The NHL Draft Lottery will be broadcast live for the second consecutive year on Tuesday as teams vie for top prospects like Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg.
The 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft Lottery will take place on live television from NHL Network’s studio in Secaucus, New Jersey, at 7 p.m. ET. Fans will watch as the four-number combinations are drawn in real time, making the process more transparent and dramatic than ever before.
The draft itself is set for June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The top prospects include Penn State’s Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg of Frolunda, who are ranked No. 1 in North American and international skaters respectively by NHL Central Scouting.
McKenna, a freshman at Penn State, finished tied for fifth in the NCAA with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 35 games. He led the nation with 1.46 points per game. If selected first, he would become the first Nittany Lion men’s ice hockey player ever taken in the first round.
Stenberg, a 18-year-old left wing with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League, posted 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 43 games. He set a modern-era record for an 18-year-old in the SHL with that total, surpassing even the Sedin brothers in points per season.
The Vancouver Canucks, who finished 32nd in the league, hold the most lottery combinations with 185. The Chicago Blackhawks have 135, and the New York Rangers have 115. The top 11 teams in the lottery can move up a maximum of 10 spots, while the bottom five cannot.
Steve Mayer, NHL president of content and events, praised the new format: “We learned a lot from last year, and this evolution makes the experience even more transparent and dramatic. As we get down to the final ball, every team still in the mix will know exactly what needs to be drawn, and when it happens, it’s one of the most exciting moments of the entire year.”
Last year’s draft saw the New York Islanders win the No. 1 pick and select Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman who is projected to be a cornerstone for the team. The San Jose Sharks dropped to second, the Blackhawks picked third, and the Utah Hockey Club moved up from 14th to fourth after winning the second draw.
The 2026 lottery will follow the same two-draw format. The first draw determines the No. 1 pick, and the second determines the rest of the order. If the same team wins both draws, a redraw is conducted.
The next step is Tuesday’s live lottery broadcast. Fans across North America will watch as the NHL’s future is decided in real time.
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