The 2026 NHL entry draft was the 64th draft for the National Hockey League. The draft was held on June 26โ27, 2026, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
๐ Top Selections
The first three selections were Gavin McKenna by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ivar Stenberg by the San Jose Sharks, and Caleb Malhotra by the Vancouver Canucks.
๐ Notable Late-Round Pick
A notable late-round pick was the Sharks’ seventh-round pick, Alexander Karmanov. At 7 feet 1 inch (2.16 m), he was the tallest player ever drafted, and was the first Moldova-born player ever drafted.
๐ Eligibility Rules
Ice hockey players born between January 1, 2006 and September 15, 2008 were eligible for selection. Additionally, undrafted, non-North American players born in 2005 were eligible for the draft.
Those players who were drafted in the 2024 NHL entry draft, but not signed by an NHL team and who were born after June 30, 2006, were also eligible to re-enter the draft.
๐ฒ Draft Lottery System
Since the 2012โ13 NHL season all teams not qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs have a “weighted” chance at winning the first overall selection. Beginning with the 2014โ15 NHL season the NHL changed the weighting system that was used in previous years.
Under the new system the odds of winning the draft lottery for the four lowest finishing teams in the league decreased, while the odds for the other non-playoff teams increased. As the league reduced the number of lottery drawings before the 2021โ22 season, this resulted in two lotteries being held instead of three.
Since the 2022 draft lottery, the teams winning one of the two drawings are allowed to move up a maximum of ten spots in the draft order. A team is only allowed to win the lottery by moving up the order twice in a five-year period.
๐ Lottery Results and Trades
The Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks won the two lotteries that were held on May 5, 2026. Toronto notably won the first lottery with an 8.5% probability.
Heading into the draft lottery, they had a 56.2% chance of being advanced by one or more teams above them in the standings without winning either lottery. In that case they would have conditionally granted their top-five-protected pick to the Boston Bruins to fulfill a trade made in March 2025 that also sent Fraser Minten and a fourth-round pick in 2025 to Boston in exchange for Brandon Carlo.
Instead, they will grant their first-round pick in 2027 or 2028 to Boston, with the other being granted to the Philadelphia Flyers. The order of the 2026 entry draft will be finalized upon the conclusion of the 2025โ26 NHL season.
| Pick # | Team | Player | Notable Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Gavin McKenna | First overall selection |
| 2 | San Jose Sharks | Ivar Stenberg | Second overall selection |
| 3 | Vancouver Canucks | Caleb Malhotra | Third overall selection |
| 7th round | San Jose Sharks | Alexander Karmanov | Tallest player ever drafted; first Moldova-born player drafted |