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Vancouver Canucks 2026 NHL Draft first round live blog: Order of picks, instant analysis, and more
Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Jun 26, 2026, 18:30 EDTUpdated: Jun 26, 2026, 23:13 EDT
Welcome to our live blog of the first round of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft!
Throughout the evening, we will be bringing you live updates, breakdowns of each pick, and much more throughout the night. And since this is CanucksArmy, we will also be providing you with analysis of what some of the picks mean for the Canucks, particularly as we get closer to the Canucks’ second pick in the first round at 24th overall.
We will update the list below with who each team selects as the night unfolds! Be sure to keep checking back throughout the night!
Order of picks
1- Toronto Maple Leafs: Gavin McKenna (F)
The Maple Leafs, to no one’s surprise, take Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick. Leafs superfan Justin Bieber made the official selection on behalf of the Leafs in one of the most cringey draft moments of all time. An attempt was made!
McKenna scored 51 points for Penn State in the NCAA last year to go along with 14 points at the World Juniors. Sigh. It should’ve been the Canucks.
Now we get to the real intrigue and the Canucks fate. What are the Sharks about to do?
2- San Jose Sharks: Ivar Stenberg (F)
The San Jose Sharks have hung onto their pick and selected Ivar Stenberg second overall.
The selection was made by brand new PWHL San Jose member Laila Edwards, who did a far better job working the crowd and making the pick than Bieber. The Canucks losing out on Stenberg is a tough loss, with the Swede finishing the SHL season with 33 points. That leaves the likes of Malhotra, Carels and Reid left for the Canucks to choose from.
3- Vancouver Canucks: Caleb Malhotra (F)
The Vancouver Canucks have selected Caleb Malhotra third overall. Familiarity has won out in a Canucks draft for the first time in quite a while.
Malhotra is certainly a polarizing pick, but not for his skill. Malhotra scored 84 points with the Brantford Bulldogs in the OHL last season and was a beast in the playoffs. The Canucks need a little bit of everything in their prospect cupboard, and Malhotra fills a massive need at centre. What does make this pick an interesting call is his dad, Manny, being the brand new head coach of the Canucks. How will that affect the team’s relationship with father and son long term, we shall see.
4- Buffalo Sabres (via CHI): Daxon Rudolph (D)
Acquired in the Bowen Byram trade with Chicago, the Buffalo Sabres have selected defender Daxon Rudolph with the fourth overall pick, in a surprising first defensive choice. Rudolph had 78 points with the Prince Albert Raiders last season.
5- New York Rangers: Alberts Smits (D)
The New York Rangers have selected defenseman Alberts Smits with the fifth overall pick. Smits spent last season in the Finnish Liiga, where he potted 13 points.
6- Calgary Flames: Carson Carels (D)
The Calgary Flames keep the defensemen party rolling, taking WHL d-man Carson Carels at sixth. Carels couldn’t make it to Buffalo due to work on his family’s farm, but his work speaks for itself. Carels scored 73 points with Prince George Cougars.
7- Seattle Kraken: Chase Reid (D)
One of the Canucks potential defence choices is finally off the board, with their I-5 rivals the Kraken taking Chase Reid. Reid seemed like the obvious defensive pick if Vancouver wanted a blue liner, notching 48 points as a Soo Greyhound last year. Reid will be heading to Michigan State University for college hockey next season.
8- Winnipeg Jets: Viggo Bjork (F)
The Jets get a great centre in Viggo Bjork, who played phenomenally at the World Hockey Championships a few months ago. Bjork’s stock has been all over the place in the lead up to today, but the Jets recoup the rewards of a player who had nine points in seven World Junior games last year and potted another 15 for the Djurgardens.
9- San Jose Sharks (from FLA via OTT): Keaten Verhoeff (D)
The Sharks cap an incredible two-pick day with defensemen Keaton Verhoeff. They might already be the winners of the Draft. Ver
The Sharks got the ninth overall pick via Ottawa after trading William Eklund to the Senators and Florida’s trade for Brady Tkachuk.
Meanwhile, over at Rogers Arena…
I’m at home, so no arena food reviews from me. Maybe JPat will fill in?
10- Nashville Predators: Wyatt Cullen (F)
The son of former Stanley Cup champion Matt Cullen, Wyatt spent last season with the US National Development program and will be going to the University of Minnesota next season.
11- St. Louis Blues: Tynan Lawrence (F)
Lawrence is one of the youngest players taken so far tonight at just 17 years old, and already played games for Boston University, scoring seven points in 18 games.
12- New Jersey Devils: Alexander Command (F)
The Devils take the second Swede of the night, centre Alex Command from Orebro HK U20 of the SHL. Command also had seven points for Sweden’s U18 team.
13- New York Islanders: Malte Gustafsson (D)
The Islanders have chosen defender Malte Gustafsson with the 13th overall pick. 12 points in Sweden’s U20 league with HV71.
14- Columbus Blue Jackets: Oscar Hemming (F)
Hemming is a Finnish left winger who played for Boston College last season after attempts to jump to the OHL were dashed, and he did rather well. The 17-year-old scored eight points in 19 games with BU.
15- Anaheim Ducks (from STL via DET): Nikita Klepov (F)
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a trade!
Anaheim trades Mason McTavish to St. Louis for picks 15 and 29.
The Blues dealt a pair of first-round picks to the Ducks in exchange for Mason McTavish. The Ducks have spun around and used that pick on 97-point man Nikita Klepov from the Saginaw Spirit.
Interesting to note that the Sportsnet broadcast considered Klepov as the first Russian pick, but Elite Prospects has him listed as an American. Knowing how in-depth the work EP does generally is, I’m going to defer to them here for now.
16- St. Louis Blues (from WSH): Maddox Dagenais (F)
Right after adding Mason McTavish, the Blues step up and select Maddox Degenais, who was a point-per-game player for the Quebec Remparts last season with 62 in 62. The Blues found a way to add in two different ways in short order.
17- Utah Mammoth (from LA): Ethan Belchetz (F)
The Mammoth have paid to jump the line, swapping spots with the Kings and handing LA the 83rd for their trouble, selecting Ethan Belchetz from the Windsor Spitfires. 59 points for a kid who clocks in a 6-foot-5 and 229 lbs. A certified big guy who’ll be going to Michigan State next season.
18- Washington Capitals (from ANA): Oliver Suvanto (F)
The Caps lost out on one big man in Belchetz, they didn’t let Oliver Suvanto pass them by. 17 years old, six-foot-three and 209 lbs, Suvanto had 11 points with Tappara in the Finnish Liiga and played all seven games for the Finns at the World Juniors.
9 of the first 18 picks in the NHL Draft are 6-3 or taller..
19- Los Angeles Kings (from UTA): Elton Hermansson (F)
The Kings are staying on the Yellow Brick Road with Swedish forward Elton Hermansson.
Five picks left before the Canucks are up again.
20- Buffalo Sabres (from EDM via SJS): Ilia Morozov (F)
The first OFFICIAL Russian taken, Morozov had 20 points at Miami University (the Ohio one, not the Florida one). Even after getting back to the postseason, the Sabres have given their fans at the draft some prospects to cheer for.
Meanwhile, Caleb Malhotra is having some fun with his uncle.
Caleb Malhotra had to recreate this photo from his childhood with his uncle, Steve Nash! 🏀 #NHLDraft
21- San Jose Sharks (from PHI): Ryan Lin (D)
SJ is trading up into PHI's spot here
The Sharks just can’t stop winning, after trading up to select Ryan Lin.
Ryan Lin is a Richmond native who led the Vancouver Giants in assists with 43, to go along with 14 goals as a defender! He’s already committed to the University of Denver for next season, and man does it suck how close he got to the Canucks’ spot at 24. Now they’ll be facing him quite a few times a year in the Pacific Division.
22- Pittsburgh Penguins: Liam Ruck (F)
The Ruck Twin dream is dead in Vancouver.
104 points for Liam in Medicine Hat, the most of any player drafted so far. Now you gotta wonder how Pittsburgh will find a way to draft Marcus, or if someone else will step in and snag him.
Tough break for all the Canucks fans who wanted Sedins 2.0.
23- Detroit Red Wings (from UTA via BOS): J.P. Hurlbert (F)
The Mammoth traded J.J. Paterka to the Bruins earlier in the day to snag this pick, and they quickly flipped it to Detroit for goalie Sebastian Cossa.
The Red Wings now jump into the pick right in front of the Canucks and grab J.P. Hurlbert, a Texas kid who potted 97 points for the Kamloops Blazers last year.
The Canucks are now back on the clock, and our resident draft expert Dave Hall has his pick:
If the Vancouver Canucks can grab Adam Novotny here at 23, I am going home one happy camper.
JPat has his own choice as well:
Mathis Preston on the board for #Canucks at 24...
24- Vancouver Canucks (from MIN): Adam Novotný (F)
The Canucks got this pick from the Minnesota Wild in the Quinn Hughes trade, and they use it on Czech winger Adam Novotny. Novotny had 65 points for the Peterborough Petes last season, and was ranked as the 14th best prospect by Elite Prospects. He had to wait a bit to get his name called, but the Canucks do swoop in and pick up some much-needed help on their wings. Pretty insane that he was even available this late in the game.
The Vancouver #Canucks have selected Adam Novotny with the 24th-Overall pick. He was @eliteprospects #14. This is an amazing selection -- he operates with a ridiculous pace and work rate. He's filled out, detailed, and has amazing tools. Top-six upside with certainty.
Now we wait and see if the Canucks are done for the day.
25- Ottawa Senators (from TBL via SEA via FLA): Jonas Lagerberg Hoen (F)
A very interesting reach by the Sens, taking Jonas Lagerberg Hoen at 25th, who had 16 points with the Leksands IF U20 club last year.
26- Montreal Canadiens (from VGK via NYR via DAL): Gleb Pugachyov (F)
This pick has bounced around a bunch of times, but it finally lands in the hands of the Habs, who use it on Gleb Pugachyov, a Russian right winger out of the MHL.
27- Philadelphia Flyers (from SJ via BUF): Maxim Sokolovskii (D)
The Flyers also go with a Russian in Sokolovskii, who played on the London Knights’ blue line last year. He had only eight points last season, but judging by his 6-foot-8(!!) frame and 238 lbs, I don’t think the Flyers took him for his silky smooth scoring prowess.
28- Anaheim Ducks (from VGK via MTL): Marcus Nordmark (F)
The Ducks trade down a spot and use the 28th pick on Swedish winger Marcus Nordmark, who scored 38 points with Djurgardens IF in the Swedish U20 league. A big first night for the Swedes, who’ve seen seven players drafted tonight.
29- Vegas Golden Knights (from COL via NYI): Juho Piiparinen (D)
The Knights traded down a bunch, basically end up in the pick they would’ve had regardless, and take Finnish d-man Juho Piiparinen. Played 29 games for Tappara in the Finnish Liiga last season.
30- Calgary Flames (from VGK): Jack Hextall (F)
58 points with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL, Jack Hextall’s the first player taken from that league so far. Hextall’s also a Michigan State University commit for next season.
31- Nashville Predators (from CAR): Thomas Bleyl (D)
The Predators move up from 42nd into the defending Stanley Cup champion’s spot, and they choose Thomas Bleyl from the Moncton Wildcats. Bleyl led the QMJHL in points by a defender with 81, and will provide some puck-moving in the Preds’ depth chart.
One pick to go.
32- Ottawa Senators: Jaxon Cover (F)
Using the last pick of the first round (given back to the Sens after the Evgenii Dadonov debacle), Ottawa uses it to select right winger Jaxon Cover. Scored 52 points with the London Knights as a rookie, and is committed to Penn State for next season. A nice bookend after McKenna was drafted from Penn State at the beginning of the round today.
And that wraps things up for us here. The Canucks have made their two picks in Malhotra and Novotny, but no other moves beyond that. All in all they made two very good picks, and the perfect foundation for tomorrow and beyond in this rebuild. We’ll see how much busier Ryan Johnson and Co. are tomorrow in the trade market, starting with the very first pick of the second round. Thanks for following along today!
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Vancouver CanucksTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$86,185,833
$62,923,333
Projected Cap Space
$17,814,167
$50,576,666
Current Cap Space
$17,814,167
$50,576,666
Active Players
23/23
13/23
Draft Picks
Round
'26
'27
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2
1
2
2
2
3
1
1