NHL Draft 2026 outcomes, takeaways, full listing of Spherical 1 picks: Maple Leafs swing large, Sharks loading up

The Toronto Maple Leafs have chosen Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 total decide within the 2026 NHL Draft. One of the dynamic playmakers on this draft class, McKenna ought to give the Maple Leafs an offensive increase instantly.

McKenna simply wrapped up his freshman season at Penn State, and the transition from junior Hockey to the collegiate stage wasn’t a clean one initially. Nevertheless, after a sluggish begin, McKenna discovered his groove and completed the season with 15 targets and 36 assists 35 video games. His 51 factors ranked third within the Massive Ten, and McKenna led the Nittany Lions to the NCAA Match, the place they misplaced to Minnesota-Duluth within the first spherical.

Previous to his profession at Penn State, McKenna posted gaudy numbers with the Medication Hat Tigers within the WHL. In 2024-25, McKenna tallied 41 targets and 88 factors in 56 video games whereas serving to the Tigers seize a WHL title. McKenna and Medication Hat fell simply shy of a Memorial Cup title, shedding to the London Knights within the championship sport.

It is perhaps a bit a lot to ask McKenna to experience shotgun alongside Auston Matthews proper out of the gate, however he has the talent to make an instantaneous impression. Can McKenna land among the many finest No. 1 picks of this century? If he can, that might be an enormous increase to a Toronto offense that completed in the midst of the league final yr.

Halfway via the primary spherical, the St. Louis Blues flipped two of their first-round picks (No. 15 and No. 29) for Mason McTavish in a commerce with the Anaheim Geese. McTavish, the No. 3 decide within the 2021 draft, underwhelmed final season. Armed with 4 first-round alternatives on this draft, the Blues are making a low-risk guess on a bounce-back.

Listed here are the first-round outcomes, in addition to some big-picture takeaways from the evening:

Full first-round outcomes

1. Toronto Maple Leafs — Gavin McKenna (LW, Penn Sate, NCAA)
2. San Jose Sharks — Ivar Stenberg (RW, Frölunda, SweHL)
3. Vancouver Canucks — Caleb Malholtra (C, Brantford, OHL)
4. Buffalo Sabres — Daxon Rudolph (D, Prince Albert, WHL)
5. New York Rangers — Alberts Šmits (D, Jukurit, Liiga)
6. Calgary Flames — Carson Carels (D, Prince George, WHL)
7. Seattle Kraken — Chase Reid (D, Sault Ste. Marie, OHL)
8. Winnipeg Jets — Viggo Björck (C, Djurgården, SweHL)
9. San Jose Sharks — Keaton Verhoeff (D, North Dakota, NCAA)
10. Nashville Predators — Wyatt Cullen (RW, U.S. NDTP, USHL)
11. St. Louis Blues — Tynan Lawrence (C, Boston College, NCAA)
12. New Jersey Devils — Alexander Command (C, Örebero HK, SweHL)
13. New York Islanders — Malte Gustafsson (D, HV71, SweHL)
14. Columbus Blue Jackets — Oscar Hemming (LW, Boston School, NCAA)
15. Anaheim Geese — Nikita Klepov (RW, Saginaw, OHL)
16. St. Louis Blues — Maddox Dagenais (C, Quebec, QMJHL)
17. Utah Mammoth — Ethan Belchetz (LW, Windsor, OHL)
18. Washington Capitals — Oliver Suvanto (C, Tappara, Finland)
19. Los Angeles Kings — Elton Hermansson (RW, MoDo, Sweden)
20. Buffalo Sabres — Ilia Morozov (C, Miami, NCAA)
21. San Jose Sharks — Ryan Lin (D, Vancouver, WHL)
22. Pittsburgh Penguins — Liam Ruck (RW, Medication Hat, WHL)
23. Detroit Crimson Wings — JP Hurlbert (LW, Kamloops, WHL)
24. Vancouver Canucks — Adam Novotný (LW, Peterborough, OHL)
25. Ottawa Senators — Jonas Lagerber Hoen (RW, Leksands, Sweden)
26. Montreal Canadiens — Gleb Pugachyov (RW, Nizhny Novgorod Jr., MHL)
27. Philadelphia Flyers — Maksim Sokolovskii (D, London, OHL)
28. Anaheim Geese — Marcus Nordmark (LW, Djurgården Jr., Sweden)
29. Vegas Golden Knights — Juho Piiparinen (D, Tappara, Liiga)
30. Calgary Flames — Jack Hextall (C, Youngstown, USHL)
31. Nashville Predators — Tommy Bleyl (D, Moncton, QMJHL)
32. Ottawa Senators — Jaxon Cowl (LW, London, OHL)

Chase Reid falls to Kraken

All through the pre-draft course of, Reid was thought-about among the many high two or three prospects within the 2026 class. Between his measurement and offensive skillset, Reid has every part an NHL group might need in a contemporary defenseman. In 38 video games with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds final season, Reid notched 18 targets and 30 assists from the blue line.

Regardless of all that, Reid slipped to No. 7 total on draft evening. Maybe much more surprising than the slide was the truth that Reid was the fourth defenseman off the board. There wasn’t essentially a consensus high defender within the draft, however it might be practically unimaginable to search out anybody who had Reid exterior the highest three on the place. After pending restricted free agent Jason Robertson reportedly turned down their $120 million contract supply, the Seattle Kraken wanted some excellent news, they usually received it when Reid fell into their lap on Friday evening.

Sharks maintain loading up

After buying the No. 9 total decide within the William Eklund commerce, the Sharks entered the evening with two top-10 alternatives. San Jose shopped the No. 9 decide in hopes of including a participant who might assist the group instantly, however nothing got here to fruition, and that will have been a blessing in disguise.

After taking one other dynamic offensive playmaker in Ivar Stenberg at No. 2 total, the Sharks chosen defenseman Keaton Verhoeff with the ninth decide. An infinite presence on the blue line, Verhoeff provides San Jose one other blue-chip prospect on protection alongside Sam Dickinson. The Sharks would in all probability like to search out fast assistance on protection earlier than the 2026-27 season, however Verhoeff will be capable to develop with different younger stars like Macklin Celebrini, Willi Smith, Michael Misa and Stenberg.

Then, the evening solely received higher for San Jose because it used the No. 27 total decide to leap as much as No. 21 and seize defenseman Ryan Lin. Relying upon the place you seemed earlier than the draft, Lin was thought-about a top-15 decide amongst some trade professionals. The Sharks prospect pool was already as deep because the Mariana Trench, but it surely’s even deeper now, they usually have the brightest way forward for any group within the NHL. It will not be lengthy earlier than San Jose is a perennial Cup contender.

Blues guess on McTavish

The Blues entered the primary spherical with 4 alternatives, and it might have been surprising in the event that they did not commerce a minimum of one in every of them. After reportedly putting out on a deal for Jason Robertson that included three of these picks, St. Louis used two of them so as to add Mason McTavish from the Geese. The Blues wanted some heart assist, they usually had picks to burn, in order that deal made numerous sense for them.

McTavish was as soon as thought-about a high prospect within the Geese group after the group chosen him at No. 3 total in 2021. Nevertheless, he is fallen behind different younger stars who had been drafted after him, and McTavish will now get a recent begin in St. Louis. McTavish has flashed offensive upside with a 20-goal and 52-point marketing campaign in 2024-25. The problem is that offense fell off final yr, and his protection failed to enhance. With McTavish on the ice at five-on-five, Anaheim allowed 3.17 xGA/60, which was twenty fifth on the group, per Natural Stat Trick. If Jim Montgomery can get McTavish to play even common protection, this commerce may have been worthwhile for the Blues.