2026 NHL Draft to be held in Buffalo

Gavin McKenna will learn his NHL destination when the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft is held at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on June 26-27.

The selection process will return to Buffalo for the first time since the 2016 NHL Draft, when the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Auston Matthews with the No. 1 pick.

"This is a great sports town, a great hockey market," Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "The reception we get here is always terrific. Fans are knowledgeable and passionate. We’ve got a great organization with great ownership. All the factors that you would take into account, the boxes are checked in a first-class way."

The first round will be on June 26 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS), with rounds 2-7 on June 27 (10 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN). The 2026 draft again will have a decentralized format, with the 32 teams operating out of their home markets similar to the 2025 NHL Draft.

"Well, since it was the first time we were decentralizing, we wanted to try some things that would be new and different than you see perhaps in other drafts," Bettman said about the new format last year. "I think the first round may have been a bit overproduced, and so we learned some things worked and some things didn't work. And so I think we're going to look to streamline, but at the same time, we'll try some new things to be innovative and creative. But we want to be conscious of how long it's taking."

McKenna (5-foot-11, 170 pounds) is the No. 1 North American skater in NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings presented by BODYARMOR Sports Drink, which were released on Monday.

The 18-year-old forward has 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in 18 games as a freshman at Penn State University this season. He also helped Canada win the bronze medal at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, finishing second among all players with 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in seven games, including a goal and three assists in a 6-3 win against Finland in the third-place game.

"In the offensive zone he's a wizard out there, and you can see that in his game," Central Scouting vice president Dan Marr said.

Among those expected to join McKenna as early first-round selections are forwards Ivar Stenberg (5-11, 183) of Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League, who is No. 1 on Central Scouting's midterm ranking of International skaters.

The 18-year-old has 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) in 25 games for Frolunda. He also helped Sweden win the gold medal at the WJC, tying for the team lead with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in seven games, including a goal and two assists in a 4-2 win against Czechia in the championship game.

"He has established himself as a top prospect, already playing regular minutes with powerhouse Frolunda in the SHL," NHL Director of European Scouting Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen said. "His blend of speed, first-step quickness, and balance makes him a dangerous, dynamic skater who can both create and finish plays."

Other players who could be selected in the top 10 include forwards Caleb Malhotra of Brantford in the Ontario Hockey League, Tynan Lawrence of Boston University and Ethan Belchetz of Windsor (OHL), and defensemen Keaton Verhoeff of the University of North Dakota, Carson Carels of Prince George in the Western Hockey League and Chase Reid of Sault Ste. Marie (OHL).

However, McKenna remains the best player available, according to TSN director of scouting and former NHL general manager Craig Button.

"I'll be very clear, I still don't see a player that's better than Gavin McKenna," he said. "If you look at it, forward Ivar Stenberg is a really good player. Defensemen Keaton Verhoeff, Carels, Chase Reid and Juho Piiparinen (Tappara in Finland) are all good and different. I'm not so sure who the best defenseman of those guys might be at this point.

"I think Gavin has special qualities, and I haven't seen any evidence that those are evaporating or diminishing."

McKenna made headlines this past summer when he left Medicine Hat of the WHL to play NCAA hockey this season.

In 2024-25, he had finished second in the WHL with 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists) in 56 games, led Medicine Hat to the championship game at the Memorial Cup, and was named player of the year in the WHL and Canadian Hockey League.

"There's a lot of chatter on my year and stuff," McKenna said. "I think it's a growth year for me, playing against harder guys. I could have stayed in the [WHL] and put up a bunch of points, but I wanted to challenge myself this year and I've been getting challenged."

NHL.com senior draft writer Mike G. Morreale and independent correspondent Heather Engel contributed to this report.