The much-anticipated 2026 NHL Draft Lottery results are in. The Toronto Maple Leafs will be picking first at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, followed by the San Jose Sharks and the Vancouver Canucks. Round one of the draft will take place on June 26, 2026, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Rounds two through seven will take place on the following day.
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Fates in the NHL Draft Lottery Sealed
The Vancouver Canucks finished last in the NHL standings this season, which meant they had the highest odds (25.5%) for drafting first overall. They had not picked first at any time in franchise history, although they owned the first pick in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. That was the season where general manager Brian Burke pulled some strings to draft the Sedin Twins with the second and third overall picks. Those same Sedin Twins represented the Canucks at the NHL Draft Lottery this evening, as the general manager search is still ongoing. They will pick third in this year’s draft.
Post-lottery draft order:
1) Toronto
2) San Jose
3) Vancouver
4) Chicago
5) Rangers
6) Calgary
7) Seattle
8) Winnipeg
9) Florida
10) Nashville
11) St. Louis
12) New Jersey
13) Islanders
14) Columbus
15) St. Louis (from Detroit)
16) Washington— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 5, 2026
The Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers had the second and third highest odds to win the draft lottery. They will pick in __ and __ respectively.
Top Players to Watch For
What does this mean for these respective franchises? The prized player for this year’s draft is Penn State’s Gavin McKenna. He scored 129 points in 56 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2024-25 season, which is a rate that surpassed the likes of Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard in the season prior to their draft year. Furthermore, McKenna projects to be every bit the franchise player that each of the aforementioned stars have developed into as players.
He has also had an impressive season at Penn State this season, with 51 points in 35 games. McKenna did not start the year off strong, but he has rediscovered his scoring touch in the second half of the season. Ivar Stenberg has also been in the mix to go high in the draft. He recorded 33 points in 43 games with Frolunda in the SHL this season, and led Sweden to a IIHF World Junior Gold Medal, scoring three points in the Gold Medal game.
Other players to watch out for in the top five include Caleb Malhotra, Carson Carels, Chase Reid, and Keaton Verhoeff. In any case, the NHL Draft will be a critical moment for any organization. Mark your calendars for June 26, folks.
Main Photo Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
