- The 2026 NHL Draft opens Friday at 7 p.m. ET from KeyBank Center in Buffalo
- Toronto picks first for the first time since taking Auston Matthews in 2016, with Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg in play
- Read below for the full first-round picture, including a loaded class of defensemen
The wait is almost over for Toronto.
Round 1 of the 2026 NHL Draft kicks off Friday night at 7 p.m. ET from KeyBank Center in Buffalo, and the Maple Leafs are on the clock first. The McKenna-or-Stenberg debate ends tonight. It is the third time the franchise has held the No. 1 pick and the first since they grabbed Auston Matthews in 2016, also in Buffalo.
Toronto’s decision comes down to two left wings. Gavin McKenna, the playmaking star out of Penn State, has been the projected top pick for most of the year. Ivar Stenberg, who lit up the Swedish Hockey League with Frolunda, is the other name on the table.
McKenna rewrote the record book in his lone college season. Watch what he did to Ohio State:
Stenberg brings a different look, more of a power game built on a heavy shot. Scouts have split on the two all spring, and Toronto has kept its plans quiet right up to draft day.
The bigger intrigue might come after Toronto picks. The San Jose Sharks own the No. 2 selection, and a deep group of defensemen should come off the board fast once the two forwards are gone.
NHL.com tabs Chase Reid of Sault Ste. Marie and Carson Carels of Prince George as potential future No. 1 defensemen, with Keaton Verhoeff, Daxon Rudolph and Alberts Smits close behind them.
ESPN, Sportsnet and TVA Sports carry Round 1, and Toronto’s pick should land within minutes of the opening.
