2026 NHL Draft Order Established: Key Picks and Predictions
WHO:
NHL.com - Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders, St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Utah Mammoth.
The New York Times - Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, Caleb Malhotra, Chase Reid, Carson Carels, Viggo Björck, Alberts Šmits, Keaton Verhoeff, Daxon Rudolph, Tynan Lawrence, Malte Gustafsson, Ethan Belchetz, Wyatt Cullen, Oscar Hemming, Oliver Suvanto, Alexander Command, Ilia Morozov, JP Hurlbert, Gleb Pugachyov, Ryan Lin, Maddox Dagenais, Tommy Bleyl, Casey Mutryn, Mathis Preston, Elton Hermansson, Jack Hextall, Adam Novotný, Nikita Klepov, Maksim Sokolovskii, Marcus Nordmark, Niklas Aaram-Olsen, Liam Ruck.
WHAT:
NHL.com - The Ottawa Senators will receive the No. 32 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
NHL.com - The Toronto Maple Leafs won the NHL Draft Lottery and have the No. 1 pick.
NHL.com - The San Jose Sharks have the No. 2 selection.
NHL.com - The draft will be held at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
NHL.com - The first round is scheduled for June 26 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), with rounds 2-7 on June 27 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN).
NHL.com - The Colorado Avalanche traded their No. 29 pick to the New York Islanders as part of the Brock Nelson deal on March 6, 2025.
NHL.com - The St. Louis Blues have three picks in the first round: No. 11, No. 15, and No. 29.
The New York Times - The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to select Gavin McKenna, a left winger from Penn State.
The New York Times - The San Jose Sharks are expected to select Ivar Stenberg, a left winger from Frölunda.
The New York Times - The Vancouver Canucks are expected to select Caleb Malhotra, a center from Brantford.
The New York Times - The Chicago Blackhawks are expected to select Chase Reid, a right-handed defenseman from Sault Ste. Marie.
The New York Times - The New York Rangers are expected to select Carson Carels, a left-handed defenseman from Prince George.
WHERE:
NHL.com - The 2026 NHL Draft will take place at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
WHEN:
NHL.com - The first round of the draft is scheduled for June 26, 2026.
NHL.com - Rounds 2-7 of the draft are scheduled for June 27, 2026.
WHY:
NHL.com - The first 16 selections were determined by the NHL Draft Lottery held on May 5.
The New York Times - The Toronto Maple Leafs are considering trading their No. 1 pick if a generational player is not available.
HOW:
NHL.com - Teams that did not win their division were placed in inverse order of regular-season points for draft selection.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have won the NHL Draft Lottery and will select first overall, while the San Jose Sharks hold the second pick and the Ottawa Senators will receive the thirty-second pick in the upcoming draft. The event is set to take place at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, with the first round scheduled for June 26, 2026, and rounds two through seven following on June 27, 2026. Teams like the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks are expected to choose promising players, including Caleb Malhotra and Chase Reid, as they look to strengthen their rosters.