By the numbers: Breaking down 2026 NHL Draft order

The 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The first round will be June 26 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 on June 27 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, we go inside the numbers on the order of the draft. Full draft coverage can be found here.

The order of selection for the 2026 NHL Draft has been released, starting with the Toronto Maple Leafs picking No. 1.

But there will be 223 selections made after the Maple Leafs, including six more by Toronto.

Here are a few other interesting numbers to watch at the 2026 NHL Draft:

1- The Maple Leafs have the No. 1 pick of the draft for the first time since 2016, when they chose Auston Matthews. Coincidentally, it was also the last time the draft was held in Buffalo. It's the third time Toronto has picked No. 1, also choosing Wendel Clark with the first pick of the 1985 NHL Draft.

2- The San Jose Sharks have the No. 2 pick for the second straight year. They chose forward Michael Misa with the No. 2 pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, and he had 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 45 games. The Sharks have chosen No. 2 three other times with mixed results. In 1997, they selected franchise icon Patrick Marleau. They picked defenseman Andrei Zyuzin in 1996 and forward Pat Falloon in 1991, each of whom played fewer than 300 games with San Jose.

3- The Vancouver Canucks have the No. 3 pick, and it's the highest they've selected since choosing Daniel and Henrik Sedin with the No. 2 and No. 3 picks, respectively, at the 1999 NHL Draft. The Sedins will help oversee the 2026 NHL Draft for Vancouver in their roles as co-presidents of hockey operations.

3- First-round picks for the St. Louis Blues, who had three selections total at the 2025 NHL Draft. It also could be the third time the Blues make three first-round selections. At the 2023 NHL Draft, they chose forwards Dalibor Dvorsky (No. 10) and Otto Stenberg (No. 25), as well as defenseman Theo Lindstein (No. 29), and in 2007, they selected center Lars Eller (No. 13), defenseman Ian Cole (No. 18) and left wing David Perron (No. 26).

4- The Chicago Blackhawks have the No. 4 pick, marking the fourth straight year they have a top-five selection. They chose forward Connor Bedard with the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, defenseman Artyom Levshunov at No. 2 in the 2024 NHL Draft, and forward Anton Frondell at No. 3 at the 2025 NHL Draft.

4- Picks for the host Buffalo Sabres, tied for the fewest with the Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers and Vegas Golden Knights.

7- Teams that have multiple first-round picks, topped by three for the Blues (No. 11, No. 15, No. 29). The Sharks (No. 2, No. 27), Canucks (No. 3, No. 24), New York Rangers (No. 5, No. 26), Calgary Flames (No. 6, No. 30), Seattle Kraken (No. 7, No. 25) and Washington Capitals (No. 16, No. 18) all have two picks.

9- Picks in the top 100 for the Flames, the most in the NHL. In addition to their two first-round picks, they own four selections in the second round, two in the third, and pick No. 100.

9- Players selected in the 2025 NHL Draft that played in the NHL this season: forwards Misa, Frondell, Braeden Cootes (Canucks), Victor Eklund (New York Islanders), James Hagens (Boston Bruins), Ben Kindel (Pittsburgh Penguins), Brady Martin (Nashville Predators), Porter Martone (Philadelphia Flyers), and defenseman Matthew Schaefer (Islanders).​

11- Picks for the Rangers, starting with their two in the first round. They also have one pick (No. 64) in the second round and four (No. 67, No. 77, No. 81, No. 92) in the third. It's the most selections for the Rangers since they chose 13 players at the 2004 NHL Draft.

12- Picks for the Blues, the most among NHL teams. The Flames, Predators and Rangers are next with 11, followed by the Canucks with 10.

31- The first selection for the Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes. 

63- Pick forfeited by the Golden Knights as penalty for flagrant violations of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff media regulations.​

89- The first pick for the Minnesota Wild. They traded their first-round selection (No. 24) to the Canucks as part of the deal for defenseman Quinn Hughes on Dec. 12, and they sent their second-round pick (No. 57) to the Predators for forward Gustav Nyquist on March 1, 2025.

95- The Golden Knights will be the final team to pick their first player when their turn comes here, with the second-to-last pick of the third round. In addition to the forfeited second-round pick, they traded their first-round selection (No. 30) to the Flames for defenseman Noah Hanifin on March 6, 2024.

224- The final pick of the 2026 NHL Draft, owned by the Montreal Canadiens. They acquired the pick from the Hurricanes for goalie Cayden Primeau on June 30, 2025.