A look at the first-round picks at the 2026 NHL draft

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The first round of the 2026 National Hockey League draft took place in Buffalo on June 26.

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Here’s a quick evaluation of the 32 players selected:

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1. Toronto: RW Gavin McKenna, Penn State

Held top CSB ranking all year, brings creativity and some crunch.

2. San Jose: LW Ivar Stenberg, Frolunda Sweden

Dynamic potential linemate for Macklin Celebrini.

3. Vancouver: C Caleb Malhotra, Brantford Bulldogs

Proud papa Manny will be the rookie OHL scoring star’s coach.

4. Buffalo: D Daxon Rudolph, Prince Albert

College-bound 6-foot-3 thumper was chosen after Sabres moved up draft.

5. NY Rangers: D Alberts Smits, Munich DEL

Youngest Olympian on Team Latvia went a bit higher than expected.

6. Calgary: D Carson Carels, Prince George Cougars

Will attend North Dakota next year after 73 points, 66 PIMs.

7. Seattle: D Chase Reid, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds

Point-a-game pace for a couple of seasons in the Soo, first American picked.

8. Winnipeg: C Viggo Bjorck, Djurgardens SEL

Plays bigger than 5-foot-9 frame, goes to a team in need of a psychological lift.

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9. San Jose: D Keaton Verhoeff, North Dakota NCAA

A well-travelled pick, the right-handed shot ended up a bit lower than projected.

10. Nashville: LW Wyatt Cullen, US National Development Program

Father Matt won three Stanley Cups, his 6-foot-1 son had a growth spurt last year.

11. St. Louis: C Tynan Lawrence, Boston University

New Brunswick native won USHL title in Muskegon and on to University of Minnesota.

12. New Jersey: C Alexander Command, Orebro SEL

First pick for new data-driven Jersey general manager Sunny Mehta.

13. NY Islanders: D Malte Gustafsson, HV-71 SEL

Nice addition to last year’s first overall Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer.

14. Columbus: LW Oscar Hemming, Boston College

Had OHL ambitions with Kitchener, but the 6-4 Hemming found a good home.

15. Anaheim Ducks: RW Nikita Klepov, Saginaw OHL

After Mason McTavish trade with the Blues, Ducks gain 60-assist, 97-point Russian.

16. St. Louis: C Maddox Dagenais, Quebec QMJHL

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An 18-goal jump from his rookie season; comes from a pro hockey family.

17. Utah: LW Ethan Belchetz, Windsor OHL

Mammoth moved up in trade with L.A. for 6-foot-5 U of Michigan-bound behemoth.

18. Washington: C Oliver Suvanto, Tappara SM Liga

Rangy Finn needs time to grow into his 207 pounds and improve scoring touch.

19. Los Angeles: LW Elton Hermansson, MoDo SEL

Played his last club season as a boy amongst men, 22 points in 38 games.

20. Buffalo: C Ilya Morozov, Miami (Ohio) University

Big body forward impressed many at the scouting combine in strength tests.

21. San Jose: D Ryan Lin, Vancouver WHL

The Sharks traded three picks to move up for Lin; 110 points his past two seasons.

22. Pittsburgh: RW Liam Ruck, Medicine Hat WHL

First of twins from B.C. picked has the slightly better shot, notching 45 goals.

23. Detroit: LW Jeffrey Hurlbert, Kamloops WHL

The Red Wings moved G Sebastian Cossa to Utah to grab this high-scoring Michigan recruit.

24. Vancouver: LW Adam Novotny, Peterborough OHL

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One goal in his last season playing at home in Czechia, blossomed to 34 with the Petes.

25. Ottawa: RW Jonas Lagenberg-Hoen, Leksands SEL

Injured most of his draft season, but after 27 goals the year before, a risk worth taking.

26. Montreal: RW Gleb Pugachyov, Novgorod KHL

Habs add another Eastern European, this one 6-foot-3 with a nasty streak.

27. Philadelphia: D Maksim Sokolovskii, London OHL

Tallest in this class at 6-foot-7, he eventually will be a hit in Philly, literally and figuratively.

28. Anaheim: LW Marcus Nordmark, Djurgardens SEL

Son of NHLer Robert brings attitude (48 PIMs), averaged two playoff points a game.

29. Vegas: D Juho Piiparinen, Tappara SM-Liga

Shutdown defenceman was a plus-6 at the world juniors.

30. Calgary: C Jack Hextall, Youngstown USHL

Also going to the University of Michigan, a distant relative of NHLer Ron.

31. Nashville: D Thomas Bleyl, Moncton QMJHL

Preds trade up with Cup champion Carolina to get the Q’s top-scoring blueliner.

32. Ottawa: RW Jaxon Cover, London, Ont.

He’s already come a long way, as a roller hockey player from Grand Cayman.

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