NHL Draft 2026 picks, order, results and tracker: Maple Leafs take Gavin McKenna at No.
The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. One of the most dynamic players in this draft, McKenna should give the Maple Leafs an immediate offensive boost.
McKenna just finished his freshman season at Penn State, and the transition from junior hockey to the collegiate level was not a smooth one at first. However, after a slow start, McKenna found his groove and finished the season with 15 goals and 36 assists in 35 games. His 51 points ranked third in the Big Ten, and McKenna led the Nittany Lions to the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Minnesota-Duluth in the first round.
Prior to his career at Penn State, McKenna posted gaudy numbers with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL. In 2024-25, McKenna tallied 41 goals and 88 points in 56 games while helping the Tigers capture the WHL title. McKenna and Medicine Hat fell just shy of winning the Memorial Cup title, losing to the London Knights in the championship game.
It may be tough to ask McKenna to ride the gun next to Auston Matthews out of the gate, but he has the ability to make an immediate impact. Did McKenna country among the top choices for No. 1 of this century? If he can, that would be a big boost for a Toronto offense that finished in the middle of the league last year.
With the No. 2 overall pick, the San Jose Sharks took Swedish midfielder Ivar Stenberg, pushing McKenna to be the first pick in the draft. San Jose adds yet another quality offensive weapon to its arsenal with Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith already in place. Stenberg will help replace William Eklund, who was recently traded to the Ottawa Senators.
After trading defenseman Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks for the No. 4 overall pick, the hometown Buffalo Sabers traded Byram for Daxon Rudolph, one of the best defensemen playing in this class. Those measures will be analyzed for years to come.
Stay tuned to CBS Sports as the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft continues. We’ll have full results and analysis once the opening round is complete.
Round 1
1. Toronto Maple Leafs — Gavin McKenna (LW, Penn State, NCAA)
2. San Jose Sharks — Ivar Stenberg (RW, Frölunda, SweHL)
3. Vancouver Canucks — Caleb Malholtra (C, Brantford, OHL)
4. Buffalo Sabers — Daxon Rudolph (D, Prince Albert, WHL)
5. New York Rangers — Alberts Šmits (D, Jukurit, Liiga)
6. Calgary Flames — Carson Cares (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, US NDTP, USHL)
11. St. Louis Blues — Tynan Lawrence (C, Boston University, NCAA)
12. New Jersey Devils — Alexander Command (C, Örebero HK, SweHL)
13. People of New York Island
14. Columbus Blue Jackets
15. St. Louis Blues (via Detroit)
16. St. Louis Blues (via Washington)
17. Los Angeles Kings
18. Washington Capitals (via Anaheim)
19. Utah Mammoth
20. Buffalo Sabers (via Edmonton, San Jose)
21. Philadelphia Flyers
22. Pittsburgh Penguins
23. Utah Mammoth (via Boston)
24. Vancouver Canucks (via Minnesota)
25. Ottawa Senators (via Tampa Bay, Seattle, Florida)
26. Vegas Golden Knights (via Dallas, Carolina, New York Rangers)
27. San Jose Sharks (via Buffalo)
28. Montreal Canadiens
29. St. Louis Blues (via Colorado, New York Islanders)
30. Calgary Flames (via Vegas)
31. Carolina Hurricanes
32. Ottawa Senators
