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It will be the Toronto Maple Leafs selecting first overall at the 2026 NHL Draft, in what is unlikely to be a popular development among most NHL fans.
Toronto won the draft lottery, performed live on ESPN, on Tuesday after a sequence of four ping-pong balls bounced their way. The winning sequence: 7, 2, 11, 12.
It will be the first time the Maple Leafs since 2016, when they selected captain Auston Matthews. They will certainly be hoping for similar success this this pick. They have selected first one other time in franchise history, taking Wendel Clark in 1985.
The Leafs entered the lottery with an 8.5% chance at the first pick, the fifth-best odds in the field after the Vancouver Canucks (25.5%), Chicago Blackhawks (13.5%), New York Rangers (11.5%) and Calgary Flames (9.5%). Toronto got there via a 32-36-14 season in which they finished last in the Atlantic Division.
The good fortune comes one day after Toronto introduced its new leadership of general manager John Chayka and senior executive advisor of hockey operations Mats Sundin. It was a contentious news conference, to say the least, due to concerns about Chayka’s track record.
The industry already has a pretty strong guess at the first pick. Penn State winger Gavin McKenna is coming off a freshman season in which he led the Big Ten with 38 points in conference play. There was some question about an incident involving him at a State College bar, but his aggravated assault charge since been dropped after authorities reviewed the video.
The biggest jump came in the drawing after the Leafs took the first pick. The San Jose Sharks entered the night in the ninth-best position, with only a 5% chance at the first pick and 5.2% for the second, but they won the second drawing. It will be the fourth straight year they’ve selected in the top 5, a span that includes their first overall selection of Macklin Celebrini in 2024.
The 2026 NHL Draft is scheduled for June 26 in Buffalo.
No. 1 in North America: Brady Knowling, USA U-18
No. 1 in International: Dmitri Borichev, Loko Yaroslavl (Russia)
Continue reading...
Toronto won the draft lottery, performed live on ESPN, on Tuesday after a sequence of four ping-pong balls bounced their way. The winning sequence: 7, 2, 11, 12.
It will be the first time the Maple Leafs since 2016, when they selected captain Auston Matthews. They will certainly be hoping for similar success this this pick. They have selected first one other time in franchise history, taking Wendel Clark in 1985.
The Leafs entered the lottery with an 8.5% chance at the first pick, the fifth-best odds in the field after the Vancouver Canucks (25.5%), Chicago Blackhawks (13.5%), New York Rangers (11.5%) and Calgary Flames (9.5%). Toronto got there via a 32-36-14 season in which they finished last in the Atlantic Division.
The good fortune comes one day after Toronto introduced its new leadership of general manager John Chayka and senior executive advisor of hockey operations Mats Sundin. It was a contentious news conference, to say the least, due to concerns about Chayka’s track record.
The industry already has a pretty strong guess at the first pick. Penn State winger Gavin McKenna is coming off a freshman season in which he led the Big Ten with 38 points in conference play. There was some question about an incident involving him at a State College bar, but his aggravated assault charge since been dropped after authorities reviewed the video.
The biggest jump came in the drawing after the Leafs took the first pick. The San Jose Sharks entered the night in the ninth-best position, with only a 5% chance at the first pick and 5.2% for the second, but they won the second drawing. It will be the fourth straight year they’ve selected in the top 5, a span that includes their first overall selection of Macklin Celebrini in 2024.
The 2026 NHL Draft is scheduled for June 26 in Buffalo.
2026 NHL Draft order
Toronto Maple Leafs
San Jose Sharks
Vancouver Canucks
Chicago Blackhawks
New York Rangers
Calgary Flames
Seattle Kraken
Winnipeg Jets
Florida Panthers
Nashville Predators
NHL Central Scouting 2026 draft prospect rankings
North American skaters
Gavin McKenna, Penn State LW
Chase Reid, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds D
Carson Caels, Prince George Cougars D
Keaton Verhoeff, North Dakota D
Daxon Rudolph, Prince Albert Raiders D
International skaters
Ivar Stenberg, Frolunda LW (Sweden)
Alberts Smits, Munchen D (Germany)
Oliver Suvanto, Tappara C (Finland)
Viggo Bjorck, Djurgarden C (Sweden)
Elton Hermansson, Modo RW (Sweden)
Goaltenders
No. 1 in North America: Brady Knowling, USA U-18
No. 1 in International: Dmitri Borichev, Loko Yaroslavl (Russia)
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