Toronto Maple Leafs Win 2026 NHL Draft Lottery

Gavin McKenna, you are a Toronto Maple Leaf.

Entering Tuesday night with the 5th-highest odds at 8.5%, the Maple Leafs won the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery. It gives them the right to select first overall this summer, with McKenna expected to be the likely pick. Ivar Stenberg, the number one international player in the NHL Central Scouting rankings is also a possibility. 

“I’m extremely happy for the Toronto Maple Leaf fanbase, of course,” Maple Leafs Senior Executive Advisor Mats Sundin said. “It’s great to get the first pick. Great night.”

Sundin, who was just hired by the organization along with general manager John Chayka, said that the new management group has just started their evaluations on where the team goes in the future. 

This will be the first time since 2016 that Toronto has had the top pick in the NHL Draft. The last time they did, they made Auston Matthews the first player taken off the board. Coincidentally enough, the 2026 NHL Draft will take place in the same building as the 2016 draft did, the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY.

For the Maple Leafs, winning the lottery put the organization and its fans at ease. Entering the night, there was the possibility that Toronto wouldn’t have even had a first-round pick this year. As part of a 2025 deal for Brandon Carlo, the Maple Leafs dealt a first-round pick to Boston. Had it been outside the Top 5 this year, it would’ve gone to the Bruins. Instead, Toronto will send either its 2027 or 2028 first-round pick to its division rival. 

On the flip side, the lottery couldn't have gone worse for the Vancouver Canucks. Entering the night with an 18.5% chance of picking first, the Canucks lost the lottery twice, falling from first to third. The San Jose Sharks jumped from ninth to second. 

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The 2026 NHL Draft takes place on June 26-27.

You can check out the full NHL Draft Lottery results below with every pick from 1-16, including their pre-lottery odds. The remaining 16 picks are determined by the results of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

2026 NHL Draft Order Post Lottery

1. Toronto Maple Leafs (8.5%)
2. San Jose Sharks (5.0%)
3. Vancouver Canucks (18.5%)
4. Chicago Blackhawks (13.5%)
5. New York Rangers (11.5%)
6. Calgary Flames (9.5%)
7. Seattle Kraken (7.5%)
8. Winnipeg Jets (6.5%)
9. Florida Panthers (6.0%)
10. Nashville Predators (3.5%)
11. St. Louis Blues (3.0%)
12. New Jersey Devils (2.5%)
13. New York Islanders (2.0%)
14. Columbus Blue Jackets (1.5%)
15. St. Louis Blues (From Detroit) (0.5%)
16. Washington Capitals (0.5%)