Buffalo, New York is set to be the host of the draft coming up this Summer and fans are loving that it is returning to Western New York.
The National Hockey League has all but announced that the annual draft will be returning to Western New York. There is expected to be a formal announcement sometime this week. The event is expected to be on June 26 and 27 in Orchard Park, New York.
When is the 2026 NHL Draft going to be in Buffalo, New York?
The draft will be the last weekend in June and although the draft celebrations will be happening in Western New York, the draft itself will be decentralized. What does this mean? It means that all of the other NHL teams will not be coming to Buffalo for the draft. Instead, they will be all in their remote cities making their picks. Though, the stage, celebration and hockey fans will all be here and the teams will have their picks “announced” at the podium in Buffalo—usually by special fans or celebrities.
The draft will be by Highmark Stadium, where some of the Sabres offices are actually located at, which give more room for fans and visitors to come. Plus, it is probably a good thing because downtown Buffalo is already packed with events on June 26, 2026, including the WYRK Taste of Country with Luke Bryan and Jordan Davis at Sahlen Field, home of the Buffalo Bisons.
Tickets are not available or on sale at this point for the NHL Draft.
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