2026 NHL Mock Draft: Lottery Picks

Player Images: Bildbyrån

Updated: 6th of May 2026

This 2026 NHL Mock Draft is updated after the May 5 NHL Draft Lottery, where the Toronto Maple Leafs climbed from the fifth-best lottery odds (8.5%) to the first overall pick. The San Jose Sharks won the second drawing and jumped to pick 2. Vancouver, the worst team in the regular-season standings, slid to pick 3. The full 2026 NHL Draft Lottery was held at NHL Network's offices in Secaucus, New Jersey.

The lottery also resolved the protected first-round condition from the Brandon Carlo trade in March 2025: Toronto's win locks the pick in at first overall, and the Boston Bruins walk away with nothing on the conveyance.

For the full pick-by-pick scouting breakdown behind EP's 2026 NHL Mock Draft, read Cam Robinson's post-lottery mock draft — the authoritative EP take on every selection. What follows below is a high-level recap of how Round 1 plays out in the 2026 NHL Mock Draft, picks 1 through 16.

2026 NHL Mock Draft Order (Picks 1–16)

1. Toronto Maple Leafs: Gavin McKenna, LW (Penn State Univ., NCAA)

Toronto picks first overall for the third time in franchise history, joining 1985 (Wendel Clark) and 2016 (Auston Matthews). McKenna closed his Penn State freshman year with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 35 games and Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, after sweeping WHL and CHL Player of the Year at Medicine Hat the year before. For Cam Robinson's full scouting take on the McKenna-to-Toronto fit, see his post-lottery mock draft.

2. San Jose Sharks: Carson Carels, LD (Prince George Cougars, WHL)

The Sharks' lottery win continues a streak of high picks: it's their fourth top-five selection in as many drafts. Carels finished fourth among all WHL defensemen in scoring (73 points: 20 goals, 53 assists) and second in power-play points (32) over 58 regular-season games at 6-foot-2. Read Cam Robinson's full breakdown of why San Jose lands on Carels at 2.

3. Vancouver Canucks: Caleb Malhotra, C (Brantford Bulldogs, OHL)

The Canucks have never drafted first overall in franchise history and remain on that side of the ledger. With the top two forwards off the board, Vancouver lands the highest-ranked center in Malhotra, a 6-foot-2 Brantford pivot in his draft-eligible OHL season. Cam Robinson's full scouting take on what Malhotra brings to Vancouver's pipeline has the deeper read.

4. Chicago Blackhawks: Ivar Stenberg, LW/RW (Frölunda HC, SHL)

Stenberg's 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 43 games with Frölunda was the most by an 18-year-old in the SHL since Daniel and Henrik Sedin in 1998-99. He's the No. 1 international skater on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking. For the full read on the Stenberg–Connor Bedard pairing, see Cam Robinson's post-lottery mock.

5. New York Rangers: Chase Reid, RD (Soo Greyhounds, OHL)

Reid finished 12th among OHL defensemen with 48 points (18 goals, 30 assists) and 13th in power-play points (20) over 45 regular-season games at 6-foot-2. He arrived in the OHL only after being cut at the USHL level a year earlier, a turnaround Cam Robinson calls "the stuff of legend" in his post-lottery mock. Read the full scouting breakdown of Reid and the fit behind Adam Fox.

6. Calgary Flames: Keaton Verhoeff, RD (Univ. of North Dakota, NCAA)

Verhoeff finished his North Dakota freshman year as the youngest defenseman in college hockey, with 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) and 43 blocked shots in 36 games. He's the second of five NCAA players on NHL Central Scouting's top 32 North American skaters list. For Cam Robinson's full take on Verhoeff alongside Zayne Parekh, see the post-lottery mock.

7. Seattle Kraken: Ethan Belchetz, RW (Windsor Spitfires, OHL)

Belchetz stands 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds for the Windsor Spitfires — a size-and-skill profile that EP's Film Room broke down in Why Ethan Belchetz's special skill set makes him a top 2026 NHL Draft prospect. Read Cam Robinson's full scouting take on the pick at 7.

8. Winnipeg Jets: Viggo Björck, C (Djurgården, SHL)

Björck centered top lines for his SHL club and for Sweden at the World Juniors at 17. As Cam Robinson puts it: "We simply do not see that level of deployment. Ever." Winnipeg's last top-10 selection was Patrik Laine at second overall in 2016. For the full breakdown of Björck's profile and Jets fit, see Cam's post-lottery mock.

9. Florida Panthers: Alberts Šmits, LD (EHC München, DEL)

Šmits, 18, was the youngest player at the 2026 Winter Olympics, averaging 18:44 of ice time across four games for Latvia. His regular season included 13 points in 38 games with Jukurit in Liiga before a February loan to EHC München for the DEL playoffs. Cam Robinson's full scouting take on Šmits's NHL readiness has the deeper analysis.

10. Nashville Predators: Tynan Lawrence, C (Boston University, NCAA)

Lawrence finished his freshman year at Boston University as one of the youngest players in the 2026 class. He projects alongside last year's fifth-overall pick Brady Martin as the foundation of Nashville's future down the middle. Read Cam Robinson's full scouting take on the pick at 10.

11. St. Louis Blues: Wyatt Cullen, LW (NTDP)

Cullen grew from 5-foot-7 to 6-foot-1 in roughly 18 months at the NTDP and heads to college next season. He's the son of longtime NHLer Matt Cullen. For Cam Robinson's full scouting breakdown of Cullen at 11, see the post-lottery mock.

12. New Jersey Devils: Oscar Hemming, LW (Boston College, NCAA)

Hemming spent his draft year at Boston College after a Finnish federation transfer dispute kept him out of the OHL and BCHL. He becomes the Devils' first first-round forward selection since Alexander Holtz in 2020. Cam Robinson's full take on Hemming's path and Devils fit has the deeper read.

13. New York Islanders: Oliver Suvanto, C (Liiga)

Suvanto, a Finnish center, was one of the youngest players in the class but logged both Liiga and World Junior minutes at 17. The Islanders won the lottery a year ago and drafted Matthew Schaefer first overall. For Cam Robinson's full scouting take on the Suvanto pick at 13, see the post-lottery mock.

14. Columbus Blue Jackets: Daxon Rudolph, LD (Prince Albert Raiders, WHL)

Rudolph's 78 points (28 goals, 50 assists) in 68 games for the Prince Albert Raiders ranked third among all WHL defensemen and first among the draft-eligible cohort. He also led WHL defensemen with 35 power-play points. Read Cam Robinson's full scouting take on Rudolph at 14.

15. St. Louis Blues (via Detroit Red Wings): Ryan Lin, RD (NCAA)

St. Louis's second first-rounder of the round, acquired from Detroit in the Justin Faulk trade. Lin is one of the back-end-of-Round-1 names most affected by his frame, with two-way skill that would have moved him into the top half of the round with another two inches. For Cam Robinson's full scouting breakdown of the Lin pick, see the post-lottery mock.

16. Washington Capitals: Malte Gustafsson, LD (HV71, SHL)

Gustafsson, a 6-foot-4 Swedish defender, played a full SHL season at 17 with HV71. Washington finished just out of the playoffs and walks out of the lottery with the back-half pick. Read Cam Robinson's full scouting take on Gustafsson at 16.

Read the Full 2026 NHL Mock Draft

Each pick above gets the detailed scouting report, projection, and team-fit breakdown in EP Senior Crossover Scout Cam Robinson's post-lottery 2026 NHL Mock Draft.

What Our 2026 NHL Mock Draft Tells Us About the Class

The 2026 class doesn't have a Connor Bedard- or Auston Matthews-level prospect at the top. McKenna is the consensus first overall by NHL Central Scouting and EP's own ranking, but the gap to the field is narrower than recent cycles. Where the class is unusually deep is on defense: half of the top 10 picks in this mock are defensemen, with the depth continuing through the back half of Round 1.

The lottery itself is the bigger story of the night. Toronto winning from 8.5% odds, three days into the new Mats Sundin and John Chayka regime, and arriving at their third-ever first overall pick in franchise history is the kind of franchise-altering moment that doesn't happen often. San Jose's seven-spot jump from 9 to 2 continues a remarkable run of high picks for the Sharks (four top-five selections in as many drafts) and adds another high-end forward to a young core that's already loaded.

2026 NHL Mock Draft Watch List: Late First-Round and Round 2

Outside the lottery 16 in our 2026 NHL Mock Draft, these are the names showing up at the top of every NHL team's "Round 2 board," and several have a real shot at sneaking into the back end of Round 1:

• Elton Hermansson, C (Sweden): Our Film Room argues Elton Hermansson's playmaking skill makes for an intriguing first-round bet.

• Marcus Nordmark, F (Sweden): Smart, projectable middle-six forward.

• Niklas Aaram-Olsen, F: High-pace winger climbing every list.

• Tobias Trejbal, D: Czech mobility and detail.

• Maksim Sokolovskii, F: His best hockey came when it mattered most: the playoffs.

• Liam Ruck and Markus Ruck: Twin-brother top-30 candidates with very different profiles.

• Xavier Villeneuve, D: QMJHL puck-mover whose smaller frame has him out of the lottery 16 in this mock; the upside is real.

• Samu Alalauri, Juho Piiparinen: Liiga-tested skill at U18 age.

• Måns Gudmundsson, William Håkansson: Sweden U18 leadership group.

• Alexander Grunin: Russian center on the rise.

• Jakub Floriš: Czech two-way center stock-watch riser.

• Adam Novotný, LW: Skilled Czech winger with OHL pedigree.

• Maddox Dagenais, LW/C: QMJHL two-way forward, fastest riser of the back half.

• Casey Mutryn: Scouts have flagged real growth signs in their reports.

International U18 names with first-round buzz still possible:

• Vilho Vanhatalo (Finland U18)

• Šimon Katolický, Jiří Kamas (Czechia U18)

• Adam Goljer (Slovakia U18)

• Tobias Krämer (Germany U18)

• Patriks Plūmiņš (Latvia U18)

For deeper U18 coverage, see our companion piece on the 2026 NHL Draft prospects with the most to prove at the IIHF U18 World Championship.

2026 NHL Mock Draft FAQ

Who is the projected first overall pick in EP's 2026 NHL Mock Draft?

Gavin McKenna of Penn State is the consensus #1 by NHL Central Scouting and EP's own ranking. The Toronto Maple Leafs hold the first overall pick after winning the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery on May 5.

When is the 2026 NHL Draft?

The 2026 NHL Draft will be held June 26–27, 2026, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Round 1 takes place Friday, June 26 (7 p.m. ET); rounds 2–7 follow on Saturday, June 27.

Which teams moved in the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery?

Toronto jumped four spots to pick 1 from the fifth-best lottery odds (8.5%). San Jose jumped seven spots to pick 2. Vancouver, Chicago, the New York Rangers, and Calgary each slid two slots. Seattle, Winnipeg, Florida, and St. Louis each dropped one. Picks 11 through 16 stayed put.

Where can I read the full 2026 NHL Mock Draft?

Cam Robinson's post-lottery 2026 NHL Mock Draft is the full pick-by-pick deep dive on every selection, with scouting reports and projections.

Is the 2026 NHL Mock Draft updated regularly?

This 2026 NHL Mock Draft page is updated after major draft-cycle events (lottery, World Juniors, U18 Worlds) and as new versions of the mock are published through the cycle.