2026 NHL Draft first-round order, top prospects and how to watch

The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to take Penn State winger Gavin McKenna No. 1 overall, but what about the San Jose Sharks with the second pick?

Sweden's Ivar Stenberg is considered the second-best forward in the draft, and Chase Reid the top defenseman. With San Jose adding defenseman Michael Kesselring and trading forward William Eklund, the need for a forward seems greater.

Sharks general manager Mike Grier, when asked this week about Stenberg during a media availability, praised the forward who has played in Sweden's top league. But Grier also said any speculation that Stenberg would be the pick was just speculation.

"6-3 right-shot D who can skate and can create offense don’t grow on trees, either," Grier said.

Here's how to watch the 2026 NHL Draft, the order for the first round, plus the top prospects:

When is 2026 NHL Draft?

The first round is at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, June 26, at Buffalo's KeyBank Center. The second day (Rounds 2-7) begins at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday. Prospects will be at the arena, but teams will work remotely.

What channel is 2026 NHL Draft?

The first round will be shown on ESPN and the second day is on NHL Network.

2026 NHL Draft: How to watch, stream

• Dates: Friday, June 26 (first round) and Saturday, June 27 (rounds 2-7)
• Times: 7 p.m. ET on the first day and 11 a.m. ET on the second.
• Location: KeyBank Center (Buffalo, New York)
• TV: ESPN on the first day and NHL Network on the second.
• Streaming: Fubo carries ESPN and NHL Network

2026 NHL Draft first-round order

1. Toronto Maple Leafs (won draft lottery)
2. San Jose Sharks (won second drawing)
3. Vancouver Canucks
4. Buffalo Sabres (from Chicago Blackhawks in Bowen Byram trade)
5. New York Rangers
6. Calgary Flames
7. Seattle Kraken
8. Winnipeg Jets
9. San Jose Sharks (from Florida Panthers via Ottawa Senators. The Panthers sent the pick to Ottawa in the Brady Tkachuk trade. The Senators sent it to San Jose for William Eklund.)
10. Nashville Predators
11. St. Louis Blues
12. New Jersey Devils
13. New York Islanders
14. Columbus Blue Jackets
15. St. Louis Blues (from Detroit Red Wings in the Justin Faulk trade)
16. St. Louis Blues (from Washington Capitals in Jordan Kyrou trade)
17. Los Angeles Kings
18. Washington Capitals (from Anaheim Ducks in the John Carlson trade)
19. Utah Mammoth
20. Buffalo Sabres (from Edmonton Oilers via San Jose Sharks. San Jose acquired the pick in the Jake Walman trade and swapped picks with the Sabres in the Michael Kesselring trade)
21. Philadelphia Flyers
22. Pittsburgh Penguins
23. Boston Bruins
24. Vancouver Canucks (from Minnesota Wild in the Quinn Hughes trade)
25. Ottawa Senators (from Tampa Bay Lightning via Seattle Kraken via Florida Panthers. Seattle acquired the pick from Tampa Bay in the Oliver Bjorkstrand/Yanni Gourde trade, sent it to Florida in the Mackie Samoskevich trade. The Panthers included the pick in the Brady Tkachuk trade with Ottawa.)
26. New York Rangers (from Dallas Stars via Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina got the pick from Dallas in the Mikko Rantanen trade and moved it to New York in the K'Andre Miller trade.)
27. San Jose Sharks (from Buffalo Sabres in Kesselring trade)
28. Montreal Canadiens
29. St. Louis Blues (from Colorado Avalanche via New York Islanders. New York got the pick from Colorado in the Brock Nelson trade and dealt it to St. Louis in the Brayden Schenn trade)
30. Calgary Flames (from Vegas Golden Knights in the Noah Hanifin trade)
31. Carolina Hurricanes
32. Ottawa Senators (the Senators' forfeited draft pick was restored but moved to the end of the first round)

2026 NHL Draft top prospects

The top prospects as listed by NHL Central Scouting:

Top North American skaters

• LW Gavin McKenna, Penn State
• D Chase Reid, Sault Ste. Marie
• D Carson Carels, Prince George
• D Keaton Verhoeff, North Dakota
• D Daxon Rudolph, Prince Albert

Top international skaters

• LW Ivar Stenberg, Sweden
• D Alberts Smits, Latvia
• C Oliver Suvanto, Finland
• C Viggo Bjorck, Sweden
• RW Elton Hermansson, Sweden

2026 NHL Draft prospects with famous relatives

• Ivar Stenberg is the brother of Blues player Otto Stenberg.
• Caleb Malhotra is the son of Canucks coach and former NHL player Manny Malhotra.
• Keaton Verhoeff is the cousin of current NHL players Kirby and Colton Dach.
• Wyatt Cullen is the son of three-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Cullen.
• Parker Trottier is the grandson of Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier.
• Adam Nemec is the brother of Flames defenseman Simon Nemec.
• Joe Iginla is the son of Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla.
• Weston Cameron is the nephew of Stanley Cup winner Jason Arnott.