2026 NHL entry draft

2026 NHL entry draft
General information
Date(s)TBA
LocationTBA
Overview
First selectionTBA
← 2025
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The 2026 NHL entry draft will be the 64th NHL entry draft. The draft is expected to be held in the summer of 2026.

Eligibility

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Ice hockey players born between January 1, 2006, and September 15, 2008, are eligible for selection in the 2026 NHL entry draft. Additionally, un-drafted, non-North American players born in 2005 are eligible for the draft; and those players who were drafted in the 2024 NHL entry draft, but not signed by an NHL team and who were born after June 30, 2006, are also eligible to re-enter the draft.[1]

Traded picks

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The order of the 2026 entry draft will be finalized upon the conclusion of the 2025–26 NHL season. However, some teams have already exchanged picks for this draft via trade. These picks are listed below.

Round one

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  1. The Vegas Golden Knights' first-round pick will go to the Calgary Flames as the result of a trade on March 6, 2024, that sent Mikhail Vorobyev to Vegas in exchange for Daniil Miromanov, a conditional third-round pick in 2025 and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). The condition – Calgary will receive a first-round pick in 2026 if Vegas does not possess their first-round pick in 2025 by March 10, 2024[2] – was converted when Vegas transferred their first-round pick in 2025 to San Jose on March 8, 2024.[3]

Round two

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  1. The Colorado Avalanche's second-round pick will go to the San Jose Sharks as the result of a trade on December 9, 2024, that sent Mackenzie Blackwood, Givani Smith and a fifth-round pick in 2027 to Colorado in exchange for Alexandar Georgiev, Nikolai Kovalenko, a fifth-round pick in 2025 and this pick.[4]
  2. The Columbus Blue Jackets' second-round pick will go to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a trade on August 19, 2024, that sent Jordan Harris to Columbus in exchange for Patrik Laine and this pick.[5]
  3. The New York Islanders' second-round pick will go to the Chicago Blackhawks as the result of a trade on June 29, 2023, that sent future considerations to New York in exchange for Josh Bailey and this pick.[6]
  4. The New York Rangers' second-round pick will go to the Utah Hockey Club as the result of a trade on July 13, 2022, that sent Ty Emberson to New York in exchange for Patrik Nemeth, a second-round pick in 2025 and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade).[7] The condition – Arizona[a] will receive a third-round pick in 2024 or a second-round pick in 2026, at their choice[7] – was converted when the Rangers' third-round pick in 2024 was transferred to St. Louis on March 27, 2023.[9][10]
  5. The Ottawa Senators' second-round pick will go to the Utah Hockey Club as the result of a trade on March 1, 2023, that sent Jakob Chychrun to Ottawa in exchange for a conditional first-round pick in 2023, a conditional second-round pick in 2024 and this pick.[11]
  6. The St. Louis Blues' second-round pick will go to the Pittsburgh Penguins as the result of a trade on August 13, 2024, that sent St. Louis' second-round pick in 2025 and a fifth-round pick in 2026 to St. Louis in exchange for Ottawa's third-round pick in 2025 and this pick.[12]
  7. The Toronto Maple Leafs' second-round pick will go to the Chicago Blackhawks as the result of a trade on February 27, 2023, that sent Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty, a conditional fifth-round pick in 2024 and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2025 to Toronto in exchange for Joey Anderson, Pavel Gogolev, a conditional first-round pick in 2025 and this pick.[13]

Round three

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  1. The Carolina Hurricanes' third-round pick will go to the Utah Hockey Club as the result of a trade on March 1, 2023, that sent Shayne Gostisbehere to Carolina in exchange for this pick.[14]
  2. The Colorado Avalanche's third-round pick will go to the Columbus Blue Jackets as the result of a trade on November 30, 2024, that sent David Jiricek and a fifth-round pick in 2025 to Minnesota in exchange for Daemon Hunt, a conditional first-round pick in 2025, Toronto's fourth-round pick in 2026, a second-round pick in 2027 and this pick.[15]
    Minnesota previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on March 7, 2024, that sent Brandon Duhaime to Colorado in exchange for this pick.[16]
  3. The Florida Panthers' third-round pick will go to the Ottawa Senators as the result of a trade on March 6, 2024, that sent Vladimir Tarasenko to Florida in exchange for a third-round pick in 2025 and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade).[17] The condition – Ottawa will receive a third-round pick in 2026 if Florida wins the Stanley Cup in 2024[17] – was converted on June 24, 2024.[18]
  4. The San Jose Sharks' third-round pick will go to the Pittsburgh Penguins as the result of a trade on August 6, 2023, that sent Mikael Granlund, Mike Hoffman, Jan Rutta and a conditional first-round pick in 2024 to San Jose in exchange for Erik Karlsson, Dillon Hamaliuk and this pick.[19]
  5. The Vancouver Canucks' third-round pick will go to the Calgary Flames as the result of a trade on November 30, 2023, that sent Nikita Zadorov to Vancouver in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in 2024 and this pick.[20]

Round four

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  1. The Anaheim Ducks' fourth-round pick will go to the Seattle Kraken as the result of a trade on July 2, 2024, that sent Brian Dumoulin to Anaheim in exchange for this pick.[21]
  2. The Dallas Stars' fourth-round pick will go to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on February 28, 2024, that sent Chris Tanev to Dallas in exchange for this pick.[22]
  3. The New York Rangers' fourth-round pick will go to the Columbus Blue Jackets as the result of a trade on March 8, 2024, that sent Jack Roslovic to New York in exchange for this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade).[23] The condition – Columbus will receive a fourth-round pick in 2026 if the Rangers do not advance to the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals[23] – was converted when the Rangers were eliminated from the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs on June 1, 2024.
  4. The Ottawa Senators' fourth-round pick will go to the Chicago Blackhawks as the result of a trade on February 22, 2023, that sent future considerations to Ottawa in exchange for Nikita Zaitsev, a second-round pick in 2023 and this pick.[24]
  5. The Toronto Maple Leafs' fourth-round pick will go to the Columbus Blue Jackets as the result of a trade on November 30, 2024, that sent David Jiricek and a fifth-round pick in 2025 to Minnesota in exchange for Daemon Hunt, a conditional first-round pick in 2025, Colorado's third-round pick in 2026, a second-round pick in 2027 and this pick.[15]
    Minnesota previously acquired this pick as the result of a trade on March 8, 2024, that sent Connor Dewar to Toronto in exchange for Dmitry Ovchinnikov and this pick.[25]
  6. The Vegas Golden Knights' fourth-round pick will go to the Washington Capitals as the result of a trade on March 5, 2024, that sent Anthony Mantha to Vegas in exchange for a second-round pick in 2024 and this pick.[26]
  7. The Winnipeg Jets' fourth-round pick will go to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on March 8, 2024, that sent Colin Miller to Winnipeg in exchange for this pick.[27]

Round five

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  1. The Philadelphia Flyers' fifth-round pick will go to the Colorado Avalanche as the result of a trade on March 6, 2024, that sent Ryan Johansen and a conditional first-round pick in 2025 to Philadelphia in exchange for Sean Walker and this pick.[28]
  2. The Pittsburgh Penguins' fifth-round pick will go to the St. Louis Blues as the result of a trade on August 13, 2024, that sent Ottawa's third-round pick in 2025 and a second-round pick in 2026 to Pittsburgh in exchange for St. Louis' second-round pick in 2025 and this pick.[29]
  3. The San Jose Sharks' fifth-round pick will go to the Minnesota Wild as the result of a trade on November 8, 2023, that sent Calen Addison to San Jose in exchange for Adam Raska and this pick.[30]

Round six

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  1. The Boston Bruins' sixth-round pick will go to the Minnesota Wild as the result of a trade on March 8, 2024, that sent Patrick Maroon to Boston in exchange for Luke Toporowski and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade).[31] The condition – Minnesota will receive a sixth-round pick in 2026 if Maroon plays in one game for the Bruins during the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs[31] – was converted on April 20, 2024.[32]
  2. The Colorado Avalanche's sixth-round pick will go to the Ottawa Senators as the result of a trade on July 15, 2024, that sent Kevin Mandolese and a seventh-round pick in 2026 to Colorado in exchange for this pick.[33]
  3. The Nashville Predators' sixth-round pick will go to the Pittsburgh Penguins as the result of a trade on August 13, 2024, that sent Jordan Frasca to Nashville for Cody Glass, Minnesota Wild's third-round pick in 2025 and this pick.[34]
  4. The Pittsburgh Penguins' sixth-round pick will go to the Columbus Blue Jackets as the result of a trade on February 22, 2024, that sent Emil Bemstrom to Pittsburgh in exchange for Alex Nylander and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade).[35] The condition – Columbus will receive a sixth-round pick in 2026 if Bemstrom scores fewer than six goals for Pittsburgh in the 2023–24 NHL season – was converted at the end of the Penguins' season on April 17, 2024.[36]
  5. The San Jose Sharks' sixth-round pick will go to the Toronto Maple Leafs as the result of a trade on October 30, 2024 that sent Timothy Liljegren to San Jose in exchange for Matt Benning, a conditional third-round pick in 2025 and this pick.[37]
  6. The Toronto Maple Leafs' sixth-round pick will go to the Carolina Hurricanes as the result of a trade on March 7, 2024, that sent Cade Webber to Toronto in exchange for this pick.[38]

Round seven

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  1. The New York Rangers' seventh-round pick will go to the Nashville Predators as the result of a trade on June 29, 2024, that sent a fourth-round pick in 2024 to New York in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2024 and this pick.[39]
  2. The Ottawa Senators' seventh-round pick will go to the Colorado Avalanche as the result of a trade on July 15, 2024, that sent a sixth-round pick in 2026 to Ottawa in exchange for Kevin Mandolese and this pick.[33]
  3. The Vancouver Canucks' seventh-round pick will go to the New York Rangers as the result of a trade on February 25, 2023, that sent Vitali Kravtsov to Vancouver in exchange for Will Lockwood and this pick.[40]

Unresolved conditional draft picks

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The following draft picks have been dealt with a condition attached that could not be resolved yet. They are listed below with round, teams, condition itself and further notes, e.g. the players or picks involved in the respective trade.

Round Team receiving pick Team granting pick Condition Further notes
1 Montreal Canadiens Calgary Flames Montreal will receive a first-round pick in 2026 if the Flames' first-round pick in 2024 is inside of the top nineteen selections and if Calgary does not acquire the Panthers' first-round pick in 2025 and the Flames have the first overall selection in 2025; Montreal will then receive the higher of Calgary or Florida's first-round picks in 2026.[41] Montreal acquired this pick in a trade on August 18, 2022, that sent future considerations to Calgary in exchange for Sean Monahan and this conditional pick.[41]
1 Philadelphia Flyers Edmonton Oilers Philadelphia will receive a first-round pick in 2026 if Edmonton's first-round pick in 2025 is inside of the top twelve selections.[42] Philadelphia acquired this pick in a trade on June 28, 2024, that sent a Florida's first-round pick in 2024 to Edmonton in exchange for this conditional pick.[42]
1 Calgary Flames Florida Panthers Calgary will receive a first-round pick in 2026 if Florida's first-round pick in 2025 is inside of the top ten selections.[43] Calgary acquired this pick in a trade on July 22, 2022, that sent Matthew Tkachuk and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2025 to Florida in exchange for Jonathan Huberdeau, Cole Schwindt, MacKenzie Weegar and this conditional pick.[43]
1 Columbus Blue Jackets Minnesota Wild Columbus will receive a first-round pick in 2026 if Minnesota's first-round pick in 2025 is inside the top five selections.[15] Columbus acquired this pick as the result of a trade on November 30, 2024, that sent David Jiricek and a fifth-round pick in 2025 to Minnesota in exchange for a third and fourth-round pick in 2026, a second-round pick in 2027 and this conditional pick.[15]
1 Calgary Flames New Jersey Devils Calgary will receive a first-round pick in 2026 if New Jersey's first-round pick in 2025 is inside of the top ten selections.[44] Calgary acquired this pick in a trade on June 19, 2024, that sent Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey in exchange for Kevin Bahl and this conditional pick.[44]
1 N/A Ottawa Senators Ottawa will forfeit one first-round pick in either 2025 or 2026, at their own choice.[45] Ottawa was forced to forfeit this pick as a result of a league penalty sanction relating to the trade of Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights, and Dadonov's subsequent voided trade to the Anaheim Ducks.[45]
1 Nashville Predators Tampa Bay Lightning Nashville will receive a first-round pick in 2026 if Tampa Bay's first-round pick in 2025 is inside of the top ten selections.[46] Nashville acquired this pick in a trade on February 26, 2023, that sent Tanner Jeannot to Tampa Bay in exchange for a second-round pick in 2024, a third, fourth and fifth-round pick all in 2023 and this conditional pick.[46]
4 Florida Panthers Calgary Flames Florida will receive a fourth-round pick in 2026 if Calgary receives Florida's first-round pick in 2026.[43] Florida acquired this pick in a trade on July 22, 2022, that sent Jonathan Huberdeau, Cole Schwindt, MacKenzie Weegar and a conditional first-round pick in 2025 to Calgary in exchange for Matthew Tkachuk and this conditional pick.[43]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ As per their April 2024 agreement, all draft rights held by the Arizona Coyotes were transferred to the Utah Hockey Club.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Hockey Operations Guidelines – NHL.com – NHL Headquarters". NHL.com. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  2. ^ "Flames Acquire Miromanov, First And Third Round Picks". March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  3. ^ "Hertl traded to Golden Knights by Sharks for Edstrom, 1st-round pick". nhl.com. March 8, 2024.
  4. ^ "Avalanche Acquire Blackwood, Smith From San Jose". Colorado Avalanche. December 9, 2024. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  5. ^ "CBJ acquire defenseman Jordan Harris from Montreal in exchange for Patrik Laine and a second-round pick". Columbus Blue Jackets. August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  6. ^ "Bailey traded to Blackhawks by Islanders for future considerations". nhl.com. June 29, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Rangers trade Nemeth, picks to Coyotes". July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  8. ^ "NHL BOG approves establishment of new franchise in Utah". NHL.com. April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  9. ^ "Tarasenko traded to Rangers by Blues". nhl.com. February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  10. ^ "Rangers clinch playoff berth with losses by Panthers, Sabres". March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  11. ^ "Chychrun traded to Senators by Coyotes". nhl.com. March 1, 2023.
  12. ^ "Penguins Acquire Two Draft Picks From the St. Louis Blues". August 13, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  13. ^ "Hawks trade Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty to Maple Leafs". February 27, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  14. ^ "Gostisbehere traded to Hurricanes by Coyotes". nhl.com. March 1, 2023.
  15. ^ a b c d "Minnesota Wild acquires defensemen David Jiricek from Columbus". Minnesota Wild. November 30, 2024. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  16. ^ "Avalanche add more forward depth by acquiring Duhaime from Wild". sportsnet.ca. March 7, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Garrioch, Bruce (March 6, 2024). "Senators send scoring winger Vladimir Tarasenko to Florida Panthers". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  18. ^ Rosen, Dan (June 24, 2024). "Panthers recover, defeat Oilers in Game 7 of Stanley Cup Final for 1st title". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L. P. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  19. ^ "Karlsson goes to Penguins in three-team trade with Sharks, Canadiens". nhl.com. August 6, 2023.
  20. ^ "Zadorov traded to Canucks by Flames". nhl.com. November 30, 2023.
  21. ^ "Dumoulin traded to Ducks by Kraken for 4th-round pick in 2026 NHL Draft". nhl.com. July 2, 2024.
  22. ^ "Stars acquire Tanev from Flames in 3-team trade". nhl.com. February 28, 2024.
  23. ^ a b "Roslovic traded to Rangers from Blue Jackets for conditional pick". nhl.com. March 8, 2024.
  24. ^ "Zaitsev traded to Blackhawks by Senators". nhl.com. February 22, 2023.
  25. ^ "Leafs acquire C Dewar from Wild". tsn.ca. March 8, 2024.
  26. ^ "Mantha traded to Golden Knights by Capitals for 2 draft picks". nhl.com. March 5, 2024.
  27. ^ "Jets make another deal with Devils, acquiring defenceman Colin Miller". sportsnet.ca. March 8, 2024.
  28. ^ "Walker traded to Avalanche from Flyers for Johansen". nhl.com. March 6, 2024.
  29. ^ "Penguins Acquire Two Draft Picks From the St. Louis Blues". August 13, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  30. ^ "Addison traded to Sharks by Wild for Raska, draft pick". nhl.com. November 8, 2023.
  31. ^ a b "Maroon traded to Bruins by Wild for Toporowski, conditional draft pick". nhl.com. March 8, 2024.
  32. ^ "Playing Roster". April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  33. ^ a b "Senators trade goalie Kevin Mandolese to Avalanche". sportsnet.ca. July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  34. ^ "Glass traded to Penguins by Predators". nhl.com. August 13, 2024.
  35. ^ "Bemstrom traded to Penguins by Blue Jackets". nhl.com. February 22, 2024.
  36. ^ "Emil Bemström Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Salary, Title". Hockey Reference. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  37. ^ "Maple Leafs Complete Trade With San Jose Sharks". Toronto Maple Leafs. October 30, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  38. ^ "Maple Leafs acquire defenceman Cade Webber from Hurricanes for sixth-round pick". sportsnet.ca. March 7, 2024.
  39. ^ "Rangers, Predators exchange picks in fourth round of NHL Draft". June 29, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  40. ^ "Kravtsov traded to Canucks by Rangers". nhl.com. February 25, 2023.
  41. ^ a b "Canadiens acquire Sean Monahan from Flames". August 18, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  42. ^ a b "Oilers trade up to No. 32, select forward Sam O'Reilly". Sportsnet.ca. June 28, 2024.
  43. ^ a b c d "Florida Panthers Acquire Forward Matthew Tkachuk". July 22, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  44. ^ a b "Devils Acquire Jacob Markstrom from Calgary". New Jersey Devils. June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  45. ^ a b "Senators to forfeit first-round pick as fallout from Dadonov trade". November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  46. ^ a b "Lightning acquiring Jeannot from Predators for Foote, five picks". June 6, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
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