The 2026 NHL Draft — the 64th entry draft in the league’s history — is being held at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The event began at 7 PM (ET), airing on ESPN in the United States and Sportsnet in Canada.
The first overall selection in the draft belongs to the Toronto Maple Leafs after they won this year’s lottery with the fifth-best odds (8.5 percent). Penn State forward Gavin McKenna is widely expected to be who Toronto picks to kick off the night.
Washington Capitals fans will have to wait until the 18th overall pick to see the Caps get on the clock in the first round. They traded their own first-round pick to the St. Louis Blues earlier this week as part of a package for Jordan Kyrou. The pick they still own was originally Anaheim Ducks property, which the Ducks traded to the Capitals for John Carlson at the deadline.
This year’s event will be the second non-COVID-impacted draft to be held in a decentralized format in NHL history. Teams will not be physically present at the venue to make their selections.
First Round
| Pick | Team | Player | Nationality | College/Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Gavin McKenna (LW) | 🇨🇦 | Penn State (NCAA) |
| 2 | San Jose Sharks | Ivar Stenberg (LW) | 🇸🇪 | Frölunda (SHL) |
| 3 | Vancouver Canucks | Caleb Malhotra (C) | 🇨🇦 | Brantford (OHL) |
| 4 | Buffalo Sabres | Daxon Rudolph (D) | 🇨🇦 | Prince Albert (WHL) |
| 5 | New York Rangers | Alberts Smits (D) | 🇱🇻 | Jukurit (Liiga) |
| 6 | Calgary Flames | Carson Carels (D) | 🇨🇦 | Prince George (WHL) |
| 7 | Seattle Kraken | Chase Reid (D) | 🇺🇸 | Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) |
| 8 | Winnipeg Jets | Viggo Björck (C) | 🇸🇪 | Djurgården (SHL) |
| 9 | San Jose Sharks | Keaton Verhoeff (D) | 🇨🇦 | North Dakota (NCAA) |
| 10 | Nashville Predators | Wyatt Cullen (RW) | 🇺🇸 | USA U-18 (NTDP-USHL) |
| 11 | St. Louis Blues | Tynan Lawrence (C) | 🇨🇦 | Boston University (NCAA) |
| 12 | New Jersey Devils | Alexander Command (C) | 🇸🇪 | Örebro (SHL) |
| 13 | New York Islanders | Malte Gustafsson (D) | 🇸🇪 | HV71 (SHL) |
| 14 | Columbus Blue Jackets | Oscar Hemming (LW) | 🇫🇮 | Boston College (NCAA) |
| 15 | Anaheim Ducks | Nikita Klepov (RW) | 🇺🇸 | Saginaw (OHL) |
| 16 | St. Louis Blues | Maddox Dagenais (C) | 🇨🇦 | Québec (QMJHL) |
| 17 | Utah Mammoth | Ethan Belchetz (LW) | 🇨🇦 | Windsor (OHL) |
| 18 | Washington Capitals | Oliver Suvanto (C) | 🇫🇮 | Tappara (Liiga) |
| 19 | Los Angeles Kings | Elton Hermansson (RW) | 🇸🇪 | MoDo (HockeyAllsvenskan) |
| 20 | Buffalo Sabres | Ilya Morozov (C) | 🇷🇺 | Miami OH (NCAA) |
| 21 | Philadelphia Flyers | |||
| 22 | Pittsburgh Penguins | |||
| 23 | Boston Bruins | |||
| 24 | Vancouver Canucks | |||
| 25 | Ottawa Senators | |||
| 26 | New York Rangers | |||
| 27 | San Jose Sharks | |||
| 28 | Montreal Canadiens | |||
| 29 | St. Louis Blues | |||
| 30 | Calgary Flames | |||
| 31 | Carolina Hurricanes | |||
| 32 | Ottawa Senators |
Notes
- Gavin McKenna goes first overall to the Maple Leafs, with Justin Bieber announcing the selection for his hometown team.
- The Sharks had to wait 25 minutes for the second-overall pick to get on the clock. Laila Edwards, the fourth overall pick in the PWHL Draft, announced the selection.
- Caleb Malhotra, the son of Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra, goes to his dad’s organization at third overall.
- Chase Reid slips down the board as Daxon Rudolph, Alberts Smits, and Carson Carels are the first three defensemen taken. Smits is the highest player ever drafted from Latvia.
- Luke Bryan is the latest celebrity to make a pick, stepping up for the Predators. Wyatt Cullen, the son of former NHLer Matt Cullen, is headed to Nashville.
- The reigning Calder Trophy winner, Matthew Schaefer, makes the Islanders’ first-round pick. He steps up and delivers them, Malte Gustafsson.
Transactions
- Boston Bruins acquire JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth for a 2026 first-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick, per Pierre LeBrun
- New York Rangers acquire Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights for a 2026 first-round pick, a 2026 third-round pick, and a conditional 2028 first-round pick, per Mollie Walker
- St. Louis Blues acquire Mason McTavish from the Anaheim Ducks for two 2026 first-round picks, per Elliotte Friedman
Comment below as the first round goes on. The thread will be closed shortly after the 32 picks are made.
