2026 NHL Draft First Round Round-Up

MAPLE LEAFS SELECT MCKENNA WITH FIRST OVERALL PICK

Picking at No. 1 for the third time in franchise history and first since 2016, the Maple Leafs made left wing Gavin McKenna of Penn State University the top pick in the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft. Global superstar Justin Bieber – a Maple Leafs fan and friend of captain Auston Matthews – was on hand to call McKenna’s name in Buffalo, at the same arena Matthews was selected a decade ago when Toronto last had the No. 1 pick.

* McKenna became the first player out of Penn State to be selected first overall in the NHL Draft and the fifth from the NCAA ever to be taken with the No. 1 pick – with three of those coming in the past six. He is coming off a season in which he finished fifth in NCAA scoring with 15-36—51 (35 GP) and became the first Nittany Lion to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

STENBERG LEADS HISTORIC SWEDISH SURGE

Ivar Stenberg (Stockholm, Sweden) was selected with the No. 2 pick by the Sharks, triggering a historic night for his country, and became the seventh Swedish-born player to be selected among the top two in the NHL Draft – a new Pacific Division rival Leo Carlsson (No. 2 in 2023 by ANA) was the last before him.

MORE ON ROUND 1
* Round 1 by position: 10 defensemen, 8 left wings, 8 centers and six right wings.

* Round 1 Picks by League: OHL (7), WHL (5), NCAA (5), SWEDEN (3), SWEDEN-JR. (3), QMJHL (2), USHL (2), FINLAND (2), GERMANY (1), RUSSIA-JR. (1) and SWEDEN-2 (1).

* Round 1 Picks By Birth Country: Canada (10), Sweden (7), United States (7), Finland (3), Kazakhstan (2), Czechia (1), Latvia (1) and Russia (1).

* The Rangers made a splash on multiple fronts Friday – they chose Alberts Smits (Valmiera, Latvia) at No. 5 to make him the highest-selected Latvian player in NHL Draft history, displacing Zemgus Girgensens (No. 14 in 2012 by BUF), and acquired Pavel Dorofeyev from the Golden Knights. Dorofeyev ranked second in the NHL with 12 goals during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Smits’ historic selection capped a season in which he hit an international trifecta by representing Latvia at the World Junior Championship, Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 and the World Championship.

(NHL PR)

WHL NEWS RELEASE

Buffalo, N.Y. – The Western Hockey League announced today seven players developed in the WHL have been selected in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, held Friday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.

For the second time in three drafts, the WHL boasts four players selected in the top 10 of the NHL Draft. This also serves as the second consecutive NHL Draft in which the WHL has led or tied for the most first-round players selected among any development league. The 2025 NHL Draft featured nine WHL players chosen in the first round.

Former WHL Player of the Year Gavin McKenna (Medicine Hat Tigers) was selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs, followed by Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Daxon Rudolph going to the Buffalo Sabres with the fourth pick. Prince George Cougars blueliner Carson Carels was called by the Calgary Flames with the sixth-overall selection and former Victoria Royals rearguard Keaton Verhoeff rounded out the group after being chosen ninth overall by the San Jose Sharks.

(WHL.ca)