NHL Draft Lottery set for May 5

Field Level Media|published: Sat 18th April, 14:17 2026

Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Matthew Schaefer (left) with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected as the first overall pick to the New York Islanders in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery will be held May 5 at NHL Network's studio in Secaucus, N.J.

The league said Saturday that the lottery will be broadcast live on ESPN, Sportsnet and TVA Sports. The time has yet to be announced.

The lottery will begin with the determination of the No. 1 pick, followed by revealing the No. 2 selection. Lottery teams are defined as the 16 clubs that did not earn a berth in the upcoming Stanley Cup playoffs. For a team that traded its first-round pick, the receiving team will get the lottery spot -- even if that team is in the playoffs.

The teams with the best odds to win the lottery are:

1. Vancouver Canucks, 18.5%

2. Chicago Blackhawks, 13.5%

3. New York Rangers, 11.5%

4. Calgary Flames, 9.5%

5. Toronto Maple Leafs (conditional trade to Boston Bruins), 8.5%

6. Seattle Kraken, 7.5%

7. Winnipeg Jets, 6.5%

8. Florida Panthers, 6.0%

9. San Jose Sharks, 5.0%

10. Nashville Predators, 3.5%

11. St. Louis Blues, 3.0%

12. New Jersey Devils, 2.5%

13. New York Islanders, 2.0%

14. Columbus Blue Jackets, 1.5%

15. St. Louis Blues (from Detroit Red Wings), 0.5%

16. Washington Capitals, 0.5%

Under league rules that prevent a team from moving up more than 10 places in the draft, only the first 11 teams listed are in the running for the No. 1 pick.

The New York Islanders won the lottery in 2025, moving up from No. 10. They had just a 3.5% chance of winning. The Islanders selected Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman with Erie of the Ontario Hockey League.

The 2026 draft will begin June 26 at 7 p.m. ET with Round 1. Rounds 2 through 7 follow on Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. ET.

Expected to be in contention for the No. 1 overall pick are Penn State left wing Gavin McKenna and left wing Ivar Stenberg from Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League.

Under the terms of a March 7, 2025, trade between the Maple Leafs and Bruins, Toronto will keep the pick if it falls in the top 5. Toronto then would send either its 2027 or 2028 first-round pick to Boston.

--Field Level Media