BUFFALO / NEW YORK – The NHL Draft will return to Buffalo, N.Y., for the first time in a decade with the Buffalo Sabres set to host the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft from June 26th (Round 1: 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN+, Sportsnet, TVA Sports) to June 27th (Rounds 2-7: 10 a.m. ET on NHL Network, ESPN+, Sportsnet) at KeyBank Center. It marks the fourth time Buffalo has hosted the event (also 2016, 1998 & 1991) – the city has also welcomed the NHL’s top prospects as host of the NHL Scouting Combine since 2015. Fans can sign up for news and updates on the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft here.
Gavin McKenna, a left wing with Penn State, ranks first among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s mid-season rankings presented by BODYARMOR Sports Drink, while Ivar Stenberg, a left wing skating for Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League, tops the list of international skaters. They could join Auston Matthews (2016), Vincent Lecavalier (1998) and Eric Lindros (1991) as top prospects whose decorated NHL careers started by being selected first overall at an NHL Draft hosted in Buffalo.
McKenna (Whitehorse, YT) is a freshman at Penn State where he ranks first among 2026 draft eligible players in the NCAA with 4-15—19 in 18 GP. Prior to his freshman season, McKenna had a decorated run with the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers where he won CHL & WHL Rookie of the Year in 2023-24 and CHL & WHL Player of the Year in 2024-25 – a season that would end with a WHL championship.
On the international stage, McKenna has represented Team Canada at each of the last two World Junior Championships, including helping his country earn bronze in 2026 and finishing second in tournament scoring while averaging two points per game (4-10—14 in 7 GP).
Joining McKenna among the top five skaters on the North American list are a pair of defensemen who were his Canadian teammates at the World Junior Championship in No. 2 Keaton Verhoeff (Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.), a freshman at the University of North Dakota and No. 3 Carson Carels (Brandon, Man.), who skates for the WHL’s Prince George Cougars.
No. 4-ranked North American skater Chase Reid (Pontiac, Mich.) is a defenseman for the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds and represented Team USA at the World Junior Championship. No. 5-ranked Caleb Malhotra (Victoria, B.C.) leads all OHL rookies and ranks tied for second in the league with 20-33—53 in 39 GP with the Brantford Bulldogs. Malhotra’s sporting roots run deep as the son of former NHL player Manny Malhotra (991 GP) and nephew of two-time NBA MVP **Steve Nash.
Stenberg (Gothenburg, Sweden) tops the list of international skaters after most recently helping Team Sweden earn gold at the World Junior Championship. He is producing at nearly a point-per-game pace for Frolunda in Sweden’s top men’s league with 6-18—24 in 25 GP.
Defenseman Alberts Smits (Valmiera, Latvia) ranks second among international skaters and could become the highest-selected Latvian player in NHL history, a distinction currently held by Zemgus Girgensons (14th overall in 2012) – the two are set to skate together for Team Latvia at Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Smits represented his country most recently at the World Junior Championship (1-4—5 in 5 GP) and plays for Jukurit in Liiga (Finland’s top men’s league).
Rounding out the top five international skaters are No. 3-ranked Oliver Suvanto (Turku, Finland), a forward for Tappara in Liiga; No. 4-ranked Elton Hermansson (Ornskoldsvik, Sweden), a right wing from MoDo in Sweden’s second division and No. 5-ranked Viggo Bjorck (Stockholm, Sweden), a center for Djurgarden of the Swedish Hockey League who teamed with Stenberg to help Sweden win World Junior gold.
Brady Knowling (Toronto, Ont.) of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program’s Under-18 program and Dmitri Borichev (Vologda, Russia), who plays in Russia’s junior league, rank first among North American and international goaltenders, respectively.
The mid-season rankings feature the top 224 skaters and 37 goaltenders in North America as well as the top 128 skaters and 20 goaltenders internationally.
Currently in its 51st year of operation, NHL Central Scouting provides evaluation and scouting of
draft-eligible players to NHL member clubs. Headed by Group Vice President Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting employs eight full-time scouts throughout North America. To report on prospects playing internationally, the NHL employs the services of J-P Vuorinen and his staff at European Scouting Services based in Finland.
Full rankings in each category are attached and available on NHL.com.
Upper Deck returns as NHL Draft title sponsor for the fifth straight year. The Upper Deck Company is the exclusive licensed manufacturer of trading cards for the NHL and NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA). Upper Deck has maintained NHL and NHLPA trading card licenses since the 1990- 91 season and is credited with numerous innovations that have shaped the trading card industry over the last three decades. In 2016, the company launched ground-breaking technology with its patent-pending Upper Deck e-Pack® platform, allowing collectors to buy, trade and store collectibles at any time, from anywhere in the world.
Ticket information, fan events and other details for the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft™ will be announced at a later date.
