Live 2026 NHL Draft grades for every first round pick

[ASFN Admin]

Welcome to the 2026 NHL Draft!

It's finally time for one of the biggest events of the offseason hockey calendar. After a pretty active week of trades leading up to the two-day, seven-round event, we've officially arrived at the NHL Draft. No more mock drafts or predictions, as Friday night's first round will see 32 future prospects selected in the next wave of NHL talent to hit the league.

The Toronto Maple Leafswon the draft lottery back in May, which means they'll likely select forward Gavin McKenna out of Penn State with the No. 1 overall selection. After that, however, it seems like anything goes, as chaos seems to be the theme of the night, especially if trades get involved.

So settle in for the next few hours as we here at For The Win track every NHL Draft pick live as they happen, with grades and analysis to follow!

1. Toronto Maple Leafs​

2. San Jose Sharks​

3. Vancouver Canucks​

4. Buffalo Sabres (via Chicago Blackhawks)​

5. New York Rangers​

6. Calgary Flames​

7. Seattle Kraken​

8. Winnipeg Jets​

9. San Jose Sharks (via Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators)​

10. Nashville Predators​

11. St. Louis Blues​

12. New Jersey Devils​

13. New York Islanders​

14. Columbus Blue Jackets​

15. St. Louis Blues (via Detroit Red Wings)​

16. St. Louis Blues (via Washington Capitals)​

17. Los Angeles Kings​

18. Washington Capitals (via Anaheim Ducks)​

19. Utah Mammoth​

20. Buffalo Sabres (via Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks)​

21. Philadelphia Flyers​

22. Pittsburgh Penguins​

23. Boston Bruins​

24. Vancouver Canucks (via Minnesota Wild)​

25. Ottawa Senators (via Tampa Bay Lightning, Seattle Kraken, Florida Panthers)​

26. New York Rangers (via Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes)​

27. San Jose Sharks (via Buffalo Sabres)​

28. Montreal Canadiens​

29. St. Louis Blues (via Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders)​

30. Calgary Flames (via Vegas Golden Knights)​

31. Carolina Hurricanes​

32. Ottawa Senators​

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Live 2026 NHL Draft grades for every first round pick

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