It will be the Toronto Maple Leafs selecting first overall at the 2026 NHL Draft.
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, taking Wendel Clark in 1985.
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 2026 NHL Draft is scheduled for June 26 in Buffalo.
NHL Central Scouting 2026 draft prospect rankings
North American skaters
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Gavin McKenna, Penn State LW
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Chase Reid, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds D
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Carson Caels, Prince George Cougars D
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Keaton Verhoeff, North Dakota D
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Daxon Rudolph, Prince Albert Raiders D
International skaters
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Ivar Stenberg, Frolunda LW (Sweden)
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Alberts Smits, Munchen D (Germany)
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Oliver Suvanto, Tappara C (Finland)
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Viggo Bjorck, Djurgarden C (Sweden)
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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)
