What would the 2026 NHL Draft look like if the Chicago Blackhawks win the lottery? This mock gives some insight.
The National Hockey League is going to conduct the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday, May 5th. This weighted lottery will select one team to pick first overall, and another to pick second. From there, the picks will go in reverse order of the standings for the non-playoff teams.
The Chicago Blackhawks have the second-best odds of winning the lottery at 13.5%. Only the Vancouver Canucks have better odds at 25.5%. Rounding out the top three is the New York Rangers at 11.5%.
The results of this lottery will change the plans of multiple franchises that are in the mix. This mock draft is a projection of how the picks could go if the Blackhawks win the first pick and the Canucks get the second.
1. Chicago Blackhawks - Gavin McKenna, FWD
If the Chicago Blackhawks win the draft lottery, it would be hard to pass up on Penn State forward Gavin McKenna. He had an up-and-down road to this point, but there is no doubt that he'd fit in right away with this organization.
There is already an off-ice connection with Connor Bedard, which would make it a bit easier for him to translate to the NHL after a productive college season, especially the second half.
If Gavin McKenna came to the Blackhawks, his boyhood team, he would have the inside track to play in the NHL as soon as next season.
2. Vancouver Canucks - Ivar Stenberg, FWD
The Vancouver Canucks have a strong history of drafting Swedish-born players, and Ivar Stenberg could be the next in line.
After a dominant performance in the World Junior Championships en route to the Gold Medal, Stenberg cemented himself into this top-three draft pick conversation.
Like McKenna, he has the potential to play in the NHL as early as next season. With how poorly constructed Vancouver's lineup is right now, there is plenty of room for him to hop right in.
3. New York Rangers - Caleb Malhotra, FWD
Caleb Malhotra has risen on the draft board as much as any player who will be selected in June. The New York Rangers weren't expecting to be in this conversation heading into the year, but Malhotra would be a great consolation prize.
Malhotra is a forward who could come to the NHL and change the fortunes of his franchise because of his incredible two-way game. The Rangers don't have many young forwards like him, which makes him someone that they can build around.
4. Calgary Flames - Keaton Verhoeff, D
The Calgary Flames have been very good drafters over the last handful of years while they rebuild. That includes players from the NCAA.
Keaton Verhoeff would make a perfect addition to their organizational prospect depth as a slippery smooth offensive defenseman.
5. Toronto Maple Leafs - Chase Reid, D
Chase Reid has more of a two-way style to his game from the back-end, which is exactly what the Toronto Maple Leafs need in their long-term plan.
6. Seattle Kraken - Tynan Lawrence, FWD
The Seattle Kraken are dying for an offensive gamebreaker. It is unclear whether Tynan Lawrence will become that guy, but he certainly has great upside as a forward.
7. Winnipeg Jets - Carson Carels, D
The Winnipeg Jets won the President's Trophy last season, which makes them selecting seventh overall surprising. Carson Carels, a defenseman, would join that organization and be groomed by one of the best at developing this position.
8. Florida Panthers - Viggo Bjorck, FWD
The only thing more surprising than the reigning President's Trophy drafting in the top-ten is the defending Stanley Cup champions drafting in the top-ten. That is the reality for the Florida Panthers, who would be the perfect landing spot for Viggo Bjorck.
9. San Jose Sharks - Daxon Rudolph, D
The San Jose Sharks had a remarkable season based on their expectations coming in. Still, one more top-ten pick will be great for them, especially if it's a defenseman. They don't have that position solidified in the long-term, but this would help.
10. Nashville Predators - Alberts Smits, D
Like the Jets, the Nashville Predators are very good at drafting and developing defensemen. They've been a factory for multiple decades. With change coming to the organization at the top, their next big defender could be Alberts Smits.
11. St. Louis Blues - Oliver Suvanto, FWD
The St. Louis Blues may or may not move on from some of their star forwards this summer. If they do, they might want to start stockpiling new ones in the organization. Oliver Suvanto is someone to consider for that type of role.
12. New Jersey Devils - Oscar Hemming, FWD
Everything the New Jersey Devils do at forward starts with one question: how would they look playing alongside Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier? Oscar Hemming may have the skills necessary to at least be given a chance one day.
13. New York Islanders - Ethan Belchetz, FWD
The New York Islanders won the draft lottery in 2025, and it changed them forever. Matthew Schaefer is a superstar in every sense of the word. Now, they are looking to continue building. A forward like Ethan Belchetz makes a lot of sense for them.
14. Columbus Blue Jackets - Ryan Lin, D
The Columbus Blue Jackets enjoy drafting skilled defensemen in the first round. Ryan Lin is one ready to make an impact on the organization in the long-term.
15. St. Louis Blues via Detroit Red Wings - Malte Gustafsson, D
The St. Louis Blues received this pick from the Detroit Red Wings, and they would make it count if they selected Malte Gustafsson for their defense pipeline.
16. Washington Capitals - Nikita Kiepov, FWD
The Washington Capitals select Nikita Kiepov in this mock spot. He will attend Michigan State in 2026-27, which should prepare him for the NHL as well as any school in the United States.
17. Los Angeles Kings - Adam Novonty, FWD
The Los Angeles Kings must start restocking their prospect farm with more talent again. A retool is necessary for them as Anze Kopitar retires. Adam Novonty is a Czech-born forward who would be a great addition.
18. Washington Capitals via Anaheim Ducks - Ilya Morozov, FWD
The Washington Capitals may have two picks out of three late in the teens, depending on how the Anaheim Ducks finish. In this spot, forward Ilya Morozov makes perfect sense for them as they look to continue building their new forward core.
19. Utah Mammoth - Marcus Nordmark, FWD
The Utah Mammoth had a great season, and they never moved their first-round pick, despite rumors. Now, they could go with a forward like Marcus Nordmark out of Sweden.
20. San Jose Sharks via Edmonton Oilers - Elton Hermansson, FWD
Speaking of Swedes, Elton Hermansson may go one pick later to the San Jose Sharks. Although they need more defensemen, it never hurts to add a skilled forward as well. With the way that they've set up their draft for this year, one forward and one defenseman in the first round is a sound strategy.
21. Philadelphia Flyers - Xavier Villenueve, D
The Philadelphia Flyers are still alive, so their pick is far from locked at 21. If it did stick, however, Xavier Villenueve would be a great future defenseman for a team that has gone forward a lot in recent first rounds.
22. Pittsburgh Penguins - JP Hurlbert, FWD
The Pittsburgh Penguins didn't make a top-five pick last year, but one of their picks, Ben Kindle made it to the NHL right away as a teenager. They might not expect that of JP Hurlbert or anyone that they draft this year, but he is a good player nonetheless.
23. Boston Bruins - Juho Piiparinen, D
The Bruins overachieved this season after making the 7th overall pick last year, but they can still draft a good player like Juho Piiparinen. A young first-round talent like him for their organizational blue line would be great.
24. Vancouver Canucks via Minnesota Wild - Yegor Shilov, FWD
The Vancouver Canucks don't have Quinn Hughes anymore, but this pick is one of the many gifts that the Minnesota Wild gave them for their former captain. Yegor Shilov is a forward who may make an NHL impact perfectly in line with Vancouver's rebuild.
25. Montreal Canadiens - Mathis Preston, FWD
The Montreal Canadiens stayed the course of their own rebuild, despite being a 100-point team that has now won a round. Keeping their first round pick in a year like this is impressive fortitude, and a prospect like Mathis Preston could be a great prize.
26. Seattle Kraken via Tampa Bay Lightning - Wyatt Cullen, FWD
The Seattle Kraken make perfect sense for Wyatt Cullen, who is the son of former NHL forward Matt Cullen. Matt had a tremendous NHL career and was one of the best players to ever come out of Minnesota. Fittingly, his son Wyatt will play for the Golden Gophers in 2026-27.
27. New York Rangers via Dallas Stars - Niklas Aaram-Olsen, FWD
The New York Rangers will make a first-round pick in the top five and the bottom ten, which is great for a rebuilding squad. Niklas Aaram-Olsen would help them replenish their forwards as more of their veterans could follow Artemi Panarin out the door this summer.
28. Calgary Flames via Vegas Golden Knights - Simas Ignatavicius, FWD
The Calgary Flames, like the New York Rangers, will have an early and late pick in the first round. That will do wonders for their highly respectable prospect pool. Simas Ignatavicius is a forward who could be a diamond for them.
29. Buffalo Sabres - Maddox Dagenais, FWD
The Buffalo Sabres are not used to picking in the bottom third of the first round, unless it is a pick that a contender gave to them for one of their star players that they had to trade away. This year, a prospect like forward Maddox Dagenais would be going to a winning organization in Buffalo.
30. Carolina Hurricanes - Liam Ruck, FWD
The Carolina Hurricanes thrive on getting something out of these late picks. Liam Ruck is a forward who may keep their prospect depth intact.
31. St. Louis Blues via Colorado Avalanche - Alexander Command, FWD
The St. Louis Blues have the first-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche. They may pick late in the 20s or in the 30s, depending on how the Avalanche finish. Alexander Command is someone for them to consider regardless of where the pick lands.
32. Ottawa Senators - William Hakansson, D
The Ottawa Senators are locked into the 32nd overall pick. At first, it was forfeited, but the NHL restored it to them in the form of the final pick in the first round.
This comes as a punishment that stemmed from an attempted Evgenii Dadonov trade between the Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks were on Dadonov's "no-trade list", but the Golden Knights were not told that by the Senators, who traded Dadonov to Vegas previously. The NHL made them forfeit a first-round pick in either 2024, 2025, or 2026 before restoring it.
William Hakansson, a defenseman, makes great sense for Ottawa as they could use another defense prospect with high upside to work on developing.
Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.