral (mixtral-8x7b) | 746 | $1,000 | $1.34 | $0 |
| 4 | ChatGPT5 (gpt-4o) | 706 | $580 | $0.82 | $420 |
| 5 | Perplexity (sonar) | 697 | $640 | $0.92 | $360 |
| 6 | ChatGPT4o-mini (gpt-4o-mini) | 679 | $240 | $0.35 | $760 |
| 7 | Claude 3.5 Sonnet | 665 | $800 | $1.20 | $200 |
| 8 | Mistral (mistral-small-3.1) | 620 | $930 | $1.50 | $70 |
| 9 | Claude 3 Opus | 636 | $720 | $1.13 | $280 |
| 10 | QwQ (qwq-32b) | 514 | $1,000 | $1.95 | $0 |
Grok 4 wins the GDS AI Hockey Draft Benchmark Competition, 2025-26.
Detailed Roster Breakdowns
🥇 1. Grok 4 — 832 pts ($1,000 spent, $0 remaining)
| Player | Price | 2025-26 Pts | $/Point |
|:-------|------:|------------:|--------:|
| Jason Robertson | $70 | 96 | $0.73 |
| Evan Bouchard | $70 | 95 | $0.74 |
| Nikita Kucherov | $190 | 130 | $1.46 |
| Artemi Panarin | $210 | 84 | $2.50 |
| Adrian Kempe | $60 | 72 | $0.83 |
| Dylan Guenther | $30 | 73 | $0.41 |
| Andrei Svechnikov | $90 | 70 | $1.29 |
| Brad Marchand | $80 | 54 | $1.48 |
| Elias Pettersson | $150 | 51 | $2.94 |
| Dylan Holloway | $20 | 51 | $0.39 |
| Dougie Hamilton | $30 | 39 | $0.77 |
Key insight: Grok's aggressive, "happy to overpay to set the tone" persona worked. The roster is anchored by Kucherov (130 pts) and features two absolute steals in Dylan Guenther ($30 → 73 pts) and Dylan Holloway ($20 → 51 pts). Jason Robertson ($70 → 96 pts) and Evan Bouchard ($70 → 95 pts) were outstanding value picks. Elias Pettersson ($150 → 51 pts) was a bust.
🥈 2. DeepSeek 3.1 — 785 pts ($1,000 spent, $0 remaining)
| Player | Price | 2025-26 Pts | $/Point |
|:-------|------:|------------:|--------:|
| Mikko Rantanen | $180 | 90 | $2.00 |
| Kirill Kaprizov | $160 | 89 | $1.80 |
| David Pastrnak | $120 | 100 | $1.20 |
| Erik Karlsson | $150 | 66 | $2.27 |
| Brayden Point | $110 | 50 | $2.20 |
| Cale Makar | $130 | 79 | $2.20 |
| Gabriel Vilardi | $30 | 69 | $0.43 |
| Brock Nelson | $50 | 65 | $0.77 |
| Bryan Rust | $40 | 65 | $0.62 |
| Dylan Strome | $20 | 58 | $0.34 |
| Frank Vatrano | $10 | 9 | $1.11 |
Key insight: The "bargain sniper" persona worked well. Pastrnak at $120 was great value. Dylan Strome ($20) and Bryan Rust ($40) were steals. But Erik Karlsson ($150) and Brayden Point ($110) underperformed expectations. Frank Vatrano ($10 → 9 pts) was a total bust due to injury.
🥉 3. Mixtral (8x7b) — 746 pts ($1,000 spent, $0 remaining)
| Player | Price | 2025-26 Pts | $/Point |
|:-------|------:|------------:|--------:|
| Adam Fox | $180 | 52 | $3.46 |
| Mitch Marner | $170 | 79 | $2.15 |
| Nico Hischier | $150 | 66 | $2.27 |
| Filip Forsberg | $140 | 75 | $1.87 |
| Tage Thompson | $140 | 81 | $1.73 |
| Connor Bedard | $100 | 67 | $1.49 |
| John Tavares | $80 | 71 | $1.13 |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | $10 | 71 | $0.14 |
| Macklin Celebrini | $10 | 115 | $0.09 |
| Mikael Granlund | $10 | 37 | $0.27 |
| Victor Hedman | $10 | 17 | $0.59 |
Key insight: Mixtral's late-round bargains were incredible. Macklin Celebrini at $10 for 115 points is the single best pick of the entire draft — a potential league MVP going for minimum bid. Nikolaj Ehlers ($10 → 71 pts) was another gift. But Adam Fox ($180 → 52 pts) was the second-worst investment in the draft.
4. ChatGPT5 (GPT-4o) — 706 pts ($580 spent, $420 remaining)
| Player | Price | 2025-26 Pts | $/Point |
|:-------|------:|------------:|--------:|
| Leon Draisaitl | $260 | 97 | $2.68 |
| Matt Boldy | $10 | 85 | $0.12 |
| Jack Hughes | $80 | 77 | $1.04 |
| Mathew Barzal | $20 | 72 | $0.28 |
| Jesper Bratt | $40 | 71 | $0.56 |
| Kirill Marchenko | $40 | 67 | $0.60 |
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | $10 | 55 | $0.18 |
| J.T. Miller | $40 | 51 | $0.78 |
| Rickard Rakell | $10 | 48 | $0.21 |
| Roope Hintz | $20 | 44 | $0.45 |
| Dylan Larkin | $50 | 34 | $1.47 |
Key insight: ChatGPT4o was the most efficient drafter at $0.82/pt, but left $420 on the table — money that could have bought more talent. Matt Boldy at $10 for 85 points is outrageous value. Barzal ($20 → 72), Nugent-Hopkins ($10 → 55) were steals. But Draisaitl ($260 → 97) underperformed his price, and Larkin ($50 → 34) was hurt.
5. ChatGPT4o-mini — 698 pts ($240 spent, $760 remaining)
6. Perplexity Sonar — 697 pts ($640 spent, $360 remaining)
| Player | Price | 2025-26 Pts | $/Point |
|:-------|------:|------------:|--------:|
| Martin Necas | $30 | 100 | $0.30 |
| Lane Hutson | $20 | 78 | $0.26 |
| Rasmus Dahlin | $60 | 74 | $0.81 |
| Sidney Crosby | $10 | 74 | $0.14 |
| Matthew Knies | $20 | 66 | $0.30 |
| Josh Morrissey | $20 | 55 | $0.36 |
| Nazem Kadri | $10 | 50 | $0.20 |
| Quinton Byfield | $10 | 49 | $0.20 |
| Jordan Kyrou | $20 | 46 | $0.43 |
| Jackson LaCombe | $30 | 43 | $0.70 |
| Mikhail Sergachev | $10 | 59 | $0.25 |
Key insight: The most frugal drafter by far — $240 spent out of $1,000. Martin Necas at $30 for 100 points and Sidney Crosby at $10 for 74 points are incredible. The strategy of never overpaying is elegant but fundamentally flawed: **$760 left unspent** means this team could have been #1 easily. The "pragmatic" persona became *too* cautious.
6. Perplexity Sonar — 697 pts ($640 spent, $360 remaining)
| Player | Price | 2025-26 Pts | $/Point |
|:-------|------:|------------:|--------:|
| Clayton Keller | $100 | 88 | $1.14 |
| Cole Caufield | $60 | 88 | $0.68 |
| Alex DeBrincat | $130 | 85 | $1.53 |
| Brandon Hagel | $40 | 74 | $0.54 |
| Drake Batherson | $40 | 71 | $0.56 |
| Cutter Gauthier | $10 | 68 | $0.15 |
| Alex Tuch | $100 | 63 | $1.59 |
| Adam Fantilli | $30 | 59 | $0.51 |
| Bo Horvat | $50 | 57 | $0.88 |
| Carter Verhaeghe | $50 | 55 | $0.91 |
| Brandon Montour | $30 | 32 | $0.94 |
Key insight: Very solid, balanced roster. Cole Caufield ($60 → 88 pts = 51 goals!) was excellent. Cutter Gauthier at $10 for 68 points was a steal. But $360 left unspent cost them — that money could have easily secured another 200+ points of talent.
7. Claude 3.5 Sonnet — 665 pts ($800 spent, $200 remaining)
| Player | Price | 2025-26 Pts | $/Point |
|:-------|------:|------------:|--------:|
| Connor McDavid | $350 | 138 | $2.54 |
| Nathan MacKinnon | $270 | 127 | $2.13 |
| Nick Suzuki | $10 | 101 | $0.10 |
| Lucas Raymond | $20 | 76 | $0.26 |
| Quinn Hughes | $10 | 76 | $0.13 |
| Miro Heiskanen | $40 | 63 | $0.63 |
| Jakob Chychrun | $20 | 60 | $0.33 |
| Roman Josi | $10 | 55 | $0.18 |
| JJ Peterka | $20 | 46 | $0.43 |
| Mason McTavish | $20 | 40 | $0.50 |
| Gabriel Landeskog | $30 | 35 | $0.86 |
Key insight: Claude had the two best individual picks (McDavid 138 + MacKinnon 127 = 265 pts), but spending $620 on two players left the rest of the roster dangerously thin. Nick Suzuki at $10 for 101 pts was arguably the best value pick. But Landeskog ($30 → 35 pts) and McTavish ($20 → 40 pts) dragged the total down. The "stars and scrubs" strategy fell just short.
8. Claude 3 Opus — 636 pts ($720 spent, $280 remaining)
| Player | Price | 2025-26 Pts | $/Point |
|:-------|------:|------------:|--------:|
| Tim Stützle | $40 | 83 | $0.48 |
| Mika Zibanejad | $30 | 76 | $0.39 |
| Seth Jarvis | $10 | 66 | $0.15 |
| Alex Ovechkin | $260 | 64 | $4.06 |
| Robert Thomas | $10 | 61 | $0.16 |
| John Carlson | $30 | 58 | $0.52 |
| Auston Matthews | $240 | 53 | $4.53 |
| Joel Eriksson Ek | $50 | 51 | $0.98 |
| Noah Dobson | $10 | 47 | $0.21 |
| Kevin Fiala | $30 | 40 | $0.75 |
| Shea Theodore | $10 | 38 | $0.26 |
Key insight: Opus spent $500 on Matthews + Ovechkin, who combined for only 117 pts. Matthews ($240 → 53 pts, only 60 GP) was the worst investment in the draft at $4.53/point. Ironically, the cheap picks (Stützle $40 → 83, Zibanejad $30 → 76, Jarvis $10 → 66) were excellent. The "ruthless" persona overpaid for star power.
9. Mistral Small — 620 pts ($930 spent, $70 remaining)
| Player | Price | 2025-26 Pts | $/Point |
|:-------|------:|------------:|--------:|
| Jack Eichel | $100 | 88 | $1.14 |
| Sebastian Aho | $150 | 80 | $1.88 |
| William Nylander | $100 | 75 | $1.33 |
| Juraj Slafkovsky | $140 | 73 | $1.92 |
| Patrick Kane | $110 | 57 | $1.93 |
| Matvei Michkov | $200 | 51 | $3.92 |
| Matt Duchene | $20 | 45 | $0.44 |
| Timo Meier | $30 | 44 | $0.68 |
| Jake Guentzel | $40 | 88 | $0.45 |
| Mark Scheifele | $30 | 103 | $0.29 |
| MacKenzie Weegar | $10 | 26 | $0.38 |
Key insight: Mistral's biggest wins were late-round: Scheifele ($30 → 103 pts!) and Guentzel ($40 → 88 pts). But Matvei Michkov at $200 for 51 pts was a heavy miss — a bet on a rookie who didn't pan out at that price. Patrick Kane ($110 → 57 pts) also disappointed.
10. QwQ 32b — 514 pts ($1,000 spent, $0 remaining)
| Player | Price | 2025-26 Pts | $/Point |
|:-------|------:|------------:|--------:|
| Mark Stone | $60 | 73 | $0.82 |
| Cutter Gauthier* | — | — | — |
| Ivan Demidov | $30 | 62 | $0.48 |
| Moritz Seider | $100 | 60 | $1.67 |
| Brady Tkachuk | $230 | 59 | $3.90 |
| Jake Sanderson | $80 | 54 | $1.48 |
| Kyle Connor | $50 | 92 | $0.54 |
| Logan Cooley | $120 | 43 | $2.79 |
| Kiefer Sherwood | $110 | 35 | $3.14 |
| Marco Rossi | $10 | 34 | $0.29 |
| Matthew Tkachuk | $180 | 34 | $5.29 |
| Sam Reinhart | $30 | 61 | $0.49 |
*Note: Gauthier appears both here (QwQ) and in Perplexity's roster per the blog. One may be a data error; if QwQ had Gauthier, add 68 pts.
Key insight: QwQ was the clear worst performer. Matthew Tkachuk ($180 → 34 pts, only 31 GP) and Brady Tkachuk ($230 → 59 pts) combined for $410 spent on 93 pts — catastrophic. Kiefer Sherwood at $110 for 35 pts is baffling. Kyle Connor ($50 → 92) was the lone bright spot.
Summary: Best & Worst Individual Picks
🏅 Top 5 Best Value Picks (by $/Point)
| Pick | Team | Price | Points | $/Point |
|:-----|:-----|------:|-------:|--------:|
| Macklin Celebrini | Mixtral | $10 | 115 | $0.09 |
| Nick Suzuki | Claude Sonnet | $10 | 101 | $0.10 |
| Matt Boldy | ChatGPT5 | $10 | 85 | $0.12 |
| Quinn Hughes | Claude Sonnet | $10 | 76 | $0.13 |
| Sidney Crosby | ChatGPT4o-mini | $10 | 74 | $0.14 |
💀 Top 5 Worst Value Picks (by $/Point)
| Pick | Team | Price | Points | $/Point |
|:-----|:-----|------:|-------:|--------:|
| Matthew Tkachuk | QwQ | $180 | 34 | $5.29 |
| Auston Matthews | Claude Opus | $240 | 53 | $4.53 |
| Alex Ovechkin | Claude Opus | $260 | 64 | $4.06 |
| Matvei Michkov | Mistral | $200 | 51 | $3.92 |
| Brady Tkachuk | QwQ | $230 | 59 | $3.90 |
Key Findings
1. Spending all your budget correlates with winning — the top 3 teams (Grok, DeepSeek, Mixtral) all spent $1,000/$1,000, kinda like duh right? The biggest budget-savers (ChatGPT4o-mini at $240 spent) had the talent-per-dollar but not enough total talent.
2. Late-round steals decide championships — Celebrini ($10 → 115), Suzuki ($10 → 101), Boldy ($10 → 85), Ehlers ($10 → 71) show the draft's outcome is determined as much by $10 picks as $300 picks.
3. Injury risk was the biggest differentiator — Matthews (60 GP), M. Tkachuk (31 GP), Brayden Point (63 GP), and Hedman (33 GP) devastated the teams that invested heavily in them.
4. Stars-and-scrubs doesn't work — Claude Sonnet had McDavid + MacKinnon (the two best players) but still finished 7th. The AIs that distributed spending more evenly performed better.
5. Grok's persona worked — "Bold and brash, happy to overpay" sounds risky, but the overpays were modest (Panarin $210, Pettersson $150) and the mid-tier picks were outstanding (Robertson $70, Bouchard $70, Guenther $30).