2026 NHL Draft Order Puts Maple Leafs In Prime Position

Toronto Maple Leafs hold the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft starting at 7 p.m. ET Friday from Buffalo’s KeyBank Center.

Draft Order Sets Early Picks

The Toronto Maple Leafs open the draft at position one after winning the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery. San Jose Sharks follow at number two. Vancouver Canucks sit at three.

Buffalo Sabres hold the fourth selection acquired from Chicago. New York Rangers draft fifth. Calgary Flames select sixth.

Seattle Kraken pick seventh while Winnipeg Jets choose eighth. San Jose Sharks return at ninth via Florida and Ottawa.

Nashville Predators draft tenth. St. Louis Blues select eleventh. New Jersey Devils pick twelfth.

Mid-Round Trades Shape Selections

New York Islanders draft thirteenth. Columbus Blue Jackets follow at fourteen. St. Louis Blues add a second pick at fifteen from Detroit.

St. Louis Blues gain another at sixteen from Washington. Los Angeles Kings select seventeenth. Washington Capitals pick eighteenth from Anaheim.

Utah Mammoth draft nineteenth. Buffalo Sabres return at twentieth from Edmonton via San Jose. Philadelphia Flyers select twenty-first.

Pittsburgh Penguins draft twenty-second. Boston Bruins pick twenty-third. Vancouver Canucks add a second at twenty-fourth from Minnesota.

Late Picks Close The Round

Ottawa Senators select twenty-fifth from Tampa Bay via Seattle and Florida. New York Rangers add a second at twenty-sixth from Dallas via Carolina.

San Jose Sharks pick twenty-seventh from Buffalo. Montreal Canadiens draft twenty-eighth. St. Louis Blues select twenty-ninth from Colorado via New York Islanders.

Calgary Flames pick thirtieth from Vegas. Carolina Hurricanes select thirty-first. Ottawa Senators close the round at thirty-two.

The order creates four picks for St. Louis Blues and two each for San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers.