NHL Draft Lottery drama to play out in real time

For the second straight year, the drama of the NHL Draft Lottery will play out in real time for all to see.

Like the lottery in 2025, instead of watching a countdown from 16 to 1 after the lottery balls have been drawn behind the scenes, fans will watch on live TV as the lottery balls are drawn at NHL Network's studio in Secaucus, New Jersey, on Monday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS).

The 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on June 26-27.

The four-number combinations for each team are posted below.

"We learned a lot from last year, and this evolution makes the experience even more transparent and dramatic," said Steve Mayer, NHL president of content and events. "As we get down to the final ball, every team still in the mix will know exactly what needs to be drawn—and when it happens, it’s one of the most exciting moments of the entire year."

Up until last season, the actual drawing of the lottery balls was conducted in a separate, sequestered room at NHL Network's studio right before the TV broadcast revealing its results. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman would preside over the draw, which would be overseen by the accounting firm Ernst & Young, observed by members of the media, and video recorded for fans to view later that evening.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly then would reveal the order of selection on the TV broadcast, flipping cards with team logos to count down from 16 to 1.

For transparency, the NHL would post a YouTube video of the draw afterward.

That changed last season when the new format was introduced and the whole hockey world found out at the same time that the New York Islanders had won the lottery and the right to eventually select defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 pick.

Bettman will still preside over the draw, and Ernst & Young will still oversee it. Daly will still announce the order, but now fans will feel like they're in the room.

There are four balls numbered 1 to 14 and 1,001 possible four-number combinations. One combination is designated as a redraw (11,12,13,14), allowing the NHL to divide by 1,000 among the 16 teams that did not make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Based on the final NHL regular-season standings and the draft lottery odds determined by the Board of Governors, each team receives an allotment of randomly assigned four-number combinations. Essentially, the lower you finish, the more lottery tickets you receive.

The Vancouver Canucks, who finished 32nd in the NHL standings, receive 185. The Chicago Blackhawks, who finished 31st, receive 135. The New York Rangers, who finished 30th, receive 115. And so on.

There are two draws, not one, and a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots. That means only the top 11 seeds can win the first pick; the bottom five cannot. That adds potential wrinkles too.

The first draw locks in the No. 1 pick (and potentially another pick). The second draw determines the rest of the order. If the winner of the first draw wins the second draw, there is a redraw.

Last year, the Islanders won the No. 1 pick, the San Jose Sharks moved up a spot to get the No. 2 pick and picks 3-16 were slotted in by order of their finish in the standings.  Picks 17-32 will be determined by the results of the playoffs.

The prize for the winning team this year is likely Penn State freshman Gavin McKenna, who was No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings of North American skaters.

McKenna finished tied for fifth in the NCAA with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) and was second with 1.46 points per game in 35 games this season. The 18-year-old is expected to be the first men's ice hockey player from Penn State to be selected in the first round of the NHL Draft; forward Charlie Cerrato, chosen by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round (No. 49) last year, is the highest-drafted player in the program's history.

Another possibility for the No. 1 pick is left wing Ivar Stenberg of Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League, who is No. 1 on the final ranking of International skaters. The 18-year-old had 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 43 games for Frolunda, the most points in a season by an 18-year-old SHL player since Daniel Sedin (42) and Henrik Sedin (34) in 1998-99.