2026 NHL Draft: Maple Leafs, Blues Win Draft Lottery Sim With Mock Draft

The 2026 NHL draft lottery is set to go down on Tuesday, May 5, at 7 p.m. ET.

About half of the league will be waiting with bated breath as the balls bounce around the lottery machine in Secaucus, New Jersey, at the NHL Network headquarters. You’ll be able to watch the lottery live on ESPN, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports. 

This year’s lottery has several incredibly fun storylines to follow. From Vancouver potentially getting the first overall pick to help kick off their rebuild to the Toronto Maple Leafs needing to stay within the top five just to keep their pick, it could be a drama-filled night if chaos ensues, as it always seems to at the draft lottery. 

Here at TheHockeyNews.com, we wanted to do a mock draft for the 2026 NHL draft, and there’s no better reason than the NHL draft lottery. Using Tankathon.com’s draft lottery simulation tool, we ran the lottery ourselves, and the results were chaotic, as expected. 

The Maple Leafs won the initial lottery, moving from fifth to first overall and securing their first-round draft pick as they look to bounce back from a disastrous season.

The second lottery saw a long-shot winner, the St. Louis Blues, move up nine spots to second overall. Vancouver continues their historic run of bad luck at the NHL draft lottery, where they’ve moved down more spots than any team in modern lottery history over the years. 

If this is how things go down on lottery night, it would send the hockey world into a buzz as the Toronto “Center of the Hockey Universe” Maple Leafs aren’t what you’d call a well-liked team outside of the market. St. Louis would be in an excellent position to advance what already looks like a solid rebuild. 

Remember, this is a mock draft, not a ranking. For my latest rankings, you can check them out here. Without further ado, let’s get to the mock draft. 

The dream scenario for hockey’s “Evil Empire”, the Leafs wind up with the first overall pick in the year in which they miss the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16.

While they are certainly a team that would have to at least consider trading down in this spot to maximize their assets, Gavin McKenna is almost the perfect fit for the Leafs offensive needs and a future cornerstone to extend their window moving forward. 

McKenna could reasonably step right into the lineup, and his fit with Auston Matthew on paper is as perfect as it gets. McKenna is the ultimate playmaker and facilitator in the offensive zone, which could effectively replace the loss of Mitch Marner from a year ago. Matthews is one of the best defensive centers in hockey, which would help mitigate any deficiencies in McKenna’s game.

McKenna to the Leafs fits like a glove. 

In a no-brainer pick, the Blues go ahead and add Ivar Stenberg, the brother of young Blues forward Otto Stenberg. The younger Stenberg would instantly become the pillar that the Blues build around up front. Stenberg plays a complete game in all areas of the ice, and he brings the kind of work ethic, forechecking, and intelligence that the Blues value from their players. 

Stenberg has been impressive in every situation he’s been put in this year. He put his name in the SHL record books, led Sweden to gold at the World Junior Championship, and he looks to be on the precipice of playing for the men’s World Championship team after an impressive showing in pre-tournament action for Sweden. There isn’t much that Stenberg can’t do. 

The Canucks have been connected to Caleb Malhotra for quite some time now. In a draft that doesn’t have many top-end centers, Vancouver just goes out and gets their guy.

Malhotra has been crushing it in the OHL playoffs, putting up big performances night in and night out for Brantford. He shows some potential as a two-way presence at the next level as well. His upside may not be elite, but he’s a very safe projection and a player Vancouver can sleep soundly knowing will play meaningful NHL games. 

The Chicago Blackhawks have been on the edge of ascending to relevance for a year or two, but they haven’t quite been able to get there. Connor Bedard took a massive step this year, and the young guys all look great so far.

Chicago could use another defensive prospect, and taking Carels at this point gives them a defender who can do a bit of everything. He’s big and strong, using his physicality defensively to find success.

Offensively, he’s a north-south attacking defender who can show some really nice playmaking skills at times. With a plethora of defenders, the Hawks get the pick of the litter at fourth overall. 

The Rangers need just about everything as they begin yet another attempt at getting their team back to respectability. This season was disastrous in a lot of ways, and the biggest issue seemed to be that the team just didn’t seem to be happy playing hockey.

Verhoeff is a player who will spend at least another year in college, which gives the Rangers time to sort out whatever is going on in the locker room. Verhoeff is a very solid, all-around defender who has plenty of room for growth. Working into the lineup under Adam Fox and learning from him would be ideal, as their skillsets aren’t far off. 

The Flames are fully embracing the rebuild, and they would be ecstatic to add a player like Lawrence, who oozes potential. Lawrence tore up the USHL last year and early in this season, helping Muskegon to a Clark Cup title while earning playoff MVP honors.

After the holidays this season, Lawrence made the jump to the NCAA with Boston University. Unfortunately, Lawrence became a part of the underwhelming BU squad that was doing a lot of the right things but not getting the results. Lawrence plays with a ton of speed and pace. He showed just how impactful he can be with Team Canada at the U18s. 

Since their inception, the Kraken have been searching for a star, and while seventh overall isn’t always going to get you one, Reid might have the potential to be a pillar on the back end for them moving forward.

He has flashed some really high-end offensive moments, and he brings excellent size on the defensive end. Reid could be a really solid piece on the Kraken's back end, with the potential to be effective in all aspects of the game. 

It was a nightmare year in Winnipeg, going through so many stretches of downright terrible play. They would fight back and get themselves out of the basement, but then they’d fall back down the standings after a poor stretch.

Daxon Rudolph is a player who has been up and down boards this year, but people on the team side seem to love his game. He has size, pinpoint passing, and some solid two-way traits. The Jets need an infusion of youth, and Rudolph could be a key piece to that. 

Smits is a player full of potential, with incredible raw tools and plenty of success at various levels of play, from the Liiga and the DEL to the world juniors and the Olympics.

Smits is a fantastic skater who uses his mobility at both ends of the ice, showing a very solid baseline of steady defensive play with endless potential in the offensive zone. Florida missing the playoffs after back-to-back Stanley Cup wins could be a blessing in disguise as they reload with one of the top defenseman in the class. 

The San Jose Sharks took a big step this season. The reality is that they have their core for the most part, but they could use another defender, though, particularly one that can make an impact in the defensive zone as well.

In a draft full of defenders, one is bound to fall to them, and in this situation, it’s Malte Gustafsson. Showing very well at the SHL level against men and standing out against his age group as a true difference maker, Gustafsson is solidifying his draft stock.

He would be exactly what San Jose needs as they look to move into the next phase of the build. 

Nashville is in an awkward position as a team with a boatload of veterans and a steady influx of young talent.

They still need a star to build around, and taking a swing at a player like Ethan Belchetz, who is a sure bet to be an NHLer because of his size and skill combination, is worthwhile. There is a massive upside. He could be a complementary winger, or he might be a high-skill power forward. It will ultimately depend on development.

With Sunny Metha at the helm, the Devils are going to be an interesting team at the draft. Mehta has mentioned that he leans into analytics as a tool and if Viggo Bjorck is on the board, despite his size, there should be plenty of interest for the Devils.

He’s a very solid center with immense offensive upside. He’s been a leader on just about every team he’s been on. He was one of Djurgarden’s top centers in the SHL toward the end of the season, and he is vying for a spot on the Swedish men’s team at the World Championship. If he can prove himself there, his stock should shoot through the roof. 

The Islanders were in a playoff spot for much of the season, and a big reason for that was their first overall pick from last year, Matthew Schaefer. This year, they will be looking to add pieces to their cupboard, continuing to build a deep and diverse pool of skilled prospects.

Oscar Hemming would be an excellent addition, giving them a player who has shown excellent finishing ability, a physical edge, and plenty of energy. 

The Blue Jackets continue to be close with no real success. They have a very solid base to build around, but they will need to continue to supplement their prospects with talent.

Novotny is the kind of player who would fit in with their style of play. He pushes the pace in transition, has a heavy shot, and plays with a bit of a physical edge. 

The Blues were able to grab Stenberg with their first pick, and with Detroit’s, they grab Ryan Lin. There is a bit of risk involved with Lin because of his size, but he’s such a shifty and talented playmaker that it’s well worth it, having already taken a sure bet at the top of the class. Lin could be the power play QB and puck mover they need as they look to build toward a new generation of Blues hockey. 

Whoever the Capitals take at 16th overall is likely going to be part of the post-Ovechkin Caps. Oliver Suvanto is a safe best with excellent tactical play and responsible 200-foot play. He’s not flashy, and he’s never going to be the top-line center who can score at a point per game pace, but he’s the kind of player you win with. 

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