Maple Leafs Select McKenna with First Overall Pick
Picking first overall for the third time in franchise history—and for the first time since 2016—the Toronto Maple Leafs selected left winger Gavin McKenna of Penn State University as the top pick of the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft. Global superstar Justin Bieber, a dedicated Maple Leafs fan and close friend of captain Auston Matthews, was in attendance to announce McKenna’s selection in Buffalo. This location holds particular significance, as it is the same arena where Matthews was selected a decade ago when Toronto last held the first overall pick.
McKenna makes history as the first player from Penn State to be taken first overall and only the fifth NCAA player to achieve this feat, with three of those occurring in the last six years. He enters the league following a stellar collegiate campaign where he ranked fifth in NCAA scoring with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 35 games, and became the first Nittany Lion to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Hailing from Whitehorse, Yukon, McKenna is now the highest-selected player from Canada’s Yukon Territory; Dylan Cozens (No. 7 in 2019) is the only other player from the region to be selected in the first round.
A member of the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation, McKenna is the first known Indigenous player to be selected first overall in nearly 50 years. His selection marks the third consecutive NHL Draft to feature an Indigenous player in the first round. McKenna further honored his heritage by wearing a custom draft suit that paid homage to his roots.
Stenberg Leads Historic Swedish Surge
Ivar Stenberg (Stockholm, Sweden) was selected second overall by the San Jose Sharks, marking a milestone night for Swedish hockey. Stenberg becomes the seventh Swedish-born player to be taken in the top two picks, following Pacific Division rival Leo Carlsson (No. 2 in 2023 by ANA).
Stenberg recorded 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) with Frolunda in 2025-26, one of the five best SHL seasons ever by a player aged 18 or younger. He joins his brother, Otto Stenberg (No. 25 in 2023 by STL), as a first-round selection. They are the fourth pair of Swedish brothers to both be taken in the first round, joining the Sedins, the Nylander brothers, and the Eklunds. Notably, the Nylander brothers were born in Canada but represent Sweden internationally.
A record seven Swedish-born players were selected in the first round on Friday, the most in league history. Following Stenberg, the Swedish contingent included Viggo Bjorck (No. 8 by WPG), Alexander Command (No. 12 by NJD), Painted Gustafsson (No. 13 by NYI), Elton Hermansson (No. 19 by LAK), Jonas Lagerberg Hoen (No. 25 by OTT), and Marcus Nordmark (No. 28 by ANA).
This also marks only the second time four Swedish-born players were selected among the top 15 picks, a feat previously achieved in 2011 with Gabriel Landforest, Adam Larsson, Mika Zibanejad, and Jonas Brody.
Round 1 Breakdown
* By Position: 10 defensemen, 8 left wings, 8 centers, and 6 right wings.
* By League: OHL (7), WHL (5), NCAA (5), Sweden (3), Sweden-JR (3), QMJHL (2), USHL (2), Finland (2), Germany (1), Russia-JR (1), and Sweden-2 (1).
* By Birth Country: Canada (10), Sweden (7), United States (7), Finland (3), Kazakhstan (2), Czechia (1), Latvia (1), and Russia (1).
The New York Rangers were active on multiple fronts, selecting Alberts Smits (Valmiera, Latvia) at No. 5, making him the highest-selected Latvian player in history over Zemgus Girgensens (No. 14 in 2012). The Rangers also acquired Pavel Dorofeyev from the Vegas Golden Knights; Dorofeyev was a standout in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 12 goals. Smits’ selection follows a remarkable year in which he represented Latvia at the World Junior Championship, the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games, and the World Championship.
For the first time in 25 years, Kazakhstan-born players were selected in the first round. Gleb Pugachyov (No. 26 by MTL) and Maxim Sokolovskii (No. 27 by PHI) made history as the first pair of Kazakhstan-born players to be taken in the same first round. They join a small group of only five Kazakhstan-born players ever selected in the opening round, including Alexander Perezhogin, Pavel Vorobiev, and Nik Antropov.
A total of 15 players born outside North America were selected, tying 1999 and 2018 for the third-highest total in first-round history.
The San Jose Sharks led all teams with three first-round selections, taking Ivar Stenberg (No. 2) and Keaton Verhoeff (No. 9), and trading up for Ryan Lin (No. 21). This is the first time the franchise has held three first-round picks and the second time they have secured two top-10 selections. San Jose is also the first team in over a decade to make a top-two selection in three consecutive drafts.
Seven U.S.-born players were selected, led by Chase Reid (Pontiac, Mich.) at No. 7 by the Seattle Kraken. Among them was Jaxon Cover (No. 32 by OTT), whose path to the NHL was unconventional. Born in Florida but raised in the Cayman Islands, Cover began on roller skates and didn’t attend his first ice hockey tryout until age 13, only beginning competitive play at 14.
Get To Know: Jaxon Cover
The NCAA continued its strong presence with five first-round picks, tying a record for the third-most in an opening round. Additionally, for the third consecutive year, at least four of the top six picks were Canadian-born.
Defensemen were a priority this year, with 10 selected overall. Notably, four blueliners were taken in succession (Nos. 4-7), the first such run in the top 10 since 2012. Half of the top 10 picks were defensemen, echoing a trend seen in 2012 when a record eight of the top 10 were blueliners.
Family legacy was also a theme, with four players selected whose fathers played in the NHL: Caleb Malhotra (No. 3 by Vancouver), Wyatt Cullen (No. 10 by Nashville), Maddox Dagenais (No. 16 by St. Louis), and Marcus Nordmark (No. 28 by Anaheim).
Other highlights included Bill Guerin becoming the first Minnesota Wild GM to win the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award. The night also featured emotional moments, including jerseys being distributed by Blackstone Valley high school and country star Luke Bryan announcing the selection of Wyatt Cullen. Additionally, Spencer Moore, a Canucks for Kids Fund beneficiary, announced the selection of Adam Novotny (No. 24).
Trade Activity on Draft Day
The draft saw significant trade activity, with 13 trades occurring on Friday—nine announced from the floor. This represents the highest volume of Day 1 trades since 2008. The major floor deals included:
* The Bruins acquired JJ Peterka from the Mammoth for 2026 (No. 23) and 2028 first-round picks.
* The Rangers acquired Pavel Dorofeyev from the Golden Knights for the 2026 (No. 26) and 2028 (conditional) first-round picks, plus a 2026 third-round pick (No. 92).
* The Blues acquired Mason McTavish from the Ducks for two 2026 first-round picks (Nos. 15 & 29).
* The Mammoth acquired a 2026 first-round pick (No. 17) from the Kings for a 2026 first-round pick (No. 19) and a third-round pick (No. 83).
* The Sharks acquired a 2026 first-round pick (No. 21) from the Flyers for a 2026 first-round pick (No. 27), a second-round pick (No. 62), and a fourth-round pick (No. 120).
* The Mammoth acquired goaltender Sebastian Cossa from the Red Wings for a 2026 first-round pick (No. 23).
* The Canadiens acquired a 2026 first-round pick (No. 26) from the Golden Knights for a 2026 first-round pick (No. 28) and a 2027 third-round pick.
* The Ducks acquired a 2026 first-round pick (No. 28) from the Golden Knights for a 2026 first-round pick (No. 29) and a fourth-round pick (No. 117).
* The Predators acquired a 2026 first-round pick (No. 31) from the Hurricanes for two 2026 second-round picks (Nos. 42 & 57).
