The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery is nearly upon us. Here's everything you need to know.
When: Tuesday, May 5 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Secaucus, N.J.
How to watch 📺
| Country | Channel |
|---|---|
| U.S. 🇺🇸 | ESPN |
| Canada 🇨🇦 | Sportsnet/TVA Sports |
How it works 🤔
The NHL is running it back after last year's first-ever live draft lottery. Commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly will be on hand to physically drop 14 numbered ping-pong balls into the lottery machine. Top executives from each team involved in the process will join the broadcast remotely.
Four balls are then drawn in 30-second increments to create one four-digit code out of 1,001 possible permutations (the Vancouver Canucks, with the best odds, have 185 combinations assigned to them, representing an 18.5% likelihood they will win the lottery). A team can move up only 10 spots, meaning only the teams with the 11 best odds can secure the top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. That also means the Canucks actually have a 25.5% chance of landing the first overall pick. The audience gets to follow along with live odds being updated as each ball is drawn.
The process is then repeated to decide a second team that can move up to 10 spots. The rest of the board is then filled out by reverse order of the regular-season standings.
2026 NHL Draft Lottery odds 🎰
Top prospects 💫
Hockey fans have been hearing about Gavin McKenna for years, but the 18-year-old Canadian isn't a slam dunk to have his name called first. Let's take a look at the phenom and two others who may get the honor of going No. 1.
Gavin McKenna 🇨🇦, F, Penn State
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 170 lbs
McKenna tops NHL Central Scouting's list of North American skaters, and he was recently added to Team Canada's IIHF World Championship roster. The teenage phenom seems destined for stardom, leading the Nittany Lions with 51 points as a freshman. That being said, the winger's performance wasn't decisive enough to earn him Hobey Baker consideration, and he's seen as a polarizing prospect with dynamic playmaking ability but a lacking defensive game.
Ivar Stenberg 🇸🇪, F, Frolunda
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 183 lbs
Stenberg sits atop the international skater rankings. He racked up 33 points for Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League, the most by an 18-year-old since both Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin had 42 and 34, respectively, in 1998-99. The winger is seen as a gifted playmaker with a robust two-way game. He played an instrumental role in Sweden's gold-medal performance in the world juniors with four goals and six assists in seven games.
Keaton Verhoeff 🇨🇦, D, North Dakota
Height: 6-foot-3 1/2
Weight: 208 lbs
Verhoeff is a big, right-shot defenseman with great skating ability and range. Despite being ranked as the fourth-best North American skater (and third D-man), according to NHL Central Scouting, some team will fall over itself on the way to the podium to call Verhoeff's name. As a freshman with North Dakota, the Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, native scored six goals and added 14 assists in 36 games.
