The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to open the 2026 NHL Draft with the number one overall pick on Friday, June 26, at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
Toronto secured the top selection after winning the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery despite entering the draw with just an 8.5 percent chance, according to NHL.
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This marks the third time in franchise history that the Maple Leafs hold the first overall pick, following their 2016 selection of center Auston Matthews at the same venue.
Top Prospects Emerge
Left wings Gavin McKenna from Penn State University and Ivar Stenberg from Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League have emerged as the leading candidates for Toronto.
General manager John Chayka and senior executive adviser of hockey operations Mats Sundin, both appointed in May, are overseeing the final selection process.
"It's not every day you get a chance to make the first overall selection and to do it in a market like Toronto, with obviously the tradition and the history and the expectation of excellence, I think makes it really unique," said Chayka.
The management team conducted extensive scouting on both top prospects, including visits to McKenna's family in Yukon and multi-year evaluations of Stenberg in Sweden.
McKenna recorded 51 points in 35 games as a college freshman, while Stenberg registered 33 points in 43 games in the Swedish Hockey League.
"We all know he's not big and strong yet, so college hockey was not going to be easy for him.
