Sportsvival has spent the entire hockey season tracking the names, stories, risers, fallers and franchise-changing prospects leading into the 2026 NHL Draft. Now that the first round is complete, the next wave of NHL talent has officially heard its name called. The biggest story of the night may have been the San Jose Sharks, who absolutely killed it in the first round by adding multiple high-end prospects to an already exciting young team. With a young core already in place, San Jose used this draft to keep building something dangerous for the future, while the rest of the league added plenty of size, skill and franchise-changing upside of its own.
1) Toronto Maple Leafs, Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State
Toronto opens the draft by taking the most gifted playmaker in the class. McKenna brings elite hockey sense, vision and the type of offensive creativity that can change a franchise’s attack.
2) San Jose Sharks, Ivar Stenberg, LW, Frolunda
San Jose adds a dynamic Swedish winger who can drive offense and play with pace. Stenberg gives the Sharks another high-end piece to grow with their young core.
3) Vancouver Canucks, Caleb Malhotra, C, Brantford
Vancouver grabs a complete two-way center with size, speed and hockey bloodlines. Malhotra gives the Canucks a future building block down the middle.
4) Buffalo Sabres, Daxon Rudolph, D, Prince Albert
Buffalo continues to build a strong blue line by adding Rudolph, a right-shot defenseman with size and offensive upside. He has the tools to become a major part of the Sabres’ future.
5) New York Rangers, Alberts Smits, D, Munchen
The Rangers go with a mature defenseman who has already played against older competition. Smits brings size, poise and a game that looks close to NHL-ready.
6) Calgary Flames, Carson Carels, D, Prince George
Calgary adds a talented defenseman who can move the puck and handle heavy minutes. Carels gives the Flames another strong piece for their future blue line.
7) Seattle Kraken, Chase Reid, D, Sault Ste. Marie
Seattle lands one of the top defensemen in the draft. Reid skates well, competes hard and has the offensive ability to grow into a top-pairing player.
8) Winnipeg Jets, Viggo Bjorck, C, Djurgarden
Winnipeg adds a skilled and competitive center who plays with energy every shift. Bjorck may not be the biggest player, but his motor and offensive instincts make him dangerous.
9) San Jose Sharks, Keaton Verhoeff, D, North Dakota
San Jose comes back again and takes a big, strong defenseman with a pro-style game. Verhoeff gives the Sharks size, mobility and another major piece on the back end.
10) Nashville Predators, Wyatt Cullen, LW, USA U-18
Nashville adds speed, skill and offensive creativity with Cullen. He has the skating and scoring upside to become a strong piece in the Predators’ forward group.
11) St. Louis Blues, Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University
St. Louis starts its busy first round by adding a smart, competitive center. Lawrence plays with pace, understands the game and gives the Blues help down the middle.
12) New Jersey Devils, Alexander Command, C, Orebro Jr.
New Jersey adds a tough, well-rounded Swedish center who plays with an edge. Command fits the Devils’ long-term need for more depth and balance down the middle.
13) New York Islanders, Malte Gustafsson, D, HV71
The Islanders add a big Swedish defenseman who can skate and move the puck. Gustafsson gives New York another important young piece on the blue line.
14) Columbus Blue Jackets, Oscar Hemming, LW, Boston College
Columbus adds size, strength and power-forward potential with Hemming. He plays a heavy north-south game and fits the direction of the Blue Jackets’ young forward group.
15) Anaheim Ducks, Nikita Klepov, RW, Saginaw
Anaheim lands one of the most productive players in the draft. Klepov brings skill, vision and scoring ability after a huge season in the OHL.
16) St. Louis Blues, Maddox Dagenais, C, Quebec
The Blues keep adding size and depth down the middle with Dagenais. He is a big, strong forward who can play center or wing and brings a heavy offensive style.
17) Utah Mammoth, Ethan Belchetz, LW, Windsor
Utah adds a massive power forward with goal-scoring upside. Belchetz plays with size, edge and a hard shot that can make him a tough matchup.
18) Washington Capitals, Oliver Suvanto, C, Tappara
Washington gets a big two-way center who already has experience playing against men in Finland. Suvanto gives the Capitals a strong long-term option down the middle.
19) Los Angeles Kings, Elton Hermansson, RW, MoDo
Los Angeles adds a creative Swedish winger with skill and scoring upside. Hermansson brings offensive flair and gives the Kings a needed boost to their prospect pool.
20) Buffalo Sabres, Ilia Morozov, C, Miami
Buffalo adds another strong piece by taking Morozov, a big center with a mature two-way game. He has size, skill and the ability to impact the game in all zones.
21) San Jose Sharks, Ryan Lin, D, Vancouver
San Jose continues its huge first round by trading up for Lin. He is a smart, mobile right-shot defenseman who can create offense from the blue line.
22) Pittsburgh Penguins, Liam Ruck, RW, Medicine Hat
Pittsburgh adds a pure goal scorer in Ruck. He knows how to find soft spots, finish chances and could become an important offensive piece for the Penguins’ future.
23) Detroit Red Wings, JP Hurlbert, LW, Kamloops
Detroit adds another talented forward to its prospect group. Hurlbert brings scoring instincts, versatility and the ability to play multiple forward spots.
24) Vancouver Canucks, Adam Novotny, LW, Peterborough
Vancouver adds a strong, skilled winger who plays with bite. Novotny has a pro-style frame and gives the Canucks another forward who can fit with their rebuild.
25) Ottawa Senators, Jonas Lagerberg Hoen, RW, Leksand Jr.
Ottawa takes a swing on a skilled goal scorer who missed time with injury. Lagerberg Hoen has the shot and skating to become a dangerous offensive player if healthy.
26) Montreal Canadiens, Gleb Pugachyov, RW, Nizhny Novgorod Jr.
Montreal moves up to grab a big Russian winger with high upside. Pugachyov has size, puck protection and one-on-one ability that could develop into top-six potential.
27) Philadelphia Flyers, Maksim Sokolovskii, D, London
Philadelphia adds size in a major way with Sokolovskii. At 6-foot-7, he brings reach, physicality and a defensive profile the Flyers can develop over time.
28) Anaheim Ducks, Marcus Nordmark, LW, Djurgarden Jr.
Anaheim trades up and adds another talented forward in Nordmark. He brings size, skill and playmaking ability, giving the Ducks even more offensive depth for the future.
29) Vegas Golden Knights, Juho Piiparinen, D, Tappara
Vegas adds a right-shot defenseman with a steady, defensive-minded game. Piiparinen gives the Golden Knights a young blue-line prospect who can develop into a reliable NHL defender.
30) Calgary Flames, Jack Hextall, C, Youngstown
Calgary comes back into the first round and adds a smart, competitive center. Hextall plays a strong 200-foot game and gives the Flames more depth through the middle.
31) Nashville Predators, Tommy Bleyl, D, Moncton
Nashville trades up for one of the most exciting offensive defensemen in the class. Bleyl is an elite skater who can run a power play and create offense from the back end.
32) Ottawa Senators, Jaxon Cover, RW, London
Ottawa closes the first round with a player who has a unique development story and plenty of upside. Cover is still raw, but his skating, competitiveness and growth potential made him worth the swing.
The 2026 NHL Draft first round gave fans a little bit of everything, franchise forwards, big-minute defensemen, power forwards, goal scorers and several aggressive moves by teams trying to shape their future. Sportsvival will continue to track these prospects as they move through college, junior hockey and pro development, because the draft is only the beginning. The real story starts now, when these players begin the climb toward becoming NHL difference-makers.