2026 NHL Draft set for June in Buffalo with player rankings and full pick list released

The National Hockey League’s 2026 Entry Draft will take place on June 26‑27 at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Round 1 will be televised on ESPN, with rounds 2‑7 on the NHL Network, and the event will also be streamed via DIRECTV, fuboTV and the ESPN app.

Analyst Tony Ferrari published rankings of the draft class, highlighting the top five prospects in categories such as shooters, playmakers, skaters, power forwards and defensive defensemen. Notable names include Mathis Preston and Marcus Nordmark as leading snipers, Gavin McKenna and Xavier Villeneuve as top playmakers, and Chase Reid as a standout defensive‑defenseman. Ferrari noted the class lacks a pure‑goal‑scorer on the level of Auston Matthews or Cole Caufield but contains several strong two‑way players.

The Boston Bruins will enter the draft with the 23rd overall pick in the first round and hold additional selections across later rounds, including one pick each in rounds 2 and 3, three in round 4, and single picks in rounds 5 and 7. The full order of picks for all 31 teams is detailed in the schedule release.