Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman confirms earlier reports that the NHL's annual event is headed to Buffalo for the fourth time in their history.
The Buffalo Sabres have emerged as the host for the 2026 NHL Draft. First reports from Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News and a cryptic tweet from ESPN’s John Buccigross hinting at the draft returning to the Queen City after 10 years popped up on Thursday, but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Friday’s 32 Thoughts podcast that the annual event coming to Buffalo was “a done deal” and will be announced sometime next week.
The Sabres last hosted the NHL Draft in 2016, when the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Auston Matthews with the first overall selection, and hosted the annual event twice in the 90’s; in 1991 and 1998. Friedman indicated that the league faced logistical challenges finding a home for the draft. A number of cities in the US that were reportedly interested in hosting the draft, but building conflicts with concert dates and the 2026 World Cup taking place in mid-June were factors.
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The Draft will once again be decentralized, as it was in 2025 in Los Angeles, but there have been reports that the NHL will attempt to streamline the procedure that made the first round of the draft last nearly five hours. There have been indications that the league may try to have the first two rounds on night one of the draft (as the NBA does) and rounds three through seven on day #2.
The 2026 Draft class is emerging as an excellent crop, with Penn State University winger Gavin McKenna currently the presumptive #1 pick, along with North Dakota defenseman Keaton Verhoeff, Sweden WJC hero Ivar Stenberg, and Muskegon (USHL) center Tynan Lawrence. The draft is scheduled for Friday, June 26th and Saturday June 27th.
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