Maple Leafs win draft lottery; Sharks to draft 2nd — The Fourth Period

The Toronto Maple Leafs will select first-overall in the 2026 NHL Draft after willing the Draft Lottery on Tuesday.

The San Jose Sharks won the second lottery and will draft second-overall, while the Vancouver Canucks, who had the best odds of drafting first, have the No. 3 selection.

This marks the third time in franchise history the Leafs will select first in the draft after having the fifth-best chance to do so at 8.5 percent.

Toronto picked Auston Matthews first in the 2016 NHL Draft and fan favourite Wendel Clark in the 1985 NHL Draft.

“Well, you need some luck and we got it tonight,” Maple Leafs GM John Chayka said of the results. “Long road ahead… but when you get a first-overall pick, it’s a monumental opportunity.”

Highly-touted prospect Gavin McKenna is projected to go first-overall in next month’s Draft, though the pick is not unanimous as Swedish left wing Ivar Stenberg is also held in high regard.

Of McKenna, Chayka called him an “exciting player, I’ve tracked him for a number of years now.”

The NHL Draft takes place June 26-27 in Buffalo.

Full Draft Order, to date:

1. Toronto Maple Leafs

2. San Jose Sharks

3. Vancouver Canucks

4. Chicago Blackhawks

5. New York Rangers

6. Calgary Flames

7. Seattle Kraken

8. Winnipeg Jets

9. Florida Panthers

10. Nashville Predators

11. St. Louis Blues

12. New Jersey Devils

13. New York Islanders

14. Columbus Blue Jackets

15. St. Louis Blues (via Detroit Red Wings)

16. Washington Capitals