We now know when the next wave of future NHL talent will hear their names called.<\/p>\n
When appearing on Sirius XM\u2019s NHL Network Radio on Monday, NHL President of Content and Events, Steve Mayer, revealed that the 2026 NHL Draft will be held on June 26 and 27. Mayer didn\u2019t announce the location for next year\u2019s event<\/a>, though he did mention that the goal is to have the city finalize by the end of the calendar year.<\/p>\n The 2026 NHL Draft will take place June 26-27, 2026<\/p>\n NHL President of Content & Events Steve Mayer just confirmed with us live on @SiriusXMNHL<\/a>. He added host city is not yet decided; goal is to finalize that by end of this calendar year.<\/p>\n \u2014 David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) September 8, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n The 2026 draft is a rather important one. After a disastrous attempt<\/a> at decentralizing the draft for the first time last year in Los Angeles, many are hoping the league puts on a much better product next year. With the majority of the 32 teams voting in favor of keeping the event decentralized, meaning management staff doesn\u2019t need to be in the same building as the players they are selecting, it\u2019s up to the NHL to make better on a subpar effort in 2025.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s still way too early to tell which team will hold the first-overall pick (though many already have their thoughts on who\u2019s in the running), there\u2019s one player who is, right now, a unanimous pick to be selected No. 1<\/a> next year. Gavin McKenna has seemingly checked all the boxes on what\u2019s expected out of a top prospect during his time with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League. He\u2019s fast, has great vision, and has a scoring touch that complements his incredible playmaking ability. <\/p>\n McKenna is going to be facing a different type of competition this season, as he made headlines by committing to Penn State University<\/a> for next season. <\/p>\n