2026 NHL Draft Results: First-Round Picks, Team Fits and Early Takeaways

2026 NHL Draft first round at a glance

The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Penn State left wing Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The San Jose Sharks followed with Swedish left wing Ivar Stenberg at No. 2, and the Vancouver Canucks chose Brantford center Caleb Malhotra at No. 3. Those selections began a 32-pick first round in Buffalo.

The draft was held June 26-27 at KeyBank Center. The first round established which organization held each player's NHL rights, but it did not determine an opening-night roster. Some selections signed entry-level contracts during the summer, while others returned to college, junior or European teams. This recap treats the pick order as completed history and any later development plan as a separate, date-sensitive question.

The opening three picks also provided three distinct roster-building choices. Toronto added the class's top-ranked North American skater and a high-end offensive winger. San Jose used a lottery jump to take Central Scouting's top-ranked international skater. Vancouver selected a center after the two left wings came off the board. Those descriptions explain draft context; they do not guarantee a particular NHL line or career outcome.

Below, the complete table follows NHL.com's official first-round tracker. The later sections group the selections into useful ranges so readers can see positional runs, teams with multiple picks and the record Sweden-born presence without losing the exact order.

This article uses August 28, 2026 as its reporting cutoff. Draft-night team, player and pick-number facts are fixed unless the NHL issues a correction. Contract status, expected assignment and NHL arrival can change after that date, so they are labeled as later developments rather than folded into the results.

Complete 2026 NHL Draft first-round results

These are the 32 first-round selections in official order. “Previous club” identifies the team and league shown in NHL.com's draft-night tracker; it is not necessarily the player's 2026-27 assignment.

Pick	Team	Player	Pos.	Previous club/league
1	Toronto Maple Leafs	Gavin McKenna	LW	Penn State (NCAA)
2	San Jose Sharks	Ivar Stenberg	LW	Frolunda (SWE)
3	Vancouver Canucks	Caleb Malhotra	C	Brantford (OHL)
4	Buffalo Sabres	Daxon Rudolph	D	Prince Albert (WHL)
5	New York Rangers	Alberts Smits	D	Munchen (GER)
6	Calgary Flames	Carson Carels	D	Prince George (WHL)
7	Seattle Kraken	Chase Reid	D	Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
8	Winnipeg Jets	Viggo Bjorck	C	Djurgarden (SWE)
9	San Jose Sharks	Keaton Verhoeff	D	North Dakota (NCAA)
10	Nashville Predators	Wyatt Cullen	LW	USA U-18 (NTDP-USHL)
11	St. Louis Blues	Tynan Lawrence	C	Boston University (NCAA)
12	New Jersey Devils	Alexander Command	C	Orebro Jr. (SWE-JR)
13	New York Islanders	Malte Gustafsson	D	HV71 (SWE)
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	Quebec (QMJHL)
17	Utah Mammoth	Ethan Belchetz	LW	Windsor (OHL)
18	Washington Capitals	Oliver Suvanto	C	Tappara (FIN)
19	Los Angeles Kings	Elton Hermansson	RW	MoDo (SWE-2)
20	Buffalo Sabres	Ilia Morozov	C	Miami (NCAA)
21	San Jose Sharks	Ryan Lin	D	Vancouver (WHL)
22	Pittsburgh Penguins	Liam Ruck	RW	Medicine Hat (WHL)
23	Detroit Red Wings	JP Hurlbert	LW	Kamloops (WHL)
24	Vancouver Canucks	Adam Novotny	LW	Peterborough (OHL)
25	Ottawa Senators	Jonas Lagerberg Hoen	RW	Leksand Jr. (SWE-JR)
26	Montreal Canadiens	Gleb Pugachyov	RW	Nizhny Novgorod Jr. (RUS-JR)
27	Philadelphia Flyers	Maksim Sokolovskii	D	London (OHL)
28	Anaheim Ducks	Marcus Nordmark	LW	Djurgarden Jr. (SWE-JR)
29	Vegas Golden Knights	Juho Piiparinen	D	Tappara (FIN)
30	Calgary Flames	Jack Hextall	C	Youngstown (USHL)
31	Nashville Predators	Tommy Bleyl	D	Moncton (QMJHL)
32	Ottawa Senators	Jaxon Cover	RW	London (OHL)

The selecting-team column reflects the result announced at the draft. It does not attempt to reconstruct every earlier trade that moved a pick, and it does not imply that the player joined that NHL roster immediately.

Picks 1-10: star forwards and an early defense run

Three different choices at the top

Toronto opened with McKenna, NHL Central Scouting's No. 1 North American skater. He had 51 points in 35 games at Penn State and entered the draft with playmaking and hockey sense as the centerpieces of his profile. The selection gave a changing Maple Leafs organization a premium young winger, but “best prospect in the class” should not be confused with a guaranteed rookie scoring total.

San Jose then chose Stenberg, Central Scouting's No. 1 international skater. He had already produced 33 points in 43 SHL games for Frolunda and brought a shoot-pass threat plus professional experience. Vancouver went in a different positional direction at No. 3, selecting center Caleb Malhotra after the two left wings. Malhotra had 84 points in 67 OHL games for Brantford and was set to continue at Boston University.

The ranking labels need precision. Central Scouting publishes separate North American and international lists, so McKenna and Stenberg were each No. 1 in a category. The draft result—not a single combined Central Scouting board—placed them first and second.

Five defensemen in six picks

The first clear positional run began at No. 4. Buffalo selected Daxon Rudolph, the Rangers took Alberts Smits, Calgary chose Carson Carels and Seattle added Chase Reid. Winnipeg interrupted the run with Swedish center Viggo Bjorck at No. 8, then San Jose selected North Dakota defenseman Keaton Verhoeff at No. 9.

That made five defensemen in the six-pick span from No. 4 through No. 9—not five consecutive defensemen. The group also offered different development contexts. Rudolph, Carels and Reid arrived from major junior; Smits had played professional hockey in Europe and represented Latvia at senior international events; Verhoeff had completed a freshman NCAA season against older competition.

For San Jose, Verhoeff balanced the earlier Stenberg choice. The Sharks did not use both top-10 picks on one position group: they added a left wing at No. 2 and a large right-shot defenseman at No. 9. Official post-draft coverage described the pair as additions to an already young organization, but the timing of either player's NHL impact remains a development question.

Nashville closes the top 10 with a wing

The Predators selected Wyatt Cullen, a left wing from the U.S. National Team Development Program, at No. 10. NHL.com's analysis framed the choice against Nashville's recent investment in young centers, making Cullen a potential complementary piece rather than another selection at the same position.

The top 10 therefore did not follow one universal formula. Teams chose two high-end left wings, three centers and five defensemen, with experience ranging from NCAA and major junior to European professional leagues. The most useful early takeaway is the distribution of bets—not a declaration that one route will produce the best NHL career.

Picks 11-21: Sweden's record class and repeat selectors

The middle 11 selections shifted back toward forwards: nine forwards and two defensemen came off the board from No. 11 through No. 21. That range also showed the value of holding more than one first-round pick. St. Louis completed a two-player forward package, Buffalo added a center after taking a defenseman early, and San Jose finished a three-selection first round.

St. Louis doubles up at center

The Blues chose Tynan Lawrence at No. 11 and Maddox Dagenais at No. 16. Both were listed as centers, but they represented different physical and development profiles. Lawrence had split his season between Muskegon in the USHL and Boston University. Dagenais brought a larger frame and had produced 62 points in 62 QMJHL games for Quebec.

Calling them the same kind of pick simply because both play center would miss the portfolio logic. A team can target a valuable position twice while betting on different ways to reach an NHL role. It also creates development options rather than forcing one prospect to carry the entire projection.

A record Sweden-born first round

NHL.com's official post-draft recap says Stenberg became the first of a record seven Sweden-born players selected in the first round. The previous high was six, reached on six occasions. Four Sweden-born players were selected in the top 15, another important marker for the class.

That fact must be kept separate from league labels. Playing for a Swedish club does not automatically establish a player's birthplace, and playing in the NCAA does not establish nationality. The record here comes from the NHL's official review, not from counting “SWE” entries in the previous-club column.

Within this part of the order, New Jersey selected Alexander Command at No. 12, the Islanders took Malte Gustafsson at No. 13 and Los Angeles chose Elton Hermansson at No. 19. Their profiles varied by position and experience, reinforcing that the Swedish milestone described the size of the cohort rather than one uniform player type.

Buffalo's second pick and San Jose's third

Buffalo used No. 20 on Miami center Ilia Morozov after selecting defenseman Daxon Rudolph fourth. The pair spread the Sabres' first-round investment across the middle and the blue line. Morozov had played NCAA minutes against older opponents, while Rudolph arrived with major-junior offensive production from defense.

At No. 21, San Jose traded up six places with Philadelphia to select right-shot defenseman Ryan Lin. The official Sharks report says the package contained picks 27, 62 and 120. Lin joined Stenberg and Verhoeff, giving San Jose one left wing and two defensemen from its three first-round choices.

Other teams used this range for more specific bets. Anaheim took OHL scoring leader Nikita Klepov at No. 15; Utah chose 6-foot-5 winger Ethan Belchetz at No. 17; Washington selected Finnish center Oliver Suvanto at No. 18. Those draft-night profiles explain the logic, but none is a substitute for tracking actual development after the selection.

Picks 22-32: late-round bets on wings, size and upside

The final 11 selections leaned heavily toward the wing. Seven wings, three defensemen and one center were chosen from No. 22 through No. 32. “Late first round” describes where the picks occurred; it does not establish a lower NHL ceiling than an early selection.

A run of scoring wings

Pittsburgh began the range with Liam Ruck, who had scored 45 goals and 104 points for Medicine Hat. Detroit followed with JP Hurlbert after his 97-point WHL season, and Vancouver used No. 24 on Adam Novotny, a 34-goal left wing from Peterborough. The three-player run gave each team a different winger but a similar broad bet: junior offense that could be developed into an NHL scoring role.

Ottawa chose Jonas Lagerberg Hoen at No. 25 after an injury-shortened Swedish junior season. Montreal then moved from No. 28 to No. 26 for Gleb Pugachyov, whose size and puck protection stood out in NHL.com's tracker. Because both prospects still require development, the selection itself matters more than an immediate lineup forecast.

Targeted moves for defense

Philadelphia selected 6-foot-7 defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii at No. 27 after moving back from No. 21 in the San Jose trade. Vegas took Finnish right-shot defenseman Juho Piiparinen at No. 29. Their draft profiles pointed to reach and physical tools for Sokolovskii and a defense-first game for Piiparinen, two different approaches to adding blue-line depth.

Nashville made the most visible move near the end, sending picks 42 and 57 to acquire No. 31 and select Tommy Bleyl. The right-shot defenseman had established QMJHL rookie-defenseman records with 68 assists and 81 points for Moncton. That production explains the move-up logic; it is not a promise that junior offense will transfer at the same rate.

Second selections complete several team plans

Anaheim took Swedish junior winger Marcus Nordmark at No. 28 after choosing Nikita Klepov at No. 15, doubling its first-round investment at wing. Calgary selected center Jack Hextall at No. 30 after taking defenseman Carson Carels sixth. Vancouver's Novotny complemented No. 3 center Malhotra, while Nashville paired No. 10 wing Cullen with Bleyl.

Ottawa owned two picks in this range, using No. 25 on Lagerberg Hoen and closing the round with Jaxon Cover at No. 32. Cover's path was particularly unusual: official NHL reporting traces his start to inline hockey in the Cayman Islands before his transition to ice hockey in 2023. He then produced 52 points for London and became a first-round selection.

The closing group illustrates why a simple ranking of “winners” is premature. Some teams accumulated two complementary positions; others moved for one specific prospect; several took productive wings. The real comparison will be how each organization develops those choices over multiple seasons.

Best team fits and early takeaways

San Jose assembled the first round's most varied three-pick portfolio, while Toronto, Vancouver and St. Louis each made a clear but different development bet. “Best fit” here means the public logic of position, skill set and development route—not a final grade before any of these players has established an NHL career.

Toronto: one premium offensive building block

The Maple Leafs held one first-round pick and used the most valuable slot on McKenna. His NCAA production, vision and ability to create for linemates gave the organization a premium offensive prospect during an offseason overhaul. That is a clean use of No. 1: take the class's top North American skater and let later roster decisions determine his role.

The Toronto Maple Leafs schedule can confirm when the team plays, but it should not be used to assume McKenna is active. Contracts, camp evaluation and official game rosters remain separate evidence.

San Jose: volume plus position balance

No team matched San Jose's three first-round selections. Stenberg supplied a play-driving left wing at No. 2. Verhoeff added a large right-shot defenseman at No. 9. Lin added a smaller, mobile right-shot defenseman at No. 21. The Sharks combined one premium forward with two different blue-line profiles instead of repeating the same archetype.

That balance is the most distinctive draft-night takeaway, even before projecting individual lines. Fans can follow confirmed club dates on the San Jose Sharks schedule, while waiting for official assignments to show which prospect reaches the lineup first.

Vancouver: a center-wing pair

The Canucks selected Malhotra third and Novotny 24th. Malhotra brought a two-way center profile and a planned NCAA development route; Novotny brought a more direct power-wing game after a productive OHL season. The choices attacked young-forward depth without requiring both players to solve the same role.

That complementary shape is more meaningful than immediately comparing their scoring totals across different contexts. The Vancouver Canucks schedule tracks the NHL team, not the prospects' participation, until Vancouver publishes roster decisions.

St. Louis: two centers, two pathways

St. Louis used Nos. 11 and 16 on Lawrence and Dagenais. Lawrence's season crossed the USHL and NCAA, while Dagenais remained in the QMJHL and brought greater size. Selecting two centers gave the Blues optionality: either could remain in the middle, and Dagenais' experience at right wing adds another potential path.

The St. Louis Blues schedule is useful once a player reaches confirmed NHL duty. Before then, prospect games, camps and official assignments provide the relevant development evidence.

How to judge these fits later

• Track whether the player earns responsibility at his next level, not only raw points.
• Compare progress with the role the team drafted: creator, finisher, center, puck mover or defender.
• Watch contract, assignment and recall announcements rather than unofficial depth charts.
• Allow multiple seasons before turning a draft-night preference into a final grade.

The early fit discussion is still useful because it records what each organization appeared to need and what type of prospect it selected. Its purpose is to set evaluation questions, not to declare a winner in August.

2026 NHL Draft results FAQ

Who was the first pick in the 2026 NHL Draft?

The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Gavin McKenna first overall. McKenna was a left wing from Penn State and NHL Central Scouting's No. 1 North American skater. San Jose selected Ivar Stenberg second, and Vancouver selected Caleb Malhotra third.

How many players were selected in the first round?

Thirty-two players were selected, one for each numbered slot from No. 1 through No. 32. The presence of 32 picks does not mean every NHL team made one selection; earlier trades concentrated multiple choices with some clubs and left others without a first-round pick.

Which teams had multiple first-round picks?

San Jose led the round with three selections at Nos. 2, 9 and 21. Anaheim, Buffalo, Calgary, Nashville, Ottawa, St. Louis and Vancouver each selected twice. The selecting team in the official result is the team that used the pick, regardless of how that choice changed hands earlier.

Does being drafted mean a player is signed or on an NHL roster?

No. A draft selection gives the team NHL rights to the player under league rules, but contract and roster status require later steps. NHL.com's signing tracker lists some first-rounders as signed and others as unsigned, and it gives multiple possible destinations for certain signed players. Even an entry-level contract does not guarantee opening-night NHL duty.

Which country set a first-round record?

Sweden did. NHL.com's official draft recap says seven Sweden-born players were chosen in the first round, exceeding the previous record of six. Four Sweden-born players were selected in the top 15. Those counts are based on birthplace, not simply the league listed beside a player's previous club.

Can the 2026 draft class be graded now?

Draft-night process can be analyzed now: teams can be compared on position balance, pick value and whether their choices match public organizational needs. Career grades are premature. Player performance, role, health, league progression and NHL opportunity will supply better evidence over time, and different positions often develop on different schedules.