The 2026 NHL Draft is hours away and the first round looks nothing like it did a week ago. The Seattle Kraken and Dallas Stars almost pulled off a Jason Robertson trade Thursday night before it collapsed. That kind of chaos might not be over yet.
For now, things are quiet. But quiet never lasts around the draft table. Here is the final mock from ClutchPoints, with all 32 picks locked in.
Top of the Board
The Toronto Maple Leafs are on the clock first and there is no mystery here. Gavin McKenna has been the consensus No. 1 in every mock we have done. Anyone else would be a genuine shock. McKenna is a left wing out of Penn State with elite scoring instincts and the kind of vision that makes linemates better. The Leafs are not overthinking this.
San Jose holds the second pick and the Sharks have options. They already traded for the ninth overall pick from Ottawa, so they can afford to take the best player available. That is Ivar Stenberg, a Swedish left wing from Frolunda with high-end skill who slides in alongside Macklin Celebrini nicely.
Vancouver picks third and the rumor mill says they might not take Caleb Malhotra. But his father coaches the team and he is the best center in the class. That connection is hard to ignore even if the whispers are loud.
Big Moves in the Middle
Buffalo traded Bowen Byram to Chicago for the fourth pick and that deal reshuffled everything. Chase Reid becomes the first defenseman off the board. He is a smooth skating lefty from the Soo Greyhounds who fits what Buffalo is building on the back end.
The Rangers pick fifth and grab Keaton Verhoeff out of North Dakota. He is the best defenseman in the draft according to most scouts and gives New York a potential No. 1 minute eater for the next decade. The Rangers wanted a forward but the value was on defense.
Calgary goes off script at six. They took a defenseman in earlier mocks but pivot to Viggo Bjorck, a Swedish forward who plays center or wing. His ceiling is as high as anyone in the class and the Flames need talent up front badly.
Seattle has never drafted a defenseman in the first round. That changes at seven with Alberts Smits out of Red Bull Munich. He starred for Latvia at the World Juniors and Olympics and played huge minutes in the DEL playoffs. The Kraken are finally addressing a real need.
Late Round Value Picks
St. Louis has four first round picks and will probably trade at least one of them. In this mock they take Oliver Suvanto at 11, Wyatt Cullen at 15, Malte Gustafsson at 16 and Ryder Cali at 29. Suvanto is a two way center who held his own against men in Finland. Cullen is a USNTDP forward with dynamic puck skills who some teams reportedly love earlier than this.
Philadelphia takes William Hakansson at 21, a pure shutdown defenseman who does not care about scoring. He just eliminates opponents. The Flyers have enough offensive blueliners so adding a physical presence on the left side makes sense.
Pittsburgh grabs Jack Hextall at 22. The Penguins will eventually need to replace Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Hextall is a center with a relentless motor and rising stock. He might never be elite but he makes everyone around him better.
Boston drafts Tommy Bleyl at 23. The Moncton defenseman scored 81 points as a QMJHL rookie and plays with poise. He needs to get stronger but the offensive upside is real.
San Jose picks again at 27 and takes Maksim Sokolovskii, a six foot eight defenseman from London who is here to punish people. After taking a more offensive defender earlier the Sharks balance the board with a giant who controls the front of the net.
Closing It Out
Ottawa holds the last pick at 32 and cannot trade it per NHL rules. They take Adam Valentini out of Michigan. He is a skilled center with infectious energy and quick feet who needs to add strength. The Senators add another pivot to a pipeline that could use depth.
The draft starts Friday and the trades are probably not done. But for now this is how the first round shakes out.
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