NHL Draft grades 2026: Live results and analysis for every pick in Round 1 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The day is finally here, the first round of the 2026 NHL draft commences tonight.
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The NHL draft begins at 7 p.m. ET and can be viewed on Sportsnet and TVA Sports.
Plenty of fireworks are expected tonight, as the days leading up to the draft have been filled with trades, rumors, and plenty of different implications. Tonight will be a night for players to begin new journeys as they fulfill a lifelong dream.
The 2026 class is headlined by players like Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, and Chase Reid, all of whom could change a franchise overnight.
Throughout the days leading up to the NHL draft, we’ve completed multiple mock drafts, one completed by Eric Cruikshank and Frank Zawrazky, ranked players by position, starting with goaltenders, defenseman, wingers, and centers, and analyzed player fits for several teams.
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As each pick is revealed, we will provide a grade and an analysis of who the player is and what he can provide the team.
Follow along to stay informed of all 32 picks of the NHL draft.
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Grade: A+
Not much needs to be said about this selection. No player in the draft has a higher ceiling than Gavin McKenna. The 18-year-old is the best playmaker in the draft, and the fit with the Toronto Maple Leafs is perfect. Auston Matthews is arguably the best goal scorer in the league, and pairing him with a playmaker like McKenna should work wonderfully.
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MORE: Drafting Gavin McKenna is the only option for the Maple Leafs at the 2026 NHL draft
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Grade: A+
The second-best player in this draft is Ivar Stenberg, and now he’ll join a young and skilled top six. Stenberg doesn’t have the offensive ceiling that McKenna possesses, but his all-around game is very polished at 18 years old. Whether he plays alongside Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith on the top line or with Michael Misa, Stenberg will elevate his line and will contribute at a high level from Day 1.
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Grade: A-
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Caleb Malhotra will now be paired with his father, Manny, in Vancouver. Malhotra is a two-way center whose playmaking ability took a huge step in the OHL this season. Malhotra is a competitor, and although there might be players with a higher offensive ceiling, he’s the best center in the draft class, and the Vancouver Canucks need to upgrade every position as they continue their rebuild.
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Grade: B-
The first shock in the draft comes from the Buffalo Sabres. Daxon Rudolph is the first defenseman selected in the draft, although many scouts had him ranked as the fifth-best defenseman. Rudolph is a strong offensive defenseman who improved defensively as the WHL season went along. Rudolph’s biggest knock is his skating. If that element improves, Rudolph can become a top-pairing defender.
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Grade: A-
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Alberts Smits is the most NHL-ready defenseman in this draft and likely has the highest floor among defensemen. His ceiling may not be as high as some other defenders’, but he plays a physical two-way style and doesn’t really have any holes in his game.
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Grade: A
Carson Carels is a do-it-all defenseman. His skating makes him a dominant transition player, both offensively and defensively. Drawing comparisons to the likes of Miro Heiskanen and Jake Sanderson, Carels is the prototypical modern-day defenseman and should work well with Zayne Parekh or Simon Nemec.
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Grade: A+
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The Seattle Kraken need highly skilled players, and that is exactly what Chase Reid is. Many believed he could have been the first defenseman off the board and taken as high as second overall. It’s great value for the Kraken to land Reid at seventh overall. Reid projects to be an offensive No. 1 defenseman who can run a power play. With his 6-foot-2 frame, if Reid can improve defensively, he can become a great NHL defenseman.
