What to know for the 2026 NHL Draft: Order, dates, times, location, how to watch

The Toronto Maple Leafs are about to officially be on the clock.

The Leafs are slated to kick off this week’s 2026 NHL Draft by making the franchise’s third-ever No. 1 overall selection. Toronto moved up from fifth to first in last month’s draft lottery, and the Original Six club is expected to use the top pick on Penn State winger Gavin McKenna.

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McKenna, an 18-year-old from Whitehorse, Canada, ranked second in the nation in points per game (1.46) in his freshman season with the Nittany Lions, tallying 15 goals and 36 assists. Other top prospects expected to hear their names called early include OHL defenseman Chase Reid, OHL center Caleb Malhotra and SHL winger Ivar Stenberg.

The San Jose Sharks also moved up in the order via the lottery, rising from ninth to second. It’s the third consecutive draft in which San Jose holds a top-two selection, after taking Macklin Celebrini at No. 1 in 2024 and Michael Misa at No. 2 last year.

Multiple top 10 picks have been traded in the days leading up to the draft. The Chicago Blackhawks opted not to use their No. 4 overall pick on a prospect, instead sending it to the Buffalo Sabres in a deal to acquire defenseman Bowen Byram.

The Florida Panthers, meanwhile, pulled off a blockbuster trade for winger Brady Tkachuk by sending a package of picks, including Nos. 9 and 25, to the Ottawa Senators. And the Sens then flipped the No. 9 pick to San Jose in a deal centered around winger William Eklund.

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The Eklund trade provides the Sharks with a pair of top 10 picks, in addition to the No. 27 selection. San Jose is one of several teams with multiple first-rounders, along with the Vancouver Canucks (Nos. 3 and 24), Sabres (Nos. 4 and 20), New York Rangers (Nos. 5 and 26), Calgary Flames (Nos. 6 and 30), St. Louis Blues (Nos. 11, 15, 16 and 29), and Senators (Nos. 25 and 32).

As the event nears, here’s what to know about this year’s NHL draft:

When is the NHL draft?

The draft takes place from Friday, June 26 to Saturday, June 27. Round 1 is Friday followed by the remainder of the draft Saturday.

What time does the NHL draft start?

The draft begins Friday at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT/4 p.m. PT and resumes Saturday at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT/8 a.m. PT.

Where is the NHL draft being held?

KeyBank Center, home of the Sabres, in Buffalo, New York, is the site of this year’s draft.

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How many rounds are in the NHL draft?

There are seven rounds in the draft.

How many picks are in the NHL draft?

A total of 224 selections will be made.

What is the NHL draft order?

Here’s a look at the order of picks in Round 1:

1. Toronto Maple Leafs
2. San Jose Sharks
3. Vancouver Canucks
4. Buffalo Sabres (from Chicago)
5. New York Rangers
6. Calgary Flames
7. Seattle Kraken
8. Winnipeg Jets
9. San Jose Sharks (from Florida via Ottawa)
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)
16. St. Louis Blues (from Washington)
17. Los Angeles Kings
18. Washington Capitals (from Anaheim)
19. Utah Mammoth
20. Buffalo Sabres (from Edmonton via San Jose)
21. Philadelphia Flyers
22. Pittsburgh Penguins
23. Boston Bruins
24. Vancouver Canucks (from Minnesota)
25. Ottawa Senators (from Tampa Bay via Seattle and Florida)
26. New York Rangers (from Dallas via Carolina)
27. San Jose Sharks (from Buffalo)
28. Montreal Canadiens
29. St. Louis Blues (from Colorado via Islanders)
30. Calgary Flames (from Vegas)
31. Carolina Hurricanes
32. Ottawa Senators

You can check out the full seven-round order here.

Where to watch, stream the NHL draft

The first round of the draft can be seen on ESPN, ESPN.com and the ESPN app.

Rounds 2-7 will be shown on NHL Network, ESPN.com and the ESPN app.